The Great Gatsby
Chapter Five
pp 86-102
Chapter Summary
Chapter Five marks the long-awaited meeting between Gatsby and Daisy. When Gatsby comes across the lawn to see Nick late in the night, Nick tells Gatsby that he will invite Daisy for tea on the following day. Gatsby suggests that Nick should wait until Gatsby's gardener can trim the lawn. Gatsby also offers Nick "a little business on the side" (87) so that Nick can earn more money, but Nick declines. On the next day, Nick invites Daisy over for tea and makes a point to tell her not to bring her husband.
On the day of the meeting, the gardener arrives at eleven o'clock to trim the lawn. Gatsby also sent flowers to Nick's house to improve its appearance. An hour later, Gatsby comes to Nick's house to check on last minute details and to wait for Daisy. After waiting for some time, he is convinced that Daisy is not coming. Just as he has given up on his hopes for meeting Daisy, her car pulls up into Nick's driveway. Nick goes outside to greet Daisy and brings her back inside. To his surprise, Gatsby has deserted the living room and is nowhere to be found. After a few moments, there is a knock at Nick's front door. It is Gatsby, soaking wet. He went outside (even in the rain) so that he could make a dignified entrance when meeting Daisy after five years. The meeting is an awkward one. After only a few moments with Daisy, Gatsby even says to Nick "This is a terrible mistake... a terrible, terrible mistake" (92). He says this because of his tremendous anxiety. Nick leaves the two alone for a while and goes off by himself.
When Nick returns, "every vestige of embarrassment was gone" (94). The rain stops, so Gatsby decides to bring Daisy to his house. They walk the long way around to the back gate so that Daisy can admire the lavishness of Gatsby's house. Gatsby gives Daisy a tour of his entire estate, inside and out, and she is incredibly amazed. Gatsby gets his boarder, Mr. Klipspringer, to play the piano for them. Ironically, Klipspringer plays the song "Ain't We Got Fun?" Gatsby and Daisy have a much more intense relationship than what the song describes. Aware of this, Nick leaves Gatsby and Daisy alone together.
Characters
Gatsby: Gatsby's dream of finally being with Daisy is fulfilled in this chapter. While Gatsby gives Daisy a tour of his home, Nick describes Gatsby as having "passed visibly through two states and was entering upon a third. After his embarrassment and his unreasonable joy, he was consumed with wonder at her presence" (97). The three moods that Nick describes summarize the change of Gatsby's mood from the beginning to the end of the chapter.
Nick: Nick's significance in this chapter is that his house is used for the much-anticipated meeting between Daisy and Gatsby.
Daisy: Nick invites Daisy to his house for tea. Daisy does not know that Gatsby will be there before she makes the trip.
Mr. Klipspringer: The "boarder" at Gatsby's house. He plays the piano for Daisy and Gatsby.
Symbols
The Clock: When Gatsby and Daisy are reunited in Nick's living room, Gatsby is overwhelmed by the moment. He knocks over Nick's mantle clock and it breaks. Gatsby's action can be interpreted as an attempt by Gatsby to stop time. He wants the moment to last forever.
The Green Light: Chapter Five marks the end of the green light as a symbol of Gatsby's dream. Previously, the light represented nearness to Daisy because it was on the end of her dock. He could see it burning during the night, and it was his connection to Daisy. Now that he is with Daisy, however, the significance of the light is diminished. He is now closer to Daisy than the green light.
Setting
The entire chapter takes place in the homes of Nick and Gatsby. Nick's house seems inferior to Gatsby's in its wealth and lavishness, but this does not bother Nick. Actually, it seems to bother Gatsby more than it bothers Nick. Gatsby has Nick's lawn mowed and flowers sent over in order to spruce up Nick's house for the occasion of Daisy coming over. Gatsby wants everything to be at its best for the occasion and Gatsby seems to think that Nick's house needs some work. Gatsby even offers Nick an opportunity for some extra money.
Significant Quotations
- "He hadn't once ceased looking at Daisy and I think that he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of the response it drew from her well-loved eyes. Sometimes, too, he stared around at his possessions in a dazed way as though in her actual presence none of it was any longer real. Once he even toppled down a flight of stairs" (96-97).
This quotation gives the reader an idea of how much Daisy really means to Gatsby. We know that Gatsby's wealth is one of his defining characteristics and means a lot to him. That Gatsby reevaluates the worth of his prized possessions based on what Daisy thinks shows just how much her opinion means to him.
- "Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever. Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it had seemed very near to her, almost touching her. It had seemed as a star to the moon. Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enchanted objects had decreased by one" (98).
This quotation shows the end of the green light as a symbol of Daisy's nearness.
(See SYMBOLS for more on the green light)
- "He took out a pile of shirts and began throwing them one by one before us, shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine flannel... shirts with stripes and scrolls and plaids in coral and apple green and lavender and faint orange with monograms of Indian blue. Suddenly with a strained sound Daisy bent her head into the shirts and began to cry stormily.
"'They're such beautiful shirts,' she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. 'It makes me sad because I've never seen such--such beautiful shirts before'" (97-98).
Gatsby's shirts show that materialism brings Gatsby's enjoyment. By Daisy's crying, we can tell that Gatsby's shirts are extensively luxurious and that he must expend much time and money in choosing his clothing.
Thematic Elements
Wealth: When Gatsby comes to Nick's house to wait for Daisy, he wears "a white flannel suit, silver shirt and gold colored tie" (89). Silver and gold are the colors of wealth and represent Gatsby's excessive lavishness.
(See QUOTATIONS for more on Gatsby's shirts)
Go to Chapter Six of The Great Gatsby
Curator:Janelle Baldwin
Page last updated May 25, 1999.