Chapter 1: The Great Gatsby

Summary

This chapter begins with an introduction from Nick of when and why he moved to the East. He then describes his visit to see Daisy (his cousin) and Tom in their new "red-and-white Georgian Colonial mansion" where he has tea with them and Jordan Baker. It becomes clear that their wealth and happiness is just a facade and underneath there is tension and unfulfillment- they do not represent the American dream as it may first appear.

Nick

Nick is the narrator of this text and from the very beginning he is revealed to be an oxymoranical character. He begins by saying that:

"I'm inclined to reserve all judgements"

This suggests that he is trying to present himself as a 'good' character and will not offer a personal opinion on the events that he describes. It is almost as if he wants to be seen as a voyeur- someone on the outside looking in- who does not play a role in the story. Despite this he immediately begins to contradict himself by offering multiple judgements on other characters and the events that take place and this suggests that he is in fact a biased narrator. This becomes even clearer later on in the book as he tries to ingratiate himself in Gatsby' world.

As a result the reader views Nick as possibly unreliable and this is further exacerbated by the idea that he is a first person narrator who is writing after the events have taken place. This means that he is able to pick and choose what he reveals and paint characters or situations in a way that works to his advantage because his is the only viewpoint that is available. For example he says that it was WW1 which made him move East and yet he:

"came East, permanently, I thought, in the Spring of twenty-two"

This is four years after the war ended so it is clear that Nick is choosing to hide certain aspects of his past- most likely as an attempt to give the reader a better impression of him. Linking to this, Fitzgerald has given Nick a consciousness that he is writing a book, shown when he says:

"Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book"

Consequently Nick may be deliberately trying to flaunt his knowledge, writing ability and achievements because he knows that what he produces is going to be read. He boasts about his literary achievements for the Yale news, frequently uses the exclusive reference "New Haven" as if to group himself with the elite and includes references to "the Columbus story" and "Midas, Morgan and Maecenas" to try to seem scholarly.It is arguable that this is a reflection of Fitzgerald's own desire to impress and show off his talents as he believed that his work deserved more recognition than it received.

Nick also uses his position as narrator to try to engineer the reader's impressions of the other characters. It is clear, for example, that Nick idolises Gatsby, who he sees as the embodiment of the American dream, and as a result he presents him in a very positive light, suggesting that:

"there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life"

 The use of long, soft- sounding vowels here emphasises how Nick views Gatsby as someone to admire and look up to. In contrast to this, Nick's descriptions of Tom are much harsher and more critical and he constantly tries to vilify him. It is clear that Nick is trying to project his own opinions onto the reader as he was presumably one of the:

"men at New Haven who hated his guts"

 Tom

It is clear that Nick dislikes Tom and so from the moment he is introduced he is presented negatively. He is described using harsh, monosyllabic adjectives such as "cruel" and it is clear that he views himself as a powerful, dominant figure. For example he stands:

"with his legs apart on the front porch"

This is a classic power stance and shows how he is the head of the family and wants to show off this dominance. Transferred epithet is further used to emphasise this when Tom is described as having"arrogant eyes". Eyes are known as the window to the soul and so it is clear that Nick is portraying Tom as a very arrogant person in general. The focus on eyes also suggests that Tom is physically looking down on Nick. It is clear that he has superior social status as the name 'Buchanan' comes from a traditional Scottish tribe whereas 'Carraway' links to the humble, homely carraway seed and so it may be that Tom is using this, along with his wealth, to intimidate Nick.

However, despite Tom's seemingly self-assured nature, there is evidence of underlying tensions in his character and in his relationship with Daisy which suggests that he is not living the American Dream at all. Various adverbs are used to describe him such as "restlessly" and "violently" which hint at the idea that his confidence is just a show to hide his real character.

Linking to this, it could be suggested that Tom's house is mimetic of his personality. From the outside the house is "elaborate" and impressive, covered in "bright vines" (a contrast to Gatsby's "thin beard" of ivy which suggests that his new money is just an imitation). However, just like with Tom's character, the truth lies beneath. The interior is:

"fragilely bound into the house"

This suggests that the impressive exterior is purely to compensate for the fragility of what lies beneath where even "A breeze" can cause disruption.

Daisy

Unlike Tom, Nick's presentation of Daisy is generally positive. He particularly focuses on her voice, suggesting it was "glowing and singing" and this creates an enchanting sense of mystery surrounding her character. Also her name- Daisy- has connotations of spring and new life as well as purity and innocence due to the colour. Despite this, there is still a sense that beneath her charm she is unhappy with her life. This is shown in her conversation with Nick at dinner when she says:

"Do you always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it."

It is like she is constantly waiting for something "gay and exciting" to make her happy but always misses it. This creates the sense that her life is unfulfilled and everything is just out of her reach. Fitzgerald's descriptions of light are also used to show this for example at the end of dinner it is personified:

"then the glow faded, each light deserting her with lingering regret"

Here the light is symbolic of Daisy's hope for happiness. It lingers for a while, almost taunting her, and then leaves which suggests that, like the light, hope has deserted her.

Daisy is clearly very aware of her unhappiness and in a conversation with Nick tells him that she hopes her daughter will be:

"a beautiful little fool"

This is a very cynical view and shows that Daisy now believes that the only way to truly be happy is to be stupid enough not to realise the position you are in. This is possibly mimetic of the pain Zelda (Fitzgerald's wife) went through as she was suppressed by her husband and not allowed to publish her writing.

On top of this, it is implied that Daisy may be subjected to some kind of domestic abuse because she says that her injured knuckle is Tom's fault. Although she follows this with "I know you didn't mean to" it is clear that there are many problems between them and Nick picks up on this when he reveals his instinct was to:

"telephone immediately for the police"

This creates a more sinister tone because not only is their facade hiding a less than perfect reality, it is also potentially hiding violence.

Jordan

Although Jordan does not play a major role in Chapter 1, this first introduction reveals a lot about her character and Nick's as well. She is portrayed as being quite aloof and glamorous yet, as with Daisy and Tom, there are already hints that this may just be another veneer. For example she is described as sitting with:

"her chin raised a little, as if she were balancing something on it which was quite likely to fall"

It is clear that she is positioning herself to seem haughty and possibly superior yet the fact that the object Nick imagines she is balancing seems "likely to fall" indicates that her outward appearance is fragile- just like the facades of Daisy, Tom and the house. Jordan, too, is part of the charade of the American Dream.

Later on in the chapter, Nick goes on to give a physical description of Jordan. This gives the reader a clear image of her appearance and also displays how Nick is actually quite similar to the men he tries to distance himself from. He says she is:

"a slender, small-breasted girl, with an erect carriage"

And that he:

"enjoyed looking at her"

This description represents the following through of the male gaze and also suggests that Nick may be objectifying her slightly, as if she were an ornament to be admired. Nick is again contradicting the 'good' portrayal of himself that he is constantly trying to create.

Gatsby

Gatsby only actually appears at the very end of this chapter yet the way he is described throughout emphasises his importance in the narrative. He is mentioned by Nick at the start and is immediately set apart from the other characters with a dash to structurally isolate his name. This is then continued when Nick sees him in his garden at the end of the chapter, saying:

"far as I was from him"

This emphaises both the physical (in the moment) and social disparity between them and suggests that, to Nick, Gatsby and what he represents seems awe-inspiring yet unreachable.

Gatsby is also mentioned during Nick's evening with the Buchanan's when Jordan mentions his name and Daisy responds with:

"'Gatsby?' demanded Daisy. 'What Gatsby?'"

The immediacy of her reaction and the repetition of his name clearly indicates that Gatsby is very important to Daisy and initiates quite a strong emotional response from her. Along with the title of the book, this makes it clear to the reader that Gatsby's role in the narrative is going to be very important.