“The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God — a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that — and he must be about His Father’s business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty. So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen-year-old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end.” (Ch. 6)
Jay Gatsby made himself a type of man that he could be proud of. Gatsby was seventeen when he fell in love with Daisy, and from that point on he was another man. Part of Gatsby believed that if he continued being that man she fell in love with he could win her back in the future. Due to the new Gatsby, one could not really say that he was the boy his parents raised, so he considered himself God’s son. He was not perfect, but everyone’s perception of him made it seem as if he were. He created a better Gatsby, one worth love and living.
“Tom was evidently perturbed at Daisy’s running around alone, for on the following Saturday night he came with her to Gatsby’s party. Perhaps his presence gave the evening its peculiar quality of oppressiveness — it stands out in my memory from Gatsby’s other parties that summer. There were the same people, or at least the same sort of people, the same profusion of champagne, the same many-colored, many-keyed commotion, but I felt an unpleasantness in the air, a pervading harshness that hadn’t been there before.” (Ch. 6)
Unspoken feelings still flowed between Gatsby and Daisy. This secret attraction made one of Gatsby’s parties awkward when Tom showed up with Daisy. Tom had harsh feelings towards how Daisy and Gatsby could have possibly known each other. He believed that women were to lose in society. He felt the need to tighten his leash on his wife that he did not even love simply because he did not want a “crazy” person like Gatsby effecting his reputation. Tom was a harsh, opinionated man that cared only for himself. With Tom Buchanan in the room, it would automatically become a stiff atmosphere.
“He looked around him wildly, as if the past were lurking here in the shadow of his house, just out of reach of his hand” (Ch. 6)
The past is an important factor in Gatsby’s life. It was everything he wanted in life; Daisy. The reason his life turned out the way it did was because of her. He lingered wanting exactly what he had when he was younger. With Daisy back in his life, the past is more like his future. He hopes that he and Daisy can pick right back up from where they left off. Gatsby is like a broken clock, not able to move forward in time because he wants nothing more than to be five years younger, married to Daisy.
“She had told him that she loved him, and Tom Buchanan saw. He was astounded. His mouth opened a little, and he looked at Gatsby, and then back at Daisy as if he had just recognized her as some one he knew a long time ago.” (Ch. 7)
Tom finally saw the love between Gatsby and Daisy. He recognized the Daisy he first met and loved. Daisy and Gatsby could not control it; one stare into each other’s eyes said everything. It was no longer a secret. Tom always wondered how Daisy and Gatsby knew each other, now it was obvious. Daisy loved Gatsby far more than she ever loved Tom. Now that Tom could see the love, what is going to happen between Daisy and Tom’s relationship? It could strain even more due to the knowledge of other affairs; it could even come to a complete end, letting them be with the ones they truly loved.
“I’d never understood before. It was full of money — that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals’ song of it. . . . high in a white palace the king’s daughter, the golden girl. . . .” (Ch. 7)
Daisy’s voice had a charm that Nick could never quite explain. Gatsby’s simply description of money fit perfectly. Daisy had a voice full of rich thoughtful noise that was pleasant to hear. She had the kind of voice that attracted everyone’s attention when she spoke. To Gatsby, her voice added to his riches. Hearing her say she loved him with her money filled voice added to the irresistible charm. Daisy was perfect. She was an average girl with a rich voice. A voice that could get anyone to do what she wanted, simply because she asked. Daisy was unaware of her charm but used it to her advantage.
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