The Great Gatsby: Chapter 9

FONTS

The Great Gatsby: Chapter 9

Major Theme

Heavily emphasizes the superficial and ignorant lifestyles of the West and East

Tom and Daisy run away, leaving Nick behind to take care of any responsibilities they might have to hold for Gatsby's death.

Meyer Wolfshiem, though a lifelong business partner, does not attend Gatsby's funeral for his own personal reasons, perhaps for fear that his illegal affairs may attract attention at Gatsby's very much publicized death in the media

Gatsby was someone that others depended on for business deals and saw as a symbol of money, entertainment and luxury, he never really had any real friends (except Nick) despite his large parties and glamorous lifestyle

Significant Quote #1

Summary of Events

"After Gatsby's death the East was haunted for me like that, distorted beyond my eyes' power of correction."

Who said it: Nick

Why is it important:

Shows how Nick is incompatible with the lifestyles of people who reside in the East - Nick is a righteous man who takes pride in his morals, while individuals in the East are the opposite of that: they only know extravagance and have no care for any principles.

What does it say about the character that said it?

Nick is appalled at the moral decay beneath the lavishness of East Egg.

• Nick tries to contact people to come to Gatsby's funeral
• Daisy and Tom left, are unreachable
• Meyer Wolfshiem avoids the funeral for personal reasons
• Other acquaintances make excuses
• Appearance of Gatsby's father
• The only people who attend Gatsby's funeral are Mr Gatz,

Owl Eyes, and a few servants

• Nick finds out that Tom told Wilson that Gatsby was the one

who ran over Myrtle and killed her

• Nick breaks up with Jordan
• Nick leaves West Egg and returns to Minnesota

Significant characters in the chapter: Nick, Gatsby, Mr Gatz, Meyer Wolfsheim

Other characters: Jordan, Tom, Daisy

Rhetorical Devices

Symbolism

Chapter 9 ends with Nick referring back to the "green light". The "Green light"symbolize dreams and goals and how, although it is close enough to be seen, it is still far away from our grasp. For Gatsby, the light represented how close Daisy was to him, but not close enough for him to hold her.

Personification

This rhetorical device can be seen when Nick says, "When we pulled into the winter night and the real, our snow, began to stretch out beside us and twinkle against the windows." In this quote, he uses an characteristics to let the reader know that it is snowing.

Irony

When Gatsby threw parties at his house, a lot of people came. However, after he died, no one wanted to come.

"Why, my God! They used to go there by the hundreds." This quote, said by Owl-Eyes, prove that the people who went to Gatsby's parties can't even go to his house.

It is ironic since Gatsby had a lot of people invite themselves to his parties but no one wanted to go to his funeral.

Significant Quote #2

Vocabulary Terms

"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy — they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money of their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made."

Who said it: Nick

Why is it important:

It shows how skewed Tom's and Daisy's perception on life is because of their wealth - they possessed so much that nothing meant anything to them any longer. Tom and Daisy are foreign to any responsibilities because any challenges they faced was either handled by others, or dealt with in the form of money.

What does it say about the character that said it?

Nick realizes how corrupt and shallow Tom and Daisy are and also how much they take advantage of the convenience their wealth has given to them.

Significant Quote #3

"He drew me into his office, remarking in a reverent voice that it was a sad time for all of us, and offered me a cigar."

reverent: being deeply respectful

"That request seemed superfluous when I wrote it."

superfluous: unnecessary, meaningless

"Even when the East excited me most, even when I was most keenly aware of its superiority to the bored, sprawling, swollen towns beyond the Ohio, with their interminable inquisitions which spared only the children and the very old — even then it had always for me a quality of distortion."

interminable: unending, limitless

"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter — to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . .

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

Who said it: Nick

Why is it important: This quote is important because the green light symbolizes Gatsby's dream and how, in the end, he still didn't get achieve his goals even if he tried hard.

What does it say about the character that said it?

Nick understands how Gatsby's tragedy could happen to anyone and how Gatsby's view of chasing your dream could apply to anyone in the society.