The Great Gatsby: Chapters 1-3
Episode 47
Professor Pipes has returned to travel back in time to the Jazz Age for a great endeavor: The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. In this episode, we explore the characters, plot, themes, and motifs of the first three chapters, Old Sport!
TRIGGER WARNING: Domestic Violence, Abuse
Transcript
Introduction:
Hello and welcome to Piper’s Paraphrases! I’m Professor Pipes and today we’re traveling back in time! Great Scott! Actually, more like Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald! See what I did there? Today, I’ll be talking about Chapters 1-3.
Characters:
Let’s start this journey into life before the Great Depression by taking a look at our main characters, most of whom live on Long Island, New York:
Let’s start with our titular character, Jay Gatsby. He’s rich, handsome, mysterious, and throws outrageous parties every week. I know what you’re thinking: total package! Sorry, he’s taken, welllll… at least emotionally, since he’s desperately in love. However, as our narrator will eventually learn, Gatsby’s past, wealth, and even name are not what they seem.
Before I get carried away talking about Gatsby, let’s move on to Nick Carraway, our narrator. Compared to his apparently “great” neighbor, Nick might come across as a little dull. If he were to create a dating profile, it might read like “bond salesman, great listener, non-judgy neighbor.” He tends to get pulled into the drama around him, but remains mostly on the outside looking in, kind of like a stand-in for the reader.
Next up are Daisy and Tom Buchanan, who live across a small bay from Nick and Gatsby, and boy what a couple they are. Daisy is Nick’s cousin. She’s beautiful and sweet to Nick, but also shallow, cynical, and sad. And there just may be a reason she’s sad: her husband. Tom is your cliche rich jerk. He’s arrogant, selfish, and rude and has been having a very obvious affair with another woman. He’s also racist, sexist, and violent, and is at the very least emotionally and verbally abusive to Daisy. The couple also have a young daughter, but sadly she’s mostly forgotten.
Jordan Baker is Daisy’s friend and ends up dating Nick. She’s pretty interesting, to be honest: a professional golfer, beautiful, with a bit of a selfish and cavalier attitude. We eventually find out that, like other characters in this story - and in life - she’s also dishonest.
Next we have another… interesting couple: George and Myrtle Wilson. George is a struggling mechanic who loves his wife. Myrtle, however, is not satisfied with her husband and his run-down auto shop, so she’s secretly having an affair with Tom, hoping to live out her fantasy life, but instead dealing with his abuse, plus some gifts here and there. Great.
Plot Summary:
In Chapter 1, we learn quite a bit about Nick’s past, leaving his well-off family, serving in the military, studying at Yale, moving to New York, and becoming a bond man. No, not that kind of Bond man, Cooper, the kind that sells bonds. Nick prides himself on being non-judgmental, buuuuut I’ll leave that up for you to, well, judge. We also learn about the geography of one section of long island, which is made up of two egg-shaped pieces of land, separated by a small bay. Nick lives in “West Egg,” the less fashionable side, next door to a rich and mysterious man named Gatsby, by whom Nick is clearly intrigued and fascinated. Nick’s cousin Daisy and her husband live across the bay in “East Egg,” and much of the chapter takes place at their place, so let’s head on over.
Tom and Daisy have a very nice mansion, but don’t take my word for it - take Tom’s: “I’ve got a nice place here.” Ooooookaaaaay. They also have a house guest, Jordan Baker, whom Daisy plans to set Nick up with, which goes pretty well. Not going so well is the rest of the evening. After general family talk, we learn a couple of significant things: Tom hurt Daisy’s hand - possibly accidentally - and Jordan knows, or at least knows of Nick’s neighbor Gatsby, whose name seems to interest Daisy. Meanwhile, Tom enjoys interrupting his wife, discussing the demise of civilization, and preaching about the importance of the Nordic race, until he runs off to answer the phone more than once, evidently speaking to a woman with whom he is having a pretty obvious affair. After that, Daisy goes from laughter to sad cynicism. She tells Nick about her daughter, whom she hopes will be a fool, since “that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” Eventually Jordan heads to bed and Nick heads home, where he sees his neighbor Gatsby standing in the dark and reaching out toward a green light at the end of a dock across the bay. Normal neighbor stuff.
Chapter two starts out much like chapter 1, with a symbolically littered geography lesson. As Nick travels into the city for work, he passes through the so-called “Valley of Ashes,” where ashes from the city and the people who shovel them up all blend together into a desolate, sad, gray scene overlooked by the giant, unblinking eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg. Creepy! Oh, I see - it’s eyes on a billboard for some old eye doctor. Slightly less creepy. Anyways, one day Nick and Tom are on the train, and Tom has them get off in this area, where they visit a mechanic named George, but it’s clear pretty quickly that Tom’s actually there to see the mechanic’s wife, Myrtle. Soon the group, minus poor George, head to Tom’s secret apartment in the city, where they get together with Myrtle’s sister, an awful couple named McKee, and eventually a puppy that Tom gives Myrtle. Yay puppy! During this drunken party, Nick hears a rumor that Gatsby is so rich because he’s related to the former ruler of Germany. As Nick watches with disgusted fascination, the group gets more intoxicated and Myrtle starts to drunkenly talk about Daisy, so, naturally, Tom punches her in the face, breaking her nose, and ending the party. Have I mentioned what a standup guy he is?
In Chapter 3, Nick attends a very different, and much, much more lavish party thrown by his neighbor Gatsby. As he wanders through the crowd, it’s pretty clear that no one there really seems to know Gatsby, but he hears lots of interesting rumors: he went to Oxford, he’s a murderer, he’s a German spy! Clearly, he’s the most interesting man in the world. Nick also doesn’t seem to know anyone, until he sees Jordan Baker, and together they watch everyone around them drinking excessively and enjoying the party’s excess. As they explore his house, Nick and Jordan meet someone reading in the library instead of partying, and they nickname him Owl Eyes. Eventually they head back out and Nick starts to make conversation with an unassuming man at their table, learning that they both served in the same regiment during the war. And who is this stranger? Why he;s Jay Gatsby, Old Sport! Sadly he’s not an Oxford-educated, murderous spy who is heir to the German throne, but he does like calling people Old Sport, which we should totally bring back. Gatsby is still a bit of an enigma, though, since he doesn’t really participate in the party, despite hosting one every week. Eventually Jordan is called to have a private conversation with Gatsby, and afterward she tells Nick that she learned something extraordinary! What is it, you ask? Wellllll… we don’t know yet. Womp womp. The party winds down, and Nick walks home, passing drunk Owl Eyes with his car stuck in a ditch.
Nick doesn’t just party, though. He describes a pretty ordinary life of work, commuting, and eventually dates with Jordan Baker. This might just be a doomed relationship, though, since Jordan is a bit of a liar - and cheated in her first tournament - and Nick claims to be “one of the few honest people that I have ever known.”
Analysis:
Before we finish, it’s important to analyze what we’ve covered so far. After all, according to Fitzgerald himself, “An author ought to write for the youth of his own generation, the critics of the next, and the schoolmasters of ever afterward.” And we schoolmasters really have had a lot to discuss over the years, often with different interpretations. So, with that in mind, I’ll do my best to cover a lot of those views.
First up, let’s discuss Appearance vs. Reality. Many of the characters are incredibly superficial and materialistic, attempting to seem more important or better or richer than they really are. Looking at what lies underneath these appearances uncovers the Hypocrisy of society. The Buchanans themselves are emblematic of this hypocrisy. On the surface, they appear to be the perfect couple, the epitome of the American dream. They’re rich, have a beautiful home and child, and can spend their time however they want. However, it is clear right away that this apparent happiness is just a facade, obscuring Daisy’s apathy and Tom’s infidelity. Even the narrator himself is not free from insincerity. For instance, within the first few sentences of the novel, Nick says that he’s “inclined to reserve all judgements” but it’s almost immediately clear that judging is kind of what Nick does best. However, he doesn’t let everyone know that he’s judging them, which means they trust him, allowing Nick to become “privy to the secret griefs of wild, unknown men.” Speaking of unknown men, the infamous Gatsby also demonstrates this disconnect between appearance and reality, since though he throws these lavish parties, he doesn’t seem to participate in them. Owl Eyes suspects that Gatsby’s life is all a lie when he goes into the library and is surprised to find that the books are real, saying he “thought they’d be a nice, durable cardboard.” This, too, he sees as all for show, announcing, “It’s a triumph! What thoroughness! What realism!” So Gatsby’s not what he appears, but it’s an impressive deception. In fact, so far we don’t know what reality this flashiness is hiding.
Next up, Money talks! Or, well, let’s talk about money. Fitzgerald is good at pointing out the nuances and problems related to socioeconomic class. East and West Egg symbolize “old money” and “new money” respectively. The residents of East Egg are the established aristocracy, the people who have money because they have always had money. Their lives are shown to be purposeless and idle, with Daisy literally saying, “I’ve been lying on that sofa for as long as I can remember.” It seems that with power comes… no responsibility. Tom’s exploits in the city seem almost to be an adventure to stave off the sheer boredom of irresponsibility. Myrtle is, well, something to do. Entertainment. But when she insults his old money wife, Tom needs to physically assault Myrtle to keep her in her place. However, if you’re thinking that the “new money” must be better, you’d be wrong again. If the old money embodies pride, sloth, and lust, the new money covers several of the other deadly sins, especially greed and gluttony. Gatsby’s parties in West Egg are the embodiment of excess. Excess food, excess decorations, excess booze, which is of particular note since this was during prohibition when alcohol was illegal. The party-goers are either there to get drunk, make financially beneficial connections, or look down on the other party goers, like Jordan’s companions “representing the staid nobility of the country-side – East Egg condescending to West Egg, and carefully on guard against its spectroscopic gayety.” And in the shadow of all this is the Valley of Ashes, where actual workers live sad, “gray” lives. The ashes are literally and symbolically tied to the destructive nature of materialism, since ashes are the physical result of industrialization and they externalize the dissatisfied, cheerless struggle experienced by those who work to create what the upper classes get to thoughtlessly enjoy. Myrtle exemplifies this, as Tom treats her as an object to give him pleasure, rather than a human being. And she, for her part, struggles against the constraints of her social status, always wanting more and believing she is better than her husband, whom she sees as not “fit to lick [her] shoe.” Whose licking shoes out there? Gross. So basically Fitzgerald is pointing out that money is not all it’s cracked up to be. Having it leads to all manner of sins and a greedy desire for it leads to frustration and unhappiness.
The motif of Observation comes up a lot in the story, beginning with the choice of perspective. While the novel’s point of view is first person, the narrator isn’t the protagonist. Rather, he is an observer of the Great Gatsby, almost like an audience member watching some sort of impressive performer or magician. And now the Great Gatsby will make your inhibitions disappear! Nick is a mostly passive figure, going along on Tom’s trip to see his mistress, falling into the relationship with Jordan that Daisy was hoping for, attending Gatsby’s parties instead of arranging any of his own. He claims to reserve judgment, allowing us, the readers, to observe the central figures and draw our own conclusions. The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg do the same thing. They stand watch over the Valley of Ashes as uninvolved observers, watching the suffering of the people but above and removed from it. So as we continue on, we should probably keep an eye on this motif.
Food for Thought:
Before I head out to attend a ridiculously fabulous party, it’s time that I leave you with some food for thought.
First, why might Fitzgerald have chosen not to fully introduce Gatsby at the start of the book? What is the effect of hearing rumors and opinions about him from other characters before we finally meet him ourselves?
Second, how does Fitzgerald portray gender in the story? In what ways is the novel playing into gendered stereotypes?
Third, this story explores the concept of the American Dream. So far, what does Fitzgerald seem to be suggesting about it?
Fourth, how would you characterize Nick as a narrator? Is he objective? Is he reliable? How do you know?
Finally, the second sentence of the book includes a life lesson: “remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” What might Fitzgerald be suggesting about privilege? In what ways does privilege impact the characters in and plot of the story so far?
Thanks for watching this episode of Piper’s Paraphrases. Now go forth, read a bunch, and be actually good people.
