The Great Gatsby Chapter Five

Summary Nick organises a meeting between Gatsby and Daisy at his house. On the day of the meeting it is raining heavily. Nick leaves Gatsby and Daisy to renew their acquaintances. He returns to find Daisy has been crying. The three of them go to visit Gatsby’s house. Nick reflects on the intensity of the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy.

Weather Symbolism The weather in Gatsby tends to match the emotion and tone of the narrative. At the start of Gatsby and Daisy’s reunion, it is raining heavily. This matches the awkward and melancholy nature of their initial reunion. The sun comes out just as their love reawakens.

Gatsby’s Mansion This highlights American nostalgia for the hierarchic society of Europe. It has a ‘feudal silhouette’, outlined ironically by modern electric lighting. This highlights that in early twentieth-century America wealthy individuals were keen to assert their superiority. This is at odds with American ideals.

American Ideals Thomas Jefferson and the other founding fathers envisioned America as a place that would be free of the injustices of class and caste, a place where people from humble backgrounds would be free to try to improve themselves economically and socially. Chapter 5 suggests that this dream of improvement, carried to its logical conclusion, results in a superficial imitation of the old European social system that America left behind.

Gatsby and Daisy At first their meeting is awkward Gatsby breaks Nicks clock. This represents the clumsiness of his attempt to stop time and retrieve the past. Daisy is overwhelmed by Gatsby’s ‘beautiful shirts’. These are all imported form England.

Gatsby and Daisy ‘After his embarrassment and his unreasoning joy he was consumed with wonder at her presence’. Combining innocence and vision, ‘wonder’ is a key word in the novel. It recurs with amplified significance and its very end.