Haha, what? This whole reunification scene in chapter five is very interesting. Hmm, maybe "awkward" is a better word.
First of all, Gatsby acts like a teenager when he has Jordan and Nick set him up with Daisy without actually talking to her. Then, after Nick says he will arrange a meeting between Gatsby and Daisy, Gatsby responds by offering Nick a job. Then, the day of the meeting, Gatsby gets stage fright, and when Nick walks into his house bringing Daisy, Gatsby had fled the living room. And then he decides to make it even more awkward by knowing offhand that they hadn't seen each other for "five years next November" (87). Poor Nick has to give him a pep talk!
Then, after about half an hour, Nick returns to the living room to see Daisy's face "smeared in tears" and Gatsby "glowing" with joy (89). "After his embarrassment and his unreasoning joy he was consumed with wonder at her presence" (91-2). They get absorbed in each other's materialism when Daisy cries over his nice shirts and then adores his yacht. Perhaps the most entertaining part is when Nick becomes their chaperon. "I tried to go then, but they wouldn't hear of it; perhaps my presence made them feel more satisfactorily alone" (94).
As I finish the first half of the novel, I'm not quite sure where this relationship is going to head. It has weird foundations in mutual wealth and materialism, and they remember each other fondly from a brief meeting five years ago. I mean, in my mind, there's no way this is going to turn out well for either one of them.
Speaking of Gatsby's deepest secrets, here's an xkcd picture I like. I think I used it for Never Let Me Go, but it really fits the wealthy characters in this novel, too. Behind Gatsby's countenance is his crazy longing for Daisy Buchanan. I like him -- he seems more modest and casual than the other wealthy characters, but his obsession with Daisy is a little creepy, and there's no doubt that he's materialistic, as well.
I totally agree about Gatsby acting like a teenager. It almost seems as if their relationship is based on puppy love.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't even give Gatsby the honor of acting older than 8. He needs to muster up the courage to act without the help of his middle-class neighbor.
ReplyDeleteThen again, I wouldn't expect this relationship to go far anyways. Let's be honest -- I'm going to compare this relationship to any of the relationships we've got today. Like the monstrosity 72 hour wedding thing? What a joke. This whole thing is just being completely nuts. People with too much money, too much time, and not enough to keep them occupied.
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ReplyDeleteNice analysis! Beyond Gatsby's obsession with Daisy, I would like to point out that we don't know how he made his fortune. Right now I think he's trying to impress her, but I have a feeling that something is going to go very wrong very soon.
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