Chapter 6, pages 97 - 111

Summary

       Chapter 6 opens with Gatsby being interviewed by an ambitious reporter. Followed by this, we are given a true description of Gatsby's early life. We find out that James Gatz became Jay Gatsby when he met a rich man by the name of Dan Cody while Cody's yacht was stopped on the beach. Cody, most likely enchanted by Gatsby's smile, fosters him and buys him expensive clothes. This helps shapes Gatz's image of "Jay Gatsby" and when Cody dies, he loses everything, including the inheritance money that he never received. After this flashback, we move to Gatsby's house where Nick is shocked to find Tom, a man named Sloane and pretty woman. Tom is suspicious of Gatsby and Gatsby meets all his wise remarks with even smarter retorts. 2 weeks later, Tom and Daisy decide to attend one of Gatsby's parties and although they know no one, Daisy manages to have a good time but only during the half hour she spends with Gatsby. Tom tries to find flaws in the party and is shut up by Daisy who claims to have had a good time. The chapter concludes with yet another flashback into Daisy and Gatsby's past to when they first kissed.

Character Analysis 

•  Nick Carraway
• "Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people I have ever known." 
• Nick's Good Qualities:
• He's incredibly honest
• He works hard 
• He's able to see past people's flaws (even if it's solely for his benefit)
• He's a great listener
•  Nick's Bad Quality: 
• Overlooks people's flaws which could potentially hurt him
• Nick's purpose in this novel is the most important, he is telling the story. We only know the information he chooses to share with us, therefore we are dependent on his judgement, which he claims and we believe to be the most honest. I believe so because of the setting as well. He is surrounded by so many people that are deceptive, corrupt and completely dishonest, so the fact we have someone "normal" like Nick, helps prove the legitimacy of the novel and information we are presented with.

Important Quote & Significance

"So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen-year-old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end."

This quote is extremely important for the sole reason that it explains Jay Gatsby's motivation to get where he is now. He came from nothing and strove to become something. Although we aren't sure how (not yet at least) he did succeed and he is using his success to court Daisy and is finally getting results after 5 years of nothing. This quote also shows Gatsby's work ethic and how he will achieve whatever he wants if it helps him achieve the image he wants to portray. He was dedicated to becoming a sophisticated and refined version of himself and although he has gotten significantly wealthier, he is still not satisfied with himself.