Gatsby Blog

      This past week we analyzed the first three chapters of The Great Gatsby, the setting of this book takes place in New York. During the 1920’s parties were very popular. The parties included dancing and alcohol. In the first three chapters we are introduced to three different parties. The three parties have very different settings and atmospheres.


      Daisy’s party in chapter 1 represents the rich world of East Egg. There are only four people attending the party, these four being: Tom, Jordan, Nick, and of course Daisy. The party takes place at the Buchanan’s(Tom and Daisy) house. In the book the setting is described as ‘very relaxed’ but this ended when the butler whispered to Tom that one of his mistresses was calling, page 14 of the book states, “The butler came back and murmured something close to Tom’s ear, whereupon Tom frowned, pushed back his chair, and without a word went inside.” Daisy was devastated and she confessed to Nick that her life was miserable. If I had to attend one of the three parties, I would not attend Buchanan's party because there were not a lot of people and the aura was intense, taking into consideration that the couple were having problems.


      Myrtle’s party in chapter two takes place in New York. Tom rents an apartment in order to carry on his affair with his mistress Myrtle. Although the apartment is very small, a large number of people attended the party. The setting was unpleasant, as the aura was filled with noise and cigarette smoke. The aura of the party suddenly changed when Myrtle mentioned Daisy, Myrtle went inside a room and Tom followed. Jordan said to Nick, “It’s really his wife that’s keeping them apart. She’s a Catholic, and they don’t believe in divorce.” Nick was surprised because Daisy was not a Catholic and he was shocked by the way lies spread about. Myrtle and Tom then came out of the room and they were both still arguing. Myrtle continued to repeat Daisy’s name and Tom punched her and broke her nose. Everyone in the party went into complete silence. If I had to attend one of the three parties, I would not attend Myrtle's party because the setting was unpleasant since everyone was smoking and heavily drinking.


      One of the reasons why Gatsby is well known around New York is because he is known for throwing great parties every weekend at his mansion. Gatsby’s party in chapter one had a different feeling and setting. The setting was elegant and luxurious. A large number of people attended and there was lots of laughter, music and dancing. Only a few people got invitations to the party, Nick was one of them, “ I believe that on the first night I went to Gatsby's house I was one of the few guests who had actually been invited. People were not invited—they went there. They got into automobiles which bore them out to Long Island and somehow they ended up at Gatsby's door.” meaning people from all over New York knew that Gatsby throws parties every weekend and they also knew that you did not need to have an invitation in order to attend his parties, so they just showed up to his house every weekend. If I had to attend one of these three parties, I would definitely attend Gatsby’s party in chapter one because the aura of the party was more interesting and fun, since a lot more people were there and everyone was having a great time.


      Gatsby’s party in chapter three stood out the most to me because the setting was elegant, luxurious and interesting. In chapter three Nick states, “ The bar is in full swing and floating rounds of cocktails permeate the garden outside until the air is alive with chatter and laughter and casual innuendo and introductions forgotten on the spot and enthusiastic meetings between women who never knew each other's names.” meaning that everyone was very comfortable at the party. The other two parties did not stand out to me because they were more casual and the atmosphere felt uncomfortable.