The Great Gatsby: Chapter 4
Summary
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Nick lists the guest list of a usual Gatsby party portraying his popularity
Gatsby picks Nick up for lunch
On the drive Gatsby tells Nick of his abundance of money, going to school at Oxford and
finding precious rocks – Nick doesn’t believe Gatsby so he shows proof
Arrive at the restaurant and have lunch with Mr Wolfshiem, a gambler who fixed the
World Series in 1919
Wolfshiem and Gatsby’s relationship makes Nick question how Gatsby really got his
money
Tom Buchanan, Daisy’s husband shows at the restaurant and Gatsby leaves
Nick and Jordan Baker go out together and she tells Nick of Gatsby’s love and
infatuation for Daisy and their past relationship
Finally, she tells Nick that Gatsby’s plan with befriending him is to get closer to Daisy
again and Gatsby wants Nick to invite her over for tea so he can make their meeting
seem less planned
Vocabulary
Bootlegger: A person who sells alcohol illegally.
"‘He’s a bootlegger,’ said the young ladies, moving somewhere between his cocktails and his
flowers." (60)
Juxtaposition: The state of being close together or side by side.
"The juxtaposition of these two remarks was startling." (69)
Benediction: An utterance of good wishes.
"‘Don’t hurry Meyer,’ said Gatsby, without enthusiasm Mr. Wolfshiem raised his hand in a sort
of benediction." (71)
Jauntily: Having a buoyant or self-confident air; brisk.
"Suddenly I wasn’t thinking of Daisy and Gatsby any more, but of this clean, hard, limited
person, who dealt in universal scepticism, and who leaned back jauntily just within the circle of
my arm." (77)
Scornful: Feeling or expressing contempt or derision. (Mockery, disdain)
"Her wan, scornful mouth smiled, and so I drew her up closer, this time to my face." (78)
Quote Analysis
Character
Gatsby: "He looked at me sideways - and I knew why Jordan Baker had believed he was lying. He
hurried the phrase ‘educated at Oxford’, or swallowed it, or choked on it, as though it had bothered him
before. And with this doubt, his whole statement fell to pieces, and I wondered if there wasn’t
something a little sinister about him, after all." (64)
In this quote it shows that Gatsby could have a possible dark side. Jordan suspects that he is
lying of his past to cover something that could be detrimental to his future. Gatsby is a very rich man,
with a mysterious side. No one truly knows him, but there is something beautiful about him on the
outside. This keeps his reality in check, and makes his stories believable about his exaggerated past.
Mr. Wolfshiem: “A succulent hast arrived, and Mr. Wolfshiem, forgetting the more sentimental
atmosphere of the old Metropole, he began to eat with ferocious delicacy. His eyes, meanwhile, roved
very slowly all around the – he completed the arc by turning to inspect the people directly behind. I
think that, except for my presence, he would have taken one short glance beneath our table.” (69)
In this quote, Mr. Wolfshiem is looking around as if he were expecting something. This bring a
devious characteristic about in Mr. Wolfshiem that will play out later in the book. It also shows that he
is judgemental of others, which Nick does his best not to do. This seems to bother Nick and give him a
bad impression of Mr. Wolfshiem. This makes Nick uncomfortable about the situation because it
appears that Mr. Wolfshiem is looking for trouble.
Relationships
Nick and Jordan: “It was dark now, and as we dipped under a little bridge I put my arm around
Jordan’s golden shoulder and drew her toward me and asked her to dinner” (77)
In this quote we see the relationship building between Nick and Jordan; they are
becoming much more comfortable with each other and he is now taking her on a proper date.
Nick and Gatsby: “I talked with him perhaps half a dozen times in the past month and found, to
my disappointment, that he had little to say…And then came the disconcerting ride. We hadn’t
reached West Egg Village before Gatsby began leaving his elegant sentences unfinished and
slapping himself indecisively on the knee of his caramel-coloured suit.”(63)
This quote has Nick explaining himself the growth of their friendship. It started off with
Nick and Gatsby having a quick chat at one of his parties but ever since they have been
speaking with one another, and now spending quality time with each other.
Theme
Love: “It was dark now, and as we dipped under a little bridge I put my arm around Jordan’s
golden shoulder and drew her toward me and asked her to dinner. Suddenly I was no longer
thinking of Daisy and Gatsby any more, but this clean, hard, limited person, who dealt in
universal scepticism, and who leaned back jauntily just within the circle of my arm.” (77)
Despite of Daisy and Gatsby’s circumstances, Nick is awestruck for Jordan. He forgot
everything that she was saying and focussed back on how he truly felt about the girl he is
currently with. Their love continues to grow stronger through the unexpected news and
secrets, it brings them closer together, and they will bond while trying to get over the
presented hurdles.
Desire to Attain the Impossible: “She began to cry – she cried and cried, I rushed out and
found her mother’s maid, and we locked the door and got her into a cold bath. She wouldn’t
let go of the letter. She took it into the tub with her and squeezed it up in a went ball, and only
let me leave it in the soap-dish when she saw that it was coming to pieces like snow.” (74)
A letter was delivered to Daisy the day before her wedding day. This letter was from
Gatsby, her past love. Gatsby was doing everything he could to get Daisy back before she was
married to Tom Buchanan. This although brought about confusion for Daisy and made her
question her marriage. This thought arose but didn’t end up changing her mind. Gatsby was
trying to attain the impossible in doing this, and many other things to get Daisy back, but she
had already been accounted for.
Figurative Language/Rhetorical Devices
Simile: “My incredulity was submerged in fascination now; it was like skimming hastily through
a dozen magazines” (65).
Gatsby was telling Nick of his past, sharing many extravagant things. The tales he was
telling came so far that Nick was no longer believing his stories. Although Nick was skeptic of
Gatsby’s stories, he was so interested that he did not mind that they may be lies, similarly to
reading tabloids in magazines that may be untrue but incredibly engaging to read.
Metaphor: "He came alive to me, delivered suddenly from the womb of his purposeless
splendour." (76)
Fitzgerald uses animal imagery to compare how characters feel. Jordan finally saw how
Gatsby really was. He is a very mysterious character, but he became vulnerable when he put
trust into Jordan when speaking of his past. He felt comfortable, just like a womb gives
protection to a child before birth.
Hyperbole: "Terraced with a labyrinth of wind-shields that mirrored a dozen suns." (63)
The use of exaggeration helps build depth in the story. It helps foreshadow events, but
also bring objects to life. Nick is describing Gatsby’s car in awe. He is describing how the sun
hits the car and that it shines so bright, it could be reflecting more light then our sun gives off.
Foreshadowing: “‘I’m going to make a big request of you today,’ he said, pocketing his
souvenirs with satisfaction, ‘so I thought you ought to know something about me. I didn’t want
you to think I was just some nobody…” (66).
This is a display of foreshadowing because it is hinting at what is to come. Gatsby is
letting Nick know that there is something he will be telling him that is of importance. This
engages the reader to want to continue reading to find out what this event is. Nick finds out
this news later in the chapter from Jordan Baker. She told Nick that Gatsby is in love with Daisy,
and he is going to use Nick to help him get closer to her again.
Simile: “…and the clear voices of children, already gathered like crickets on the grass, rose
through the hot twilight” (76)
This simile is used to bring life into the text. It allows the reader to imagine how the
“clear voices of children” come together. You can imagine that they came together in a noisy
manner, but also in a beautiful song-like way.
Dominant Critical Theory – Historical Biographical

Comparison of the book to F. Scott Fitzgerald
In the Book
Gatsby went to school overseas
Comparison to F. Scott Fitzgerald's Life
Fitzgerald went to school overseas
Gatsby has lots of money inherited from his Fitzgerald’s mother had a lot of money that
family
was passed on
Daisy and Tom’s relationship
Zelda and Scott’s relationship
Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship
Genevera and Scott’s relationship
Chapter Questions
1. What aspects of Gatsby’s personality and past life does Nick learn about during their drive in
New York and their lunch together?
 Son of very wealthy people in the middle west
 Educated at Oxford (all ancestors educated there)
 After family died, he lived in all capitals of Europe
 First lieutenant in war
 Promoted to major
2.a) What does Jordan tell Nick about Gatsby and Daisy?
 Jordan tells Nick that Gatsby and Daisy new each other in nineteen-seventeen, and had
somewhat of a fling.
2.b) What events and details from the first four chapters become more understandable as a
result of Jordan’s explanation?

In chapter 3 when Nick was at one of Gatsby’s great parties he had noticed Himself and
Jordan coming out of a room talking very closely to each other. They might have been
having a conversation about the past
3. Explore the characterization of Gatsby by finding quotations that suggest the following traits:
Nervous/uneasy, hopeful/optimistic insecure, flamboyant/garish, untruthful/liar.
 Nervous/uneasy: “ He Hurried the phrase ‘educated at Oxford’, or swallowed it, or
choked on it, as though it had bothered him before.” (64)In saying this it shows that
Gatsby was a little uneasy about telling all this to Nick, because he might have heard
some other things.
 Untruthful/liar: the quote above always is in reference to this because later in the
chapter we find out that Gatsby studied at Oggsferd College.
 Insecure: “ ‘My family all died and I came into a great deal of money.’ His voice was
solemn, as if the memory of that sudden extinction haunted him.” (64)This shows that
Gatsby is maybe insecure of the face that he has no family left, and he is having to share
it with someone, when it clearly bothers him.
 Flamboyant/garish: “ ‘Good Morning, old sport. You’re having lunch with me today and I
thought we’d ride up together.’ He was balancing himself on the dashboard of his car..”
(62)This is showing that Gatsby is very flamboyant in the sense that he is not afraid to be
flashy and ride up on top of his car.
 Hopeful/optimistic: “‘Oh, it’s nothing underhand,’.. ‘Miss Baker’s a great sportswoman,
you know, and she’d never do anything that wasn’t alright.” Gatsby shows compliments
towards Miss Bakers that whatever she is going to tell Nick she will do it with no
problem, he wants things to hopefully go smoothly.
4. Find one example of a statement or event that might foreshadow some future, unhappy
event.
 “ ..’You see, I usually find myself among strangers because I drift here and there trying
to forget the sad things that happened to me.’ He hesitated. ‘You’ll hear about it this
afternoon.” What it is that Miss Baker had to tell Nick could be something that gets
around and causes an uproar of rumors about daisy and Gatsby.
Work Cited
"Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com."
Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 7 Jan. 2013. <http://dictionary.reference.com/>.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. London: Penguin Books, 1950. Print.