"I understood that he meant a great deal more than that...."See in text(Chapter I)
Though Nick can theoretically be trusted to understand his own father, it’s worth noting the distance between what was explicitly said to Nick—that he has had more advantages than other people and should keep that fact in mind before criticizing them—and what Nick takes from the advice, which is that he should reserve all judgments, always. This distance, along with the reservation of all judgments, suggests that Nick’s perspective on events is not entirely accurate.
"This idea is that we’re Nordics...."See in text(Chapter I)
Though the term “Nordic” usually describes someone who is descended from one of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands), Tom is referring to the specific racist ideology of Madison Grant, in which “Nordics” are credited with all major cultural developments throughout history. Tom’s anxiety about the rising power of people of color reflects his fear that his position of power and security is tenuous.
"and with a bantering inconsequence that was never quite chatter..."See in text(Chapter I)
Nick describes Daisy and Jordan as interacting without substance—they are charming, but detached, with “impersonal eyes in the absence of all desire.” Because there is nothing they want, there is nothing they care about. Nick seems to comment on the refined though superficial manners of the upper class, the “old money” families who have been socialized to handle such anxieties with grace—while feeling no pressure to shape an evening in a particular way. Daisy and Jordan “accept” Nick and Tom and try to be pleasing, but there is no genuine connection between anyone present.
The adjective “supercilious” describes a person who behaves as if they are superior to others. Tom Buchanan’s superciliousness—later described as “paternal contempt”—along with his aggressive appearance and apparent physical power seems to represent an arrogant and potentially hostile upper class. Nick’s description of Tom suggests that he has become disgusted, or at the very least unimpressed, by Tom’s behavior at the time of his narration.
"I am still a little afraid of missing something if I forget that, as my father snobbishly suggested, and I snobbishly repeat, a sense of the fundamental decencies is parcelled out unequally at birth...."See in text(Chapter I)
Nick has been describing himself as a privileged man who is capable of tolerance, or of seeing past a person’s lack of “the fundamental decencies”—qualities that, as his father suggests, are indicative of wealth and status rather than a fundamentally inferior character. However, Nick here describes his father’s advice as “snobbish” and recasts it so that what is “parcelled out unequally at birth” is “a sense of the fundamental decencies”—made an inherent personal trait—as opposed to “advantages” which could allow a person to develop those “decencies.” This reframing implies that Nick has missed his father’s point entirely. It also forces a reconsideration of those “wild, unknown men” who made him their confidante when he was in college: it now seems likely that Nick’s dismissal of them as “abnormal minds” and “veteran bores” is at least partially rooted in classism.
"and so it came about that in college I was unjustly accused of being a politician, because I was privy to the secret griefs of wild, unknown men...."See in text(Chapter I)
Nick suggests that he was accused of pandering to others (as a politician might) by reserving his judgment of them. This practice encouraged people to “attach” themselves to him, which is why he became “privy to the secret griefs of wild, unknown men.” Nick himself is unable to totally withhold his criticism: he portrays himself as “normal” and these men as “abnormal” and therefore implicitly beneath him. This suggests that, despite his father’s advice and his own self-perception, Nick upholds the divisions that maintain a class-based social hierarchy.
"I’m going to have the McKees come up,..."See in text(Chapter II)
Myrtle’s enthusiasm for receiving guests seems to be a form of class emulation, as though she believes that she has achieved an elevated social status through her affair with Tom. The narration frequently reminds readers that she is performing an illusion, however, with details such as her furniture being too big for her apartment and the stacks of gossip magazines left around.
"I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life...."See in text(Chapter II)
Nick’s conflicting feelings during his visit to Myrtle and Tom’s apartment seem to characterize his relationship with his own social class throughout the novel. He is “within and without,” wanting to leave the party and yet being drawn back into the chaotic conversations “as if with ropes.” He dissociates, imagining himself looking up to the “yellow window” of the apartment from outside. Nick is perhaps hypocritical in his critical portrayal of those around him, given that he also comes from an older family that enjoys great privilege (of which his father made him repeatedly aware). Though his current companions are not high-status individuals, his paradoxical feelings of enchantment and repulsion seem to represent his inability to fully decontextualize himself from his class.
"She’s a Catholic, and they don’t believe in divorce...."See in text(Chapter II)
The Roman Catholic Church, and its followers by extension, do not sanction divorce; instead, they consider marriage to be an irrevocable sacrament that can only be dissolved through an annulment. Legal divorce is not grounds for excommunication, but divorced couples are still considered to be married within the Church. Therefore, neither person can remarry until the other has died. Annulments, however, are recognized as legitimate under certain circumstances and are granted if the Church does not recognize the marriage as having been valid in the first place. Such circumstances include being forced into marriage or not understanding the vows being taken. It seems likely that Tom has lied about Daisy being a Catholic in order to excuse himself from committing to Myrtle.
"It’s more of an Airedale...."See in text(Chapter II)
The Airedale is the largest breed of terrier dogs. Also known as Bingley Terriers or Waterside Terriers, Airedales were first bred in the River Aire valley in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. Despite Tom’s assertion that the puppy is “no police dog,” Airedales were the first police dogs used in Great Britain and were even used as war dogs. Tom’s casual purchase of the puppy serves as a display of wealth to his companions and suggests that an element of his interest in Myrtle is her lowly status, which reinforces his own economic and social security.
"Tom deferred that much to the sensibilities of those East Eggers..."See in text(Chapter II)
“East Eggers” are East Egg’s residents, most of whom come from respected “old money” families like Tom Buchanan’s. Nick and Gatsby live in West Egg, home to those who became wealthy from the economic expansion of the Roaring Twenties. Despite carelessly parading Myrtle around at restaurants in the city, Tom is uncomfortable being seen with her in the presence of his neighbors. Since her existence is “insisted upon wherever he was known,” it is unlikely that Tom is trying to conceal his affair. It is more plausible that he feels self-conscious about being seen with a woman of low class before reaching the less strictly governed social world of New York City. This points at the hypocrisy of the upper class: it is widely understood across East Egg that Tom has a mistress, and his “deference” to “sensibilities” is an empty gesture.
"He was a blond, spiritless man, anæmic, and faintly handsome...."See in text(Chapter II)
George Wilson is a foil for Tom Buchanan. A foil is a type of juxtaposition in which two characters with contrasting characteristics are compared as a means of highlighting the traits of one or both of them. Character foils usually have at least one significant trait in common, or some other type of connection that also serves to underscore the qualities of one character. Tom and Wilson are connected through Wilson’s wife, Myrtle, with whom Tom is having an affair. Whereas Tom is wealthy, confident, and aggressive, Wilson is poor, insecure, and mostly passive. While Tom may lack moral substance, arguably as an effect of the carelessness conferred by his wealth, Wilson seems to lack physical substance, as if poverty has drained his vitality. The differences between Wilson and Tom, as well as Tom’s treatment of Wilson, emphasize how unpleasant Tom is and Fitzgerald’s interest in the spiritual implications of wealth and status, which are at the heart of the American dream.
The brutishness of Tom’s behavior is at odds with the refined manners often associated with his social class. However, it is perhaps as a result of his immense wealth and the high status of his family that he seems to feel entitled to everything and everyone around him, to the extent that he successfully bullies Nick into meeting his mistress. Tom’s increasingly unlikeable character seems to embody the hypocrisy, and perhaps even the capacity for violence, of his social class.
"the fact that he was not drinking..."See in text(Chapter III)
Given the prominence of alcohol consumption at his party, Gatsby’s decision to not drink stands in stark contrast to the drunkenness that surrounds him. Nick wonders whether Gatsby’s sobriety “sets him off from his guests”: his clear-headedness seems to emphasize his detachment from those around him. On a thematic level, it is notable that Gatsby is excluded from the overindulgence and illusion symbolized by alcohol, despite his willingness to provide it for others.
"He’s the man who fixed the World’s Series back in 1919...."See in text(Chapter IV)
Gatsby refers to the Black Sox Scandal, in which eight players for the Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing—purposefully losing—the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. They were allegedly paid by a gambling syndicate led by Arnold Rothstein, a Jewish gambler and crime boss in New York City. The players were acquitted in 1921, but were nevertheless banned from Major League Baseball, as well as from consideration for inclusion into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The allusion—and Fitzgerald’s own comments—suggests that Wolfshiem’s character is based on Rothstein. Gatsby’s honesty about Wolfshiem’s legacy is perhaps surprising, given that he has already shown himself to be in business with Wolfshiem.
"He went to Oggsford College in England...."See in text(Chapter IV)
Wolfshiem’s pronunciation of "Oxford" as “Oggsford,” as well as his questioning whether Nick has heard of such a famous institution, suggests that he is quite oblivious to the values of the upper class that Gatsby aspires to join.
"I can’t forget so long as I live the night they shot Rosy Rosenthal there...."See in text(Chapter IV)
Wolfshiem is referring to the 1912 murder of Herman Rosenthal, a bookmaker and the owner of multiple illegal casinos in the city. Corrupt New York police lieutenant Charles Becker and four accomplices were convicted and sentenced to death, with Becker’s 1915 execution making him the first and only police officer to be executed for murder in the United States. Wolfshiem’s friendship with Rosenthal implies that he has—or at least has had—connections with organized crime.
"He was never quite still; there was always a tapping foot somewhere or the impatient opening and closing of a hand..."See in text(Chapter IV)
Gatsby is very intentional and careful about how he presents himself; however, restlessness has made it difficult for him to maintain his appearance of control. That a quality of movement “that is so peculiarly American” disrupts Gatsby’s cultured manner highlights the global nature of the divide between “old” and “new” money. For all their airs, “old money” Americans are copying the much older moneyed class of Europe, and upper-class Americans are guilty of the same aspirational behavior they find so distasteful in others.
"It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such—such beautiful shirts before...."See in text(Chapter V)
It seems ridiculous that Daisy is crying over Gatsby’s shirts, given that shirts are a relatively mundane thing to possess, and it falls to readers to decide why she’s reacting this way. Though Nick is willing to offer interpretations of Gatsby’s behavior and emotional state throughout this chapter, he doesn’t do the same for Daisy. Nick’s narrative objectification of Daisy, which is persistent throughout the novel, makes it easy to read her as a shallow and reactionary character who lacks interior life. In particular, her sudden outburst over Gatsby’s shirts could signify that she specifically values material goods. However, she could be feeling overwhelmed by the situation for any number of other reasons—the mundanity of shirts makes it unlikely that they’re what’s actually triggering her outburst. Nick’s failure to describe Daisy’s experience to the extent he does Gatsby’s should remind readers of the subjectivity of the narrative as a whole.
"Oh, I’ve been in several things..."See in text(Chapter V)
Once again, Gatsby displays secretiveness about what he does for a living. Further, he appears to have slipped up on his claim that he inherited his money by bragging to Nick that he only took three years to make the money that paid for his mansion. Gatsby’s secretiveness, mysterious entrepreneurial endeavors, and connections with a man like Wolfshiem altogether insinuate that a good deal of the “easy money” available during the Roaring Twenties was acquired through corruption.
"a rather confidential sort of thing...."See in text(Chapter V)
Gatsby’s gesture is likely intended as genuine kindness, but it hints once more that he is extending hospitality in a transactional way; he seems to believe that, like the police commissioner, Nick will be more cooperative if he is given a favor. The confidential nature of Gatsby’s invitation insinuates that, as was suggested during lunch with Wolfshiem, his wealth was built on corruption.
"A lot of these newly rich people are just big bootleggers, you know...."See in text(Chapter VI)
Tom’s condescending attitude towards people with “new money” reflects the “old money” class’s interest in delegitimizing those whose wealth did not come through inheritance. Daisy, too, is “appalled by West Egg, this unprecedented ‘place’ that Broadway had begotten upon a Long Island fishing village.” The idea of people making their fortunes who would otherwise be socially and economically inferior to the Buchanans seems unfathomable to them. Tom copes by explaining away their success as a product of corruption, which by contrast reinforces the legitimacy of his position at the top of the social order.
"but if he could once return to a certain starting place and go over it all slowly, he could find out what that thing was. . . ...."See in text(Chapter VI)
Once again, illusion clashes with reality in a way that produces a life that is “confused and disordered,” instead of easy and happy. Gatsby may not be aware of “what that thing was” that he pursues by trying to recreate the past with Daisy, but it seems clear that he wishes—even if it is unconsciously—to return to a time when he could live in a dream state, even though he’s apparently accomplished everything he once dreamed of.
"He stayed there two weeks, dismayed at its ferocious indifference to the drums of his destiny, to destiny itself, and despising the janitor’s work with which he was to pay his way through...."See in text(Chapter VI)
Nick again indicates that perhaps Gatsby’s fantasy is one of selfishness and entitlement; he leaves St. Olaf, a small Lutheran college, after two weeks because it doesn’t validate his self-importance and he resents having to work as a janitor. One one hand, Gatsby’s dismay highlights a gap between the simplistic, immature fantasy of the American dream—that wealth and security is attainable for anyone—and the dull hard work demanded of those not born into such wealth. On the other hand, it also characterizes Gatsby as having a deep sense of personal entitlement, not unlike other upper-class men like Tom Buchanan.
"The most grotesque and fantastic conceits haunted him in his bed at night..."See in text(Chapter VI)
Nick possibly intends a double meaning here: a “conceit” can refer to either exaggerated pride or an elaborate metaphor. With its use, Nick is perhaps suggesting that it is Gatsby’s “overwhelming self-absorption” that causes inner turmoil, producing overwhelming fantasies that create dissatisfaction and promote false hopes. Gatsby’s “fantastic conceits” are rooted in “ineffable gaudiness” and materialistic ambitions that seem to be products of a corrupted imagination.
"the pioneer debauchee, who during one phase of American life brought back to the Eastern seaboard the savage violence of the frontier brothel and saloon...."See in text(Chapter VI)
Nick seems to credit Dan Cody with bringing West Coast debauchery, or flagrant overindulgence in sensual pleasures like drinking, gambling, and sex, to the East Coast. His broad, exaggerated characterization of Cody reminds the reader that most characters in The Great Gatsby symbolize their class or station, as it seems implausible that one person is responsible for introducing vice and violence to a region as large as the East Coast. Here, Cody represents some of the more crassly immoral qualities that Nick associates with the upper-middle class, or at least those who aspire to build wealth for themselves through entitlement and exploitation.
"Tom and Gatsby insisted with competitive firmness that we remain—as though neither of them had anything to conceal and it would be a privilege to partake vicariously of their emotions...."See in text(Chapter VII)
Fitzgerald again reminds readers that Tom and Gatsby are foils for each other as well as representatives of their classes. The assumption that Nick and Jordan should be interested in the outcome of their argument recalls Tom’s prior superciliousness, which Nick has remarked upon multiple times. Gatsby’s seeming to share that trait is a notable indication of these men’s innate similarities.
"only the dead dream fought on as the afternoon slipped away, trying to touch what was no longer tangible, struggling unhappily, undespairingly, toward that lost voice across the room...."See in text(Chapter VII)
Gatsby’s “dead dream” is not only the loss of Daisy’s love, but also the fantasy of truly entering the upper class. Interestingly, Gatsby and Daisy are removed from the interaction in this paragraph—she “draw[s]...into herself,” he gives up on defending himself, and only his “dream” and her “lost voice” are left. Reducing the characters to their single most defining traits highlights their metaphorical natures and the thematic implications of their dynamic: Daisy is the unattainable, insubstantial promise of the American dream, and Gatsby is the hopeless attempt to achieve it.
"She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me...."See in text(Chapter VII)
Nick never hears, in Daisy’s own words, why she didn't wait for Gatsby. Gatsby is comfortable stating that she was motivated by their economic disparity, but it’s unclear if he’s relating information that Daisy has told him at some point or whether he’s recasting her actions into a framework he personally identifies with. It’s an important distinction: Daisy is frequently interpreted as being shallow and materialistic, but she is also rarely allowed to speak for herself. Her actions are related to readers through the words of characters who are obviously concerned with class distinction.
"“She’s got an indiscreet voice,” I remarked. “It’s full of—”..."See in text(Chapter VII)
Daisy’s voice has been a major element in Nick’s characterization of her since her introduction. Here, Nick saying Daisy has “got an indiscreet voice” seems to be saying that her voice makes discretion—modesty or reserve—impossible for her. Daisy’s not having learned to moderate her tone indicates the ease and carelessness with which she’s used to speaking. Daisy’s privileged carelessness will continue to be a major factor in the narrative’s development.
"“You resemble the advertisement of the man,”..."See in text(Chapter VII)
Given that one approach for an advertisement is to offer an illusion of achievable perfection in order to motivate a purchase, it is a fitting comparison for Gatsby: Nearly everything about him is an illusion that James Gatz constructed in order to fulfill his highest ideals. Daisy’s declaration that he reminds her of “the advertisement of the man” insinuates that she idealizes and objectifies Gatsby just as he idealizes and objectifies her.
A secondary facet of Daisy’s comparison is its similarity to Myrtle Wilson’s story about seeing Tom for the first time. “I couldn’t keep my eyes off him,” Myrtle says, “but every time he looked at me I had to pretend to be looking at the advertisement over his head.” The conflation of romance and commercialism is a motif throughout the book, and both Daisy and Myrtle are guilty of it.
"the sun’s getting hotter every year..."See in text(Chapter VII)
It is possible that Tom is mixing up statistics surrounding global warming—a trend identified by scientists beginning in the 19th century—with facts about the eventual fate of the sun, as well as the Earth and the rest of the solar system. Regardless, the fact that he immediately contradicts himself by saying that the sun is actually “getting colder every year” implies that facts do not matter to him.
"it occurred to me that there was no difference between men, in intelligence or race, so profound as the difference between the sick and the well...."See in text(Chapter VII)
Tom’s and Wilson’s discoveries about their wives committing adultery further cements their status as character foils. The parallel quality of these two discoveries apparently gives Nick the opportunity to observe what he believes to be the only true difference between men: their well-being. Wilson “was so sick that he looked guilty,” whereas Tom appears distracted and volatile. It is left ambiguous whether Nick is drawing a contrast between these two men, only one of whom has been physically devastated by his discovery, or between their shared unwellness and himself.
"Her voice is full of money..."See in text(Chapter VII)
Gatsby views Daisy’s overconfidence and flirtatiousness as a representation of her immense privilege, which enables her to do almost anything with impunity. Her money and status essentially buy her freedom, which she currently exercises by saying indiscreet things to Gatsby in front of Tom. Nick realizes this, too, and explains that Daisy is “the king’s daughter” and the “golden girl” who can do whatever she wants. Though Nick may now consider this entitlement to be selfish and abhorrent, Gatsby continues to pursue Daisy as though the “money” in her voice is another type of wealth that he can acquire through immoral means.
"His wife and his mistress, until an hour ago secure and inviolate, were slipping precipitately from his control...."See in text(Chapter VII)
In chapter 1, when Tom is talking about the racist book he has read, Nick says that it seems like “his complacency, more acute than of old, was not enough to him anymore.” As Tom has become more wealthy and privileged, he has also become insecure, and now he finds himself in the exact situation he feared: that which he feels entitled to (here, Daisy and Myrtle) is being taken from him by socially inferior men (Gatsby and Wilson). Given that Tom is a member of the “old money” class, it is also symbolically significant that his power is being threatened by men who represent the “new money” and working classes.
"Gatsby shouldered the mattress and started for the pool...."See in text(Chapter VIII)
This is a significant moment, for Gatsby has never before indulged in the hospitality he extended to his guests. The image of him alone in the pool, surrounded by “the yellowing trees,” marks a change in his relationship to his projected identity and the end of a phase of his life.
"“You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together.”..."See in text(Chapter VIII)
Nick believes that, despite his flaws, Gatsby possesses something unique and genuinely authentic, perhaps because of his idealism and capacity for hope. Interestingly, Nick’s compliment is still rooted in monetary language: Gatsby is “worth” an entire group of extremely wealthy people “put together,” as though people’s intrinsic value can be quantified. Also interesting is the fact that in this moment, Nick does not identify himself as a member of “the whole damn bunch.” This may mark a turning point for Nick, whose apparent dislike for the Buchanans (and especially Tom) has, until now, been at odds with his described behavior.
"He left feeling that if he had searched harder, he might have found her..."See in text(Chapter VIII)
Gatsby’s inability to reconcile himself with his past can be interpreted as an unwillingness to relinquish control. Throughout the narrative, multiple instances show Gatsby as being comfortable only when he feels he is able to control a situation, either through money or manipulation. Part of the fascination Daisy holds for Gatsby appears to stem from his being unable to control her—when he thought he’d “taken” her, she didn’t react as he expected, and it wrongfooted him into wanting to prove himself to her. Here, Gatsby is once again unable to accept the fact that Daisy’s behavior is beyond his control. He cannot escape the feeling that, just like his other goals, he will be able to attain Daisy as a prize for hard and focused work.
"he had committed himself to the following of a grail...."See in text(Chapter VIII)
Nick alludes to the cup called the Holy Grail, which is often synonymous with the Holy Chalice. According to Christian tradition, the Holy Chalice is the cup from which Jesus Christ served wine during the Last Supper (Matthew 28:27-28) before he was crucified. He is also believed to have drank from the cup himself. The Holy Grail originates as an elusive quest object in Arthurian literature, in which it came to be attainable only by the spiritually pure. In saying that Gatsby had “committed himself to the following of a grail,” Nick indicates that his ambition was both idealistic and unlikely to be successful. However, he also indicates a shift in how Gatsby has perceived Daisy. Despite Gatsby’s feeling of having “taken” her, she “vanished...into her rich, full life.” This act of agency and independence on her part unsettled Gatsby. While he still saw her as an object, she was now a powerful object, imbued with spiritual significance as well as material value, of which he felt compelled to prove himself worthy.
"In various unrevealed capacities he had come in contact with such people, but always with indiscernible barbed wire between...."See in text(Chapter VIII)
It is unclear whether Nick refers to Gatsby’s contact with other women of Daisy’s class or with other upper-class people in general. At this point in Gatsby’s life, he was penniless, which would have created a social barrier between himself and a woman like Daisy. Moreover, Gatsby’s idealism and beliefs about his destiny have prevented him from sharing intimacy with women before this point, as Nick has already revealed. This “indiscernible barbed wire” may in fact be Gatsby’s ambition, which has prevented him from becoming genuinely attached. Either way, Gatsby’s status as an army officer has overcome the class barrier that otherwise would have kept him out of Daisy’s circle.
Gatsby’s schedule demonstrates the initial purity of his intentions. As a young man, he was dedicated to honing his self-control and cultivating strength of both mind and body. His routine, as well as his list of “general resolves,” reflect many of the qualities associated with successfully achieving the American dream. By this account, it seems inevitable that Gatsby should have reached the heights he did. However, the roles of Dan Cody and Meyer Wolfshiem in elevating Gatsby cast the efficacy of such hard work in doubt. The narrative leaves it highly doubtful that Gatz’s admirable work ethic would have been enough to achieve the success he desired. Moreover, the inclusion of the schedule and resolves in a book of violent frontier adventures implies a romanticism to Gatsby’s ideas of personal success and the American dream as a concept that may have made him particularly open to the corrupt means offered by Wolfshiem.
"ever since he made a success he was very generous with me...."See in text(Chapter IX)
In chapter 6, Nick describes Gatsby’s parents as “shiftless and unsuccessful farm people—[Gatsby’s] imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all.” Whatever Gatsby told Nick about his family, that description seems at odds with the generosity Gatz received. The specific motive for Gatsby’s generosity is unknown, but his actions perhaps suggest more of a relationship with his roots than has been previously assumed. Gatsby’s generosity appears to have been accepted by his father—as by so many others—without much consideration.
"I began to have a feeling of defiance, of scornful solidarity between Gatsby and me against them all...."See in text(Chapter IX)
The “scornful solidarity” that Nick feels with Gatsby builds on the alignment that Nick’s already noted as his “intense personal interest.” As time passes and Gatsby’s closest friends remain absent, Nick’s shifting values set him against the monied class he has been a part of. For Nick, the absence of Gatsby’s closest associates clarifies how shallow and exploitative their relationships with Gatsby—and by extension, with people—are.
