Gatsby Chapter 9 Journal

Summary: Two years has passed, and Nick is remembering what happened when Gatsby died: how the young boys viewed Gatsby's pool as some marvel; how most of the reports were untrue; when Michaelis' testimony came out, and when Catherine lied; and how Wilson was simply deemed deranged. Nick feels as if he is the only one on Gatsby's side. He recalls calling Daisy, and being told that her and Tom had left on a trip that afternoon. Nick then tried calling Wolfsheim, but couldn't get ahold of him either. Nick was haunted by Gatsby's lifeless body, and needed to find someone for Gatsby. He gets the Butler to send out a letter to Wolfsheim, but Wolfsheim replies saying he has important business and can't attend the funeral. Nick then received a phone call from Chicago, thinking it must be Daisy, but turned out to be one of Gatsby and Wolfsheim's business associates. Gatby's father then arrived., crying. Nick showed him to a guest room, and Mr. Gatz is surprised and proud of his son and all the things he had accomplished. That night, Klipspringer called up and said he couldn't go to the funeral because of a picnic, but wanted his tennis shoes back. Nick hung up on him. Nick goes to New York to find Wolfsheim at "The Swastika Holding Company". The secretary refuses Nick, but as soon as he mentions Gatsby, she allows him to see Wolfsheim. Wolfsheim tells him about how he and Gatsby met and how he got Gatsby into the business. Nick then invites him to his funeral, but Wolfsheim says he doesn't deal with funerals and think about people after they're dead anymore. Nick returns home and Gatsby's father is filled with pride over his son. He shows Nick a photograph of the house sent to him by Gatsby. Mr. Gatz is very sentimental. He brings out an old childhood book of Gatsby's, "Hopalong Cassidy", and flips it open to the back, where Gatsby had written out a daily schedule. It included his daily routine, involving exercise, work, and a lot of studying, as well as his goals, like bathing more often, saving money, not smoking, being better to his parents, and reading more. The funeral was that afternoon, in the rain, but nobody attended except some servants, the minister, Nick, and Gatsby's dad. No one had even sent anything. Owl Eyes arrives to the funeral late. Nick then remembers events that occurred even farther back in time: arriving home from prep school, and then from college, and the good ol' days back in Chicago and the Middle West. He remembers the snow, the street lights, and the sleigh bells. Nick thinks about the East and how perhaps people from the West simply are unable to adapt to it. He remembers moving to West Egg, and then decides to move back West. Before leaving however, he meets up with Jordan. They talk for a bit, and Jordan mentions she is engaged to another man, which Nick doesn't believe. Then as Nick is getting up to leave, she tells him that nevertheless, he did "throw her over". Jordan brings up the conversation she and Nick had about bad drivers. She says that she had met a bad driver, and thought that Nick was more honest and straighforward than he actually was. Nick says he is too old to lie to himself, and then "angry, and half in love with her", he left. That October, Nick sees Tom on the street. Tom goes up to greet him, but Nick doesn't think much of Tom anymore. He asks Tom what he said to Wilson, and Tom says that he told him who owned the car. He says that Gatsby ran over Myrtle, and makes a comment about the dog biscuits. Nick then realizes that in Tom's mind, what he did was entirely justifiable, and that he and Daisy were just careless people, who destroy things, and then just retreat back into their money and carelessness. Nick shakes hands with Tom and then goes back to Gatsby's house. He remembers the parties, and can still hear them in his mind. On his last night, Nick walks down to the beach one last time and remembers the past, and thinks about the future. The book ends with the line, "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back carelessly into the past.".

Motifs: the green light, bad drivers/car wrecks/carelessness, time.

Symbols: The dog biscuits symbolize Myrtle. The green light symbolizes death and hope, specifically those of dreams. Owl Eyes symbolizes the eyes of God.

Allusions: The 1919 World Series incident.

Gastby Chapter 8 Journal

Summary: The next day, Gatsby gets home at dawn. Nick can't sleep and goes over to see him. Gatsby reports that nothing happened, and they start looking around the house until they find cigarettes. Nick advises Gatsby to leave town because they can trace his car, but Gatsby doesn't want to leave Daisy. Nick narrates more about Gatsby's past. He talks about Gatsby's old days with Daisy at her house, and how Gatsby had made Daisy think he could give her security in life. gatsby realized that he couldn't just drop Daisy like any other fling, he realized that she was like a quest for the Holy Grail. Gatsby then tells Nick that he was surprised to find that he loved Daisy and recalls their last day together before Gatsby went to war, sitting tranquilly together by a fire. Gatsby continues speaking to Nick about his past, how well he did in the war, how he got sent to Oxford, and how Daisy didn't understand why he couldn't return. Daisy started dating a bunch of other men, and then finally married Tom. Gatsby got the letter announcing their marriage while he was at Oxford. As morning breaks, Nick and Gatsby go around opening up the windows. Gatsby says Diasy still never loved Tom more than him. Nick then tells us about Gatsby returning to Louisville while Tom and Daisy were on their honeymoon. Gatsby walked the cold, Novermber streets wistfully, remembering his time with Daisy before the war, and wishing he could go back. Nick and Gatsby finished eating breakfast, and one of Gatsby's servants asks if he should drain the pool. Gatsby tells him no. Nick then sits with Gatsby, but finally has to leave, and is late to work. Nick tells Gatsby he'll call him later and tells Gatsby that he's worth more than the whole rotten crowd put together. nick recalls when he first met Gatsby, and they say their goodbyes. Later at work, Jordan calls Nick saying she left Daisy's and wants to see him that afternoon. Nick says he can't and eventually they stop talking and hang up. Nick tries calling Gatsby, but the line is being kept open for a call from Detroit. Nick travels past the Valley of Ashes on his way home and remembers what happened after the night of the accident. Myrtle's sister, Catherine, was drunk and arrived after the ambulance had already left. Someone took her after the ambulance in their car. Crowds of people were gathered around the garage. George kept rocking himself on the couch. Michaelis stayed with Wilson until dawn. George Wilson went a little crazy over the course of the night. He told Michaelis he could find out who the car belonged to. Michaelis keeps getting him to talk so that he can keep his mind off his looming insanity, asking him about his marriage and church. Wilson shows Michaelis a dog leash he found on Myrtle's dresser. It was the dog leash Tom had bought her. Wilson then goes off again about how "he" murdered her and how he can find out who her killer is. Wilson believes that the man in the car was Myrtle's lover. The morning light grows, and Wilson walks over to the window. He speaks about how you can't hide from God, as he looks at the eyes of Eckleberg. Michaelis tells him that it is just a billboard and goes home ot get some sleep. He returns shortly thereafter to find that Wilson has left the garage. Wilson has gone in search of Gatsby, and learns from someone in West Egg (either Tom or Daisy) who Gatsby is and where he lives. Around that time, Gatsby makes his way to his pool, and has finally acknowledged the death and hopelessness of his dream. The butler hears gun shots, and being one of Wolfsheim's men, makes no notice of it. Nick goes to Gatbsy's house when he gets back from work, and can feel something is wrong. The butler, chaffeur, and gardener rush to the pool. There they find Gatsby's body lying in the pool, and Wilson's body in the bushes. The month is now Septmeber.

Symbols: Myrtle's dog leash. Doctor T.J. Eckleberg. Gatsby's yellow car. The Valley fo Ashes.