Chapters 1-2 of The Great Gatsby
The beginning of chapter one begins with the narrator, Nick Carraway, describing himself and his relationship with his father. He states that his father taught him to not judge other people. This is funny to me because he quickly contradicts his own morals and talks about how privileged he is and how he has almost better morals than most people. He then mentions Gatsby and describes him as he says Gatsby "represented everything for which I have unaffected scorn" (2). But he refutes this statement by letting the reader know that Gatsby is actually exempt from his usual judgements. Just as he did on the first page, Nick is a hypocrite in saying that he does not judge people. Then, Nick switches topics to discuss his move to New York and he mentions his job in the bond business. He then talks about his home which is located in West Egg. West Egg is known for being home to people with new money and poor taste. While Nick's home is modest, his neighbor, Gatsby, owns a massive mansion. I think this contrast between Nick and Gatsby is going to come up a lot in this book. One night, Nick drives to East Egg to have dinner with his cousin, Daisy, her husband, Tom Buchanan, and Daisy's friend, Jordan Baker. Tom tells them about a book he is reading called, "The Rise of the Colored Empires" in order to amuse them. After a while, the dinner ends and Nick goes back to his home in West Egg. When he gets there he sees Gatsby standing in the yard with his arms open towards the water. Nick follows his gaze but only sees a green light in the distance. I think this final scene in chapter one provides a very clear image of Gatsby and how Nick views him. Nick doesn't really know anything about Gatsby and this scene captures it perfectly. Nick doesn't know where Gatsby's wealth came from and when he sees Gatsby looking at the light, he becomes even more mysterious to Nick. This is another clear contrast that shows a difference between Nick and Gatsby which I discussed earlier in the post.
The second chapter begins with a description of the valley that separates East and West Egg. This valley is where New York's ashes are disposed of. Hovering above the valley, an old sign made by an eye doctor depicts a large pair of eyes. This valley is a major contrast to East and West Egg. It is gray, desolate, and clearly displays poverty in between two wealthy communities. Nick and Tom take a train ride that connects East and West Egg. Tom makes Nick get out of the train with him at one of the stops in the ash valley. Tom leads them to Wilson's garage. It is revealed that Myrtle, Wilson's wife, is Tom's lover. Tom orders Myrtle to follow them to the train and he takes them into the city. They go to Tom's apartment and throw a last-minute party with Myrtle's sister, Catherine, and another couple. Catherine tells Nick that Gatsby is a relative of Kaiser Wilhelm who was the ruler of Germany at the time of WWI. Nick gets annoyed by the conversation of the guests at the party and wants to leave but at the same time, he finds the group incredibly fascinating. Myrtle is gifted a puppy by Tom and she begins chanting Daisy's name. Tom responds by breaking her nose. What a silly decision! The party ends and Nick takes a late train ride home. This party is another example of major contrast. Nick wants to leave but he stays because he is thoroughly fascinated by the people and environment. Contrast is definitely a repetitive occurrence in The Great Gatsby and I think it will continue to be.
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