Chapter 3, pages 39-59

Summary

     Chapter 3 opens with a detailed description of Nick's neighbor, Mr. Gatsby's, party regimen. As the description of one of Gatsby's parties continues, Nick tells us about his first experience at Gatsby's parties beginning with being presented an invitation by Gatsby's chauffeur on his lawn. At the party, he runs into Jordan Baker and spends time with her and her party discussing Gatsby's mysterious persona. They all try and search for him but fail so they retreat to the garden. There, Nick meets a man that served in the war with him and they begin discussing their experiences in France and as the conversation continues Nick finds out that this man is none other than Mr. Jay Gatsby. They plan to go try out a hydroplane Gatsby just bought the next day and then he is quickly taken to his office to take a call but later on, requests to speak with Jordan alone. She tells Nick "it was simply amazing" and that she'll explain why at her Aunt Sigourney's home. As Nick leaves the party, he thanks Mr. Gatsby and witnesses the car accident of a man he met in Gatsby's library. He finishes the chapter discussing his everyday life and his relationship with Jordan despite knowing her dishonesty.

Character Analysis

• Jordan Baker
• "'Let's get out,' whispered Jordan, after a somehow wasteful and inappropriate half-hour; "this is much too polite for me.'" and “She was incurably dishonest. She wasn’t able to endure being at a disadvantage and, given this unwillingness, I suppose she had begun dealing in subterfuges when she was very young in order to keep that cool, insolent smile turned to the world and yet satisfy the demands of her hard, jaunty body.”
• Jordan's Best Qualities: 
• She's strong 
• She's independent
• She's beautiful
• Jordan's Bad Qualities: 
• She's dishonest
• She's cynical
• She's self-centered
• Jordan's Role in the novel is to provide a foreshadowing of the future women in America. So far, she is the only woman who cares about herself enough to have a back bone and "wear the pants" in every situation. She loves gossip and seems to be the type to fan the flames just to get a show out of it. She and Nick are romantically involved even though he dislikes her dishonesty. She values his truthfulness and his company.

Important Quote & Significance 

"Once they were introduced by somebody who knew Gatsby, and after that they conducted themselves according to the behavior associated with an amusement park."

This quote struck me because Nick describes people attending a high class in this way. Amusement parks are usually filled with wild and loud behavior and that is generally not the way one would act at a party with members of high society. Nick's testimony shows just how influential the changes of the 20's actually were.