The Great Gatsby

1. The Great Gatsby Chapter Six

2. Gatsby's Transformation • Stage 1. He describes his family as “shiftless and unsuccessful”. • Although this can be viewed negatively, it is a testament to his commitment to his dream. He is prepared to make any sacrifice necessary. • His rejection of his own name - James Gatz - reinforces his dedication to reinvent himself. • Stage 2. Increasingly becomes immersed in a fantasy world: “each night he added to the pattern of his fancies.” He believes in the power of the imagination. It is this devotion to an ideal – even if it is wrong and distorted – which makes him ‘great’. In a society of morally bankrupt, vacuous, shallow, careless and selfish individuals, he stands out. It is this quality which inspires Nick’s affection for him.

3. Stage III • Gatsby has learned to identify and seize chances to advance himself, evident when he meets Dan Cody: “he had probably discovered that people liked him when he smiled.” He has learned to use his best features to attract and please others and becomes a skilful and perceptive manipulator. Despite his dedication to Cody, Gatsby is cheated out of his rightful inheritance, and in doing so he learns an important lesson – that you don’t always get what you deserve and integrity is not always rewarded. This is a theme evident in other characters like Jordan and Tom who cheat and are unfaithful yet remain unpunished. However, Gatsby never really learns this lesson.

4. We discover more about Gatsby’s history, including a little about his background and about his friendship with Dan Cody. • The Sloanes (East Eggers) and Tom arrive at Gatsby’s on horseback, but they feel Gatsby (and West Egg) is inferior to them and, despite inviting him to dinner, leave without him. • Tom and Daisy attend Gatsby’s next party. Daisy does not like it, and her feelings for Gatsby are affected. • Gatsby tells Nick that he believes you can repeat the past, This is one of the most important extracts in the novel, as it sums up Gatsby’s character.

5. The Sloane Incident • Tom arrives at Gatsby’s with the Sloanes. Gatsby invites the guests to join them for dinner. Mrs Sloane declines, but invites Gatsby and Nick to a party. • This incident seems unimportant but helps to reinforce the negative aspects of the East Eggers. They maintain a complex network of social etiquette that is used to exclude Gatsby and others belonging to the ‘nouveau riche’. We see the basic hypocrisy of the East Eggers – they believe that Gatsby's vast wealth is no cure for the inferiority of his family tree.

6. This highlights another paradox in Gatsby: despite the earlier interlude where Gatsby used his skills of perception to reinvent himself for Dan Cody, he is unable to perceive the insincerity in Mrs Sloan’s invitation. Everyone else (including Nick) is aware that the offer is disingenuous because they understand the society’s codes of conduct. This helps illustrate why Gatsby can never relinquish his dream - he is unable to accept the reality that he will never fit in. • All of Gatsby’s money doesn't place him within the social strata to which he aspires. His wealth may allow him to enter certain social circles, but he is not permitted to function fully in them Although money is a large part of the American dream, through Gatsby one sees that just having money isn't enough.

7. Daisy at Gatsby’s Party • Gatsby finally achieves his goal of getting Daisy to one of his parties only to see that she is not impressed, but is in fact disgusted at the lavishness and vulgarity of it. • Daisy does not enjoy the spectacle of the party. The orchestra, the mounds of food, the champagne, the dancing, the drunkenness all disgust her: She was appalled by West Egg, the unprecedented ‘place’… appalled by its raw vigour that chafed under the old euphemisms… She saw something awful in the very simplicity she failed to understand.” • Gatsby detects her disapproval and has difficulty concealing his own disappointment. The theatre of spectacle and indulgence has been for nothing.

8. Time • We further see Gatsby’s inability to accept the passage of time through his determination to marry Daisy and live in Louisville. He refuses to accept that both he and Daisy, and the world, has changed since these days. • He believes that if Daisy just falls in love with him, it’ll be like the past 5 years have never happened. His intricate plan is disintegrating in front of him and his plan to turn back time is almost childish in its naivety: “Can’t repeat the past? Why of course you can.”He is becoming increasingly deluded, so intoxicated with the desire to win back Daisy that he is blind to the truth. He cannot grasp the reality of his situation, and delusion is taking over. Again it is important to note that Gatsby is never happier than when he is aspiring to something.