3.9.1
Chapter Nine
Chapter Nine - Pre-Funeral Arrangements (Part One)
Chapter Nine - Pre-Funeral Arrangements (Part One)
Two years after the death of Gatsby, Nick is remembering and telling the story of the days immediately after the fatal shooting.
Lack of care for Gatsby
Lack of care for Gatsby
- Gatsby’s mansion is consumed by 'an endless drill of police and photographers and newspaper men' as rumours and gossip spread.
- It becomes clear that Gatsby really had nobody who cared about him: just as when he was alive, his death is more like entertainment for the 'new money' socialites of New York who seem to enjoy speculating about what may have happened.
Nick's responsibility
Nick's responsibility
- Nick ends up being responsible for everything relating to Gatsby because 'no one else was interested'.
- Daisy and Tom have left Long Island, and have given no indication about where they have gone.
- Meyer Wolfsheim writes to say that, despite the fact that Gatsby’s death has been 'one of the most terrible shocks' of his life, he is too busy to come and assist.
Arrival of Gatsby's father
Arrival of Gatsby's father
- Three days after the murder of Gatsby, a telegram from his father, 'signed Henry C. Gatz' arrives and, a few days later, Mr. Gatz arrives at the mansion.
- He is 'a solemn old man' who appears 'helpless and dismayed', and is dressed cheaply.
- Mr. Gatz is clearly heartbroken by the untimely death of his son, saying that Gatsby 'had a big future before him'. Mr. Gatz asks Nick how they knew each other, and Nick tells him they 'were close friends'.
Call from Klipspringer
Call from Klipspringer
- Later that night, Nick receives a telephone call from Klipspringer, who had been a frequent guest at Gatsby’s parties.
- Nick tells him about the upcoming funeral arrangements, but Klipspringer says he won’t be able to attend because he has to go to a picnic with some friends. In fact, rather awkwardly, he only called about a pair of shoes he left at Gatsby’s house and he wondered whether Nick would send them to him.
Chapter Nine - Gatsby's Funeral and Aftermath (Part Two)
Chapter Nine - Gatsby's Funeral and Aftermath (Part Two)
The next day is the day of the funeral, and Nick is concerned that there will be very few mourners in attendance.
Nick visits Wolfsheim
Nick visits Wolfsheim
- Nick goes to New York to speak with Wolfsheim in person to try and persuade him to attend.
- Wolfsheim says that he was fond of Gatsby, who he says he raised up 'out of nothing', and would 'like to come', but he has a rule 'to let everything alone' after someone is dead.
- To Wolfsheim, everything is about money. His friendship with Gatsby was a business arrangement and, now that Gatsby is dead, the arrangement ceases to matter.
Gatsby's funeral
Gatsby's funeral
- Nick returns to West Egg for Gatsby’s funeral.
- Apart from Nick and Mr. Gatz, the only other mourner is, surprisingly, Owl Eyes, who has come out of pity for the 'poor son-of-a-bitch'.
- Despite the fact the story has unfolded in New York, which is in the east of the country, Nick says he sees this story as 'a story of the west' since all of the important characters (Nick, Gatsby, Tom, Jordan and Daisy) were all from the west originally.
Nick returns west
Nick returns west
- After Gatsby’s death, the east has become 'haunted' for Nick, and soon after the incident, he decided to return home to the west.
Nick visits Jordan
Nick visits Jordan
- Before leaving Long Island, Nick goes to speak with Jordan.
- She says she is now engaged to someone else and then accuses Nick of being dishonest with her. When Nick leaves, he is 'half in love with her, and tremendously sorry'.
- Nick feels 'tremendously sorry' because he knows that Jordan is right. Nick never really loved Jordan, but she suggests that she had very strong feelings for him: perhaps life in the east corrupted Nick too and took away his honesty.
Nick meets Tom
Nick meets Tom
- Nick also runs into Tom Buchanan in New York City.
- Nick refuses to shake Tom’s hand, and a heated conversation reveals that it was Tom who told George Wilson that Gatsby had killed his wife, unaware that it was Daisy who was driving the car when Myrtle was hit.
- Nick doesn’t reveal the truth, saying that it is an 'unutterable' fact.
- Tom also says that he has suffered greatly too, revealing that he 'cried like a baby' when he went to clear out the flat he used to have for conducting his affair with Myrtle.
Nick's view of Tom and Daisy
Nick's view of Tom and Daisy
- Nick comments that Daisy and Tom are 'careless people' who 'smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money' and 'let other people clean up the mess'.
Nick visits Gatsby's mansion
Nick visits Gatsby's mansion
- Right before leaving West Egg and going back home to Minnesota, Nick goes to Gatsby’s mansion one last time and looks out over the sea.
- He wonders how immigrants arriving in America must have felt as they saw the 'fresh, green breast of the new world', and compares this to how Gatsby used to stare at the 'green light at the end of Daisy’s dock'.
- Nick’s final thought is that Gatsby was a believer in the future: he 'believed in the green light', and he kept trying until he almost achieved his dream.
Chapter Nine - Analysis
Chapter Nine - Analysis
Gatsby's funeral takes place in the closing chapter. Nick visits people from Gatsby's past and reflects on Gatsby's life.
Analysis of Gatsby's funeral
Analysis of Gatsby's funeral
- Nick ends up being responsible for everything relating to Gatsby because 'no one else was interested'.
- The hollowness of the Roaring Twenties becomes clear as Gatsby is completely abandoned as people who were once supposedly close to him scramble to keep their distance.
Analysis of Gatsby's father
Analysis of Gatsby's father
- Mr. Gatz is described as 'a solemn old man' who appears 'helpless and dismayed'.
- Mr. Gatz’s downtrodden appearance confirms once and for all that Gatsby comes from a poor background and accumulated his fortune himself. His father is clearly unaware of the corruption and criminal associations of Gatsby, instead of seeing it as an example of his brilliant son achieving the American Dream.
Analysis of Nick's move
Analysis of Nick's move
- After Gatsby’s death, the east has become 'haunted' for Nick. Soon after the incident, he decided to return home to the west.
- Most narratives of the American Dream are about people moving west to find new opportunities, just as George had planned to do with Myrtle. But The Great Gatsby is about a time when people moved east to make money in the emerging financial sector of New York City.
- Nick’s conclusion seems to be that this quest for wealth in the east is corrupt and destructive.
Analysis of Nick's lie
Analysis of Nick's lie
- Nick doesn’t reveal the truth about Daisy (and not Gatsby) driving the car that hit Myrtle.
- Tom does not know the truth about Daisy’s role in the killing of Myrtle, and Nick decides not to tell him, ensuring that Tom will forever remain in the dark.
- This is perhaps a final reminder of the emptiness of the 'old money' world Tom lives in: dark secrets are forever hidden in the name of public decency.
Analysis of Tom's response to Myrtle's death
Analysis of Tom's response to Myrtle's death
- Tom reveals that he 'cried like a baby' when he went to clear out the flat he used to have for conducting his affair with Myrtle.
- Tom sees himself as a victim because he has lost Myrtle, which again highlights how corrupt and selfish he is: he cannot accept any part he may have played in the downward spiral of events on the day Myrtle was killed.
Analysis of 'careless people'
Analysis of 'careless people'
- Nick comments that Daisy and Tom are 'careless people'.
- This comment from Nick summarises the disdain he has developed for the 'old money' class during his time in Long Island: he has been left to clean up the mess of the 'careless' Tom and Daisy, while they are able to hide behind their money.
Analysis of the green light
Analysis of the green light
- Nick wonders how immigrants arriving in America must have felt as they saw the 'fresh, green breast of the new world', and compares this to how Gatsby used to stare at the 'green light at the end of Daisy’s dock'.
- This thought links together the original American Dream of the first settlers arriving in America, hoping for a better life full of opportunity, with Gatsby’s own version of the American Dream which was, for so long, symbolised by the green light in the distance.
Symbolism of Gatsby
Symbolism of Gatsby
- Nick’s final thought is that Gatsby was a believer in the future: he 'believed in the green light', and he kept striving until he almost achieved his dream.
- Nick suggests that Gatsby is a symbol of everyone in America: everybody is striving for their own dream.
1Specification Overview
1.1Specification Overview
2Context
3Plot Summary
3.1Chapter One
3.2Chapter Two
3.3Chapter Three
3.4Chapter Four
3.6Chapter Six
3.7Chapter Seven
3.8Chapter Eight
4Character Profiles
4.3Daisy Buchanan
4.5Minor Characters
5Key Ideas
6Writing Techniques
6.1Structure, Genre & Narrative Voice
7Love Through the Ages - Thematic Analysis
7.1Love Through the Ages
Jump to other topics
1Specification Overview
1.1Specification Overview
2Context
3Plot Summary
3.1Chapter One
3.2Chapter Two
3.3Chapter Three
3.4Chapter Four
3.6Chapter Six
3.7Chapter Seven
3.8Chapter Eight
4Character Profiles
4.3Daisy Buchanan
4.5Minor Characters
5Key Ideas
6Writing Techniques
6.1Structure, Genre & Narrative Voice
7Love Through the Ages - Thematic Analysis
7.1Love Through the Ages
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