Gatsby Chapter 4 Flashcards
What are the main events of chapter 4?
One morning Gatsby invites Nick to lunch in the city
Gatsby broadly displays his rolls Royce and then abruptly asked Nick what does he think of him
Nick is understandably evasive, Gatsby responds by giving Nick an account of his past
His story is highly improbable, she Nick asked which mid western city he hesitates and says “San Francisco”
He rattles off an absurdly long Los to accomplishments, attended Oxford, lived in all the capital’s of europe, enlisted I the war effort an decorated by every allied government including Montenegro
They drive through the valley of ashes in till Gatsby is stopped for speeding but he shows a white card and the policeman apologises and doesn’t give him a ticket
After lunch Gatsby introduces Nick to Meyer wolfshiem, a disreputable character
Wolfshiem claims to have fixed the 1919 world series
Here Nick begins to suspect Gatsby of underworld dealings due to his association with wolfshiem
Analysis
Primarily concerned with th mystery of Gatsby backround and the source of his wealth
Though Nick is first taken with Gatsbys seeming purity and optimism Gatsby remains enigmatic and not entirely trustworthy
Gatsby own account of his past seems exadurated
The introduction of Meyer wolfshiem serves to increase nicks and the readers doubts concerning Gatsby virtue
Nick begins to suspect that the rumours of Gatsby involvement in organised crime and bootlegging may not be false
Jordan’s story about Gatsby by contrast, portrays him as a romantic, forced to worship his love from afar
Fitzgerald draws upon centuries of romantic cliche to present Gatsby as brave handsome, young and pure
Nicks attitude twords Gatsby in which he finds himself switching between admiration and distaste is emphasised in this chapter
Moral corruption is reinforced
