Preview

The Great Gatsby Chapter 1 Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
3306 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Great Gatsby Chapter 1 Analysis
Chapter one

I think the most crucial plot point in chapter one is seeing Gadsby reaching toward the green light. I think this is the most important plot point because the readers do not understand why this is significant at this point. It is something the readers will learn more about as the book goes on. It is foreshadowing things to be learned later in the book.
In the beginning of the novel, nick describes himself in a couple of ways. He begins by describing himself as the author of the novel. He then goes on to describe himself as having very high moral standards, and also being a very tolerant person.

Nick describes Tom Buchanan in several different ways. He describes him saying " among various physical accomplishments,
…show more content…
One of them being he was actually invited to the party. Most people just came there. The other being that he seemed to be the only one looking for Gadsby. The other people thought it was funny that nick was looking for Gadsby.

When Nick fist meets Gadsby, he doesn't realize who he is talking to, but he thinks Gadsby is polite and had already started thinking of him as a new acquaintance. He even started making plans to go to France with him. The book says "We talked for a moment about some wet, gray little villages in France. Evidently he lived in this vicinity, for he told me that he had just bought a hydroplane, and was going to try it out in the morning. “Want to go with me, old sport? Just near the shore along the Sound.” “What time?" “Any time that suits you best.”.

After spending some time with Jordan Baker, Nick learns that she is, as he would put it, incurable dishonest. She lies quite often. He starts to remember many times that he knew that she had lied. Although she lies often, he decides it's not that big of a deal to
…show more content…
I think it is the most crucial plot point because it shows nick that the only thing that made Daisy happy was Gadsby. Think it's also important because Daisy and Tom got to see what a party at Gadsby's is like.

James Gatz changes him name when he's was just 17 years old, or more precisely the exact moment he witnessed the beginning of his career. He first witnessed the beginning of his career when he saw Dan Cody's yacht drop anchor over the most insidious flat on Lake Superior. He changed his name because he was ashamed of his parents and never really accepted them as parents at all.

Daisy's real response to the party, according to Nick, was that she didn't enjoy it. Nick thinks that the only time Daisy truly enjoyed was when she was alone with Gadsby. Every other time nick could tell she wasn't happy and was not enjoying the party.

Gadsby tells nick that he wants Daisy to go to her husband tell him that she never loved him. He also wants himself and Daisy to move back to Louisville and be married from her house. Most importantly he wanted to things to be like the way they were before he

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Mr. Gatsby was a mysterious man Nick had thought meeting him for the first time. “ I would have accepted without questions the information that Gatsby sprang. " (page…

    • 933 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    He soon gets a first person view of the lifestyles of the rich through contact with his rich, spoiled cousin Daisy and her husband Tom Buchanan. During his time with them he visits their friends and gets introduced to new people. He also attends parties hosted by his neighbor to whom he knows nothing about, Jay Gatsby. After finally meeting the man he learns of the connection between him and his cousin, along with his cousin’s true feelings. Also he tries to solve the mystery of Mr. Gatsby himself. After becoming close friends with Gatsby, Nick agrees to establish a planned reunion between Daisy and Gatsby. Gatsby has been obsessively trying to win back Daisy for as long as they have been separated. His sole purpose of acquiring a fortune was simply to impress Daisy and become of equal status. Gatsby is convinced that he can reinvent their past love and…

    • 842 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    A reporter even travels to Gatsby’s mansion hoping to interview him. Nick interrupts the story to tell the truth about Gatsby, as it all really happened. Gatsby was born James Gatz on a North Dakota farm. He attended college at St. Olaf’s in Minnesota, but dropped out after two weeks. He worked as a janitor to pay for his tuition. He worked on Lake Superior the next summer fishing for salmon and digging for clams. One day, he saw a wealthy copper mogul name Dan Cody, on his yacht and went out to warn him of the storm ahead. Cody took Gatz, named him Jay Gatsby, and made him his personal assistant. Traveling with Cody to the Barbary Coast and the West Indies, Gatsby fell in love with wealth and luxury. Cody was a heavy drinker, and one of Gatsby’s jobs was to look after him on his drunken days. This made Gatsby not to ever drink because he’s aware of the dangers of drinking. When Cody died, he left Gatsby $25,000, but Cody’s mistress didn’t allow him to collect his inheritance. Gatsby used his experience as motivation to become a wealthy successful man. Nick doesn’t see Gatsby or Daisy for a while since the reunion at his house. One afternoon Nick visits Gatsby’s house and finds Tom there along with the Sloanes. Gatsby lets Tom know that he knows Daisy. Tom is aware of Daisy’s solo visits to Gatsby’s mansion. He is suspicious but doesn’t know about Gatsby and Daisy’s love. Tom and Daisy attend a…

    • 2943 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nick escorted Daisy into his residence only to discover Gatsby was not in the living room. Nick did not need to wonder long because “there was a light dignified knocking at the front door… Gatsby, pale as death, with his hands plunged like weights in his coat pockets, was standing in a puddle of water glaring tragically into my eyes” (86). The purpose of his action was to deceive Daisy and make her believe he was not waiting for her. While an innocent lie, it is already giving a dishonest start to the reunion between Jay Gatsby and…

    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    <br>He supports his words with his actions as a narrator, as well as his role as a character in the story. As the narrator, he was honest with himself, one example being Nick admitting to himself that Jordan was not only dishonest, but selfish and cynical as well, but he loved her regardlessly. As the novel's main character, he was the only one that did not feel the need to mislead other people. All of the other characters would use an impressive, unreal facade in order to attract people and make a good first impression. For example, Daisy acted completely different around company from when she was with Tom. However, this happened while Nick would always let his honest, true character show through the entire time.…

    • 920 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In Chapter 5, Daisy and Gatsby are reunited in Nick’s house and then Gatsby shows Daisy around his house. Gatsby attempts to reward Nick with money for helping bring him and Daisy together again, “Well, this would interest you. It wouldn’t take up much of your time but you might pick up a nice bit of money.” This shows how Gatsby is not used to people being hospitable towards him without wanting anything in return. It also demonstrates how Gatsby thinks he has to buy Nick’s loyalty in the hope that by bribing Nick with money, he won’t tell Tom about his meeting with Daisy. Nick refuses claiming, “I’ve got my hands full,” This reveals that Nick is very class conscious as he thinks he is above receiving money for something he has done. It also shows that he is aware of the corrupt criminal world that Gatsby is involved in because he doesn’t want to take the chance of getting involved in the same world as Gatsby.…

    • 297 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gatsby exploits Nick and Jordan’s relationships with Daisy, befriending them and offering Nick job opportunities in the hopes of creating a bridge between himself and…

    • 897 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nick admires his motivation and drive to get Daisy back. Nick also likes Gatsby’s unwavering devotion towards Daisy, including taking the blame for Myrtle's death. Nick believes in Gatsby and wants him to get Daisy back. Even when Nick first gets invited to his party, Nick respects Gatsby unlike most of the other partygoers. Nick found out that the only reason Gatsby kept having these parties was for him to be able to meet Daisy. Nick realized the amount of work Gatsby was going through to win Daisy back. Nick is the only character that realizes Gatsby’s actual…

    • 541 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    He found out that his next door neighbor Nick Carraway had connection with Daisy. Gatsby invites Nick to lunch so that they could get to know one another. He informs Nick on his past about being in love with Daisy the woman of his dreams and then getting called to fight in World War I.…

    • 901 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The inevitable end of Daisy and Gatsby relationship was foreshadowed early on by Daisy’s actions and Nick’s observations. Daisy has always known about all of Tom’s affairs or “spree’s” as he calls them. She shows this early on to Nick after dinner when he has first came to the West Egg. Daisy admits to Nick that “I’ve had a very bad time” (16) and that when her daughter was born “Tom was God knows where” (17). Even with Daisy and Tom picking at each other and arguing nonstop through dinner, Nick observes as he is leaving that they are still a unit, “stood side by side” (19), as they walked him to the door.…

    • 939 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The events that occur throughout the novel all have a meaning and some sort of a lesson to be learned through the characters’ experience and their mistakes. Many of these “lessons” are hidden within symbols that the author leads to. They are truly known as “motifs” and essentially, they describe the symbolism within the text and link to the theme. The motif that is focused on heavily in chapter 4 is Gatsby’s wealth. Gatsby’s…

    • 851 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Life after Jay Gatsby

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Nick, for instance, had broken mentally. When they would talk amongst themselves, Nick would learn more about how to reach a goal because of the strong enunciative Gatsby had for anything set for himself; to Nick, Gatsby was the icon or image of the word hope. "Reserving judgments is a matter infinite hope."- (Nick Carraway pg.15) Hope was more than just a word; it was ambition to strive for the American Dream. When realizing that the death of his friend was real, he had lost hope. Nick would have benefited greatly from his friend not being murdered in cold blood. Nick was Gatsby’s only true friend and he would have inherited some of Gatsby’s money or even his house from the stong and surreal relationship they had. Daisy disappearing after Gatsby's death changed Nick as well because she was a person that he could go to for help. Nick would of been more prosperous and mentally stable if Gatsby had lived, and if Daisy had stayed in his life.…

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Even though he is the narrator of the book he does not have too big of a role in the storyline. Fitzgerald chose a great way to tell the story by using Nick as an observer of the story and also taking place in it at times. Nick gives the readers a better view on the story. However, while Nick is a spectator, his role is needed. Nick begins his story with an important point; that he has no bias in the favor of Gatsby when he says, “Gatsby turned out all right at the end, and it was what preyed on Gatsby...” Later in the book he admits that he believes every man to be worthy of some virtue and that Gatsby’s is honesty. Fitzgerald starts the book by giving us Nick's thoughts on the summer that the story tells. About a half of page long explains how Nick's experience with Gatsby and Daisy has ended his curiosity in the "abortive sorrows and short winded elations of men." (Page…

    • 1222 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Great Gatsby

    • 5619 Words
    • 23 Pages

    This is a current upper-class pose and by adopting it Daisy not only identifies herself as part of a fashionable group, but disposes of the need to live a meaningful life, since life has no meaning anyway.…

    • 5619 Words
    • 23 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gastby's Flawed Grail

    • 708 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Gatsby was known for hosting large and lavish parties that would he thought would attract and interest people from all over including Daisy. He hopes that the large crowds, flashing lights and will bring them together. In chapter 3, Nick and Jordan hear some rumors that have been circling around…

    • 708 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays