Chapter Nine
Characters
Jay Gatsby - it is his funeral
Nick Carraway - arranges Gatsby's funeral
Henry C. Gatz - Gatsby's father, who appears for the first time in this chapter and sheds some light on Gatsby's character
Meyer Wolfshiem - refuses to attend funeral for personal reasons
Klipspringer - also refuses to attend funeral
"The Man with the Owl-Eyed Glasses" - arrives unexpectedly and is the only friend of Gatsby's besides Nick who attends Gatsby's funeral
Jordan Baker - informs Nick of her engagement to another man and says good-bye to him
Tom Buchanan - sees Nick on the street and tells him what he told George Wilson

Settings
1. Gatsby's house - where most of the chapter takes place and Gatsby's body rests until the funeral
2. Wolfshiem's office - where Nick asks Wolfshiem to attend the funeral
3. The cemetery - where Gatsby is buried in the company of Nick, "the man with the owl-eyed glasses," a priest, his father, and his servants
4. Fifth Avenue - where Nick sees Tom and finally comprehends Tom and Daisy's narcissistic nature
5. The beach - where the novel ends with Nick's looking at the green light and contemplating Gatsby's folly.

Chapter Summary
After Nick discovers the bodies of Wilson and Gatsby, his days are filled with reporters and police officers. Myrtle's sister Catherine testifies that Myrtle was a faithful wife with no connection to Gatsby. As a result, the murder is attributed to a husband overcome with grief, and nothing more is said about it. As every question and clarification is directed to Nick, Gatsby's affairs become Nick's responsibility. The seemingly endless stream of friends and party goers suddenly stops, and Nick discovers with some resentment, that he is the only genuine friend Gatsby had. He begins to make funeral preparations, first calling Daisy and Tom. One of their servants tells him that Daisy and Tom left in a hurry, leaving no address or message. Surprised and disappointed, Nick next tries to call Wolfshiem, but no one answers. He sends a letter to Wolfshiem, asking him to come down, and Wolfshiem responds that he cannot but does ask about the funeral. He gets a telegram from Gatsby's father that says he is on his way, and he arrives shortly. He learns that Gatsby's father is his only family, and Gatsby had not seen even him for years. His father is awed by the massive house and can barely contain his pride regarding Gatsby's accomplishments. In his continued quest to find friends of Gatsby's to attend his funeral, Nick speaks to Klipspringer, who cannot come to the funeral, claiming that he must attend a picnic, but does ask for his tennis shoes, which he left at the house. Nick hangs up on him.
The only people who end up attending the funeral are Nick, Gatsby's father, and the servants. To Nick's surprise however, the man with the owl-eyed glasses arrives at the cemetery for the ceremony.
Nick decides that the East haunts him too much to stay, but before he leaves, he sees Jordan. They say good-bye after Jordan tells him she is engaged to another man. She also brings up the bad driver motif, reminding Nick of the time he told her a bad driver is only safe until he meets another bad driver. She refers to Nick as the other bad driver that she hits, implying that he is just as irresponsible with relationships as she is. Nick thinks that he might love her, but knows it is too late, and leaves without mentioning it.
Nick sees Tom on the street later, and Tom tells him that when George Wilson asked, Tom told him that Gatsby owned the yellow car. The book ends with Nick on the beach, contemplating Gatsby's dream, which he believes was destined to go unfulfilled.

Symbols
"Hopalong Cassidy - This book is a remnant of James Gatz, which shows the ambition that got him his wealth through the schedule written on the inside. Gatsby's father uses it to demonstrate the drive Gatsby exhibited even when he was young.
The Green Light - Nick looks at the light for last time while on the beach, realizing that Gatsby's dream, likethe light, was farther than it seemed, well beyond his grasp.

Quotations
The following quotation reflects Nick's mood throughout this chapter
"I began to have a feeling of defiance, of scornful solidarity between Gatsby and me against them all" (173).

This quotation portrays the characters Tom and Daisy. Their inability to consider others is finally realized by Nick after speaking to Tom in the street.
"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy--they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made" (187).

The final sentence of the novel manifests Gatsby's plight; his time with Daisy was past, and the future he dreamed of was never to be reached.
"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past" (189).



Page last updated on March 5, 1999.
Curator: Leigh Schroeder