Chapter One

English Literature Homework
Reading Journal – ‘The Great Gatsby’ Chapter One

The first chapter of the book is full of endless description. Nick Carraway, the persona in the novel, talks about his life – his childhood, his experiences, his views, and his summer. F. Scott Fitzgerald cleverly puts it together, using various writing styles full of meaning to grip the readers. The book is only short and first impressions make a huge difference. Fitzgerald doesn’t waste a word and the first chapter is extremely important. It gives the readers a view of what the book is going to be like, influencing them to read and find out more.

We get a vague impression of Nick as he describes his experiences. At college he was ‘unjustly accused of being a politician’, which shows that he had bin privileged and well-educated by the way people at college were judging him. It also shows what Nick is like with other people. It could mean that he has good people skills but it could also mean that he just tells people what they want to hear, just like politicians do. This is quite an interesting statement because it is as if Nick was described as untrustworthy but the word ‘unjustly’ suggests that he really doesn’t think that he is.

The first part of the chapter is like a little prologue, described by Nick in the present and reflecting back on his past, giving us an insight to what he was like and what he used to do. He mentions a man named Gatsby. He does not describe him and we do not know who he is but we get a feeling of what Nick thinks of him. Nick said that Gatsby ‘represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn’. He also said ‘there was something gorgeous about him’ and explains that he found a ‘romantic readiness’ in him that he has never found in anyone else before.

These descriptions contrast. It hints to the reader that Nick didn’t like the things Gatsby stood for but somehow, he was still entranced by him. Further on he says, ‘Gatsby turned out all right at the end’, which tells the reader that this is a guy he used to know but doesn’t know anymore because of the past tense he keeps using. Also, it tells us that he never used to like him but hints that something must have made Nick like this person. What and why it was so, we do not know yet, leaving the readers curious about this man.

Nick then carries on talking about his life. He mentions how he used to go to New Haven, which is a prestigious university (Yale), which again proves that he is well educated. However, he talks about being in the First World War. This shows that although he was very privileged to study at an exclusive university, he had survived one of the most horrid challenges at the time. This tells us that, being a survivor, Nick’s outlook on life has probably been affected; maybe he appreciates life a lot more.

He then says – ‘I came East, permanently, I thought, in the spring of twenty-two’. This raises questions. Why did he leave the East if he planned to move there permanently? This hints that something might have happened to him when he stayed there.

Nick then elaborates his stay in America. ‘I lived at West Egg, the –well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them’. He compares West Egg to East Egg and the hesitation in his voice when he explains that where he lives is less exclusive shows that he doesn’t feel comfortable about the fact. Maybe he had been so used to living over in the West with the privileges he used to get when in university and most probably, after surviving the war.

He then goes on to talk about Gatsby’s mansion, his neighbour. He describes it as a ‘factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy’ and has ‘more than forty acres of lawn and garden’. There may be a slight hint of jealousy in his voice and the short sentences within the paragraph where he describes the place where this Gatsby lives shows that he is taking everything in slowly and carefully, as if he cannot quite believe someone could live in such luxury.

Afterwards, he says ‘the history of the summer really begins’. This is quite ironic because as he describes his new life over in America, the readers get the impression that his summer has started already. However, the word ‘history’ gives this phrase a slightly different meaning. It isn’t just any summer, it’s the summer. This shows that the events he’s going to describe from that point all lead up to a summer he obviously cannot quite forget.

He then goes on to describing his first stay at the Buchanan household over at East Egg. Daisy was his cousin and he married a guy called Tom Buchanan. We get a very distinct and firm impression of Tom, even at this early stage in the novel. Nick describes that he has a ‘hard mouth and a supercilious manner… arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face… always leaning aggressively forward’ and also says that he had a ‘body capable of enormous leverage – a cruel body’. These descriptions are all very negative and give an impression of a very violent and superior man, someone you would not want to get in the wrong side of. The way Nick describes him also gives the feeling that he does not like him very much.

Throughout the night, Tom makes remarks that lead to an even clearer impression of him and his actions show what he is like as a person, a husband and a father. When Daisy asks Nick if he would like to see their baby, he completely changes the subject as if his own child is the thing he would least like to talk about.

When Nick starts off a conversation about civilisation, he took it up in an ‘unexpected way’ and talks about a book that he has read. He says that ‘the white race will be utterly submerged. It’s all scientific stuff; it’s been proved’. This shows that he is racist. He also always wants his opinion heard, and thinks that he is always right. No one else’s opinion matters to him. He makes himself look intelligent by saying all these supposed facts but then he hasn’t backed it up. You just have to take his word for it and agree to his view of life.

Before Nick leaves to go home, he also ‘advises him’ not to believe all the gossip that he hears from other people, once again assuming that he knows everything and that Nick really values his opinion. He gives off the vibe that he is more superior to anyone.

Nick also hears from Jordan Baker, Daisy’s friend, that he has ‘another woman’. This clearly surprised Nick and shows the complete contrast to the civilisation he’s used to, to what Tom and Daisy are currently immersed in. The fact that ‘everyone knows’, according to Jordan, makes it even worse for Nick especially because Daisy is still with Tom even though the fact that he has another woman is quite well-known. Again, this is showing Tom’s dominance over Daisy, how he’s got hold of her and can seem to do anything he wants without consequence.

However, I also get the feeling that Tom only puts this superior act because he is insecure. ‘I hate that word hulking… even in kidding’, he says when Daisy uses the word to describe him. This shows me that he hates coming across as violent, whether he is or not we do not quite know yet, although we already get a hint of violence when Daisy talks about how Tom bruised her finger, but it seems like he hates it if people think of him in a negative way. Daisy insists on the word, and the whole conversation just suggests marital disharmony. It is like Daisy just wants an excuse to talk to Tom but he is taking to it in a completely different way that she probably expected him to. She probably just wanted to joke around with him, but he didn’t like it.

Daisy is the complete opposite to Tom, although she seems very dotty and shallow and seems to agree to everything Tom says just to please him, she seems like a nice person all round. She seems very spoilt but in a very angelic way, as if she’s been brought up to think that all the privileges she gets is normal. ‘What do people plan?’, she asks. This is shows that she is idle and extremely rich because she is just bored and has nothing to do.

The way Nick describes her shows that even though he thinks that Daisy lives in a completely different world and acts in a completely different way to how he would act, he still has a soft spot for her. This is shown because maybe he feels sorry for her and her relationship with Tom and Tom’s relationship with her daughter. When she had a one to one talk with Nick, he is very sarcastic – ‘God, I’m sophisticated’, which shows that she isn’t really happy even with the glamorous life that she leads. Nick describes – ‘I felt the basic insincerity of what she had said’, which again suggests that he feels sorry for her.