| What is the significance of Mr. Gatz’s arrival? | It is a deliberate contrast to the desertion of Gatsby’s recent associates and “friends.” The glittering world he sought has abandoned him and none of the hypocritical mob he served has come to honor him in death. Thus the father he disowned is the only one to own him now. |
| Why do Tom and Daisy leave? | They run away to escape responsibility, just as they left Chicago to escape some unspecified scandal. They are “careless” people who take no notice of the harm they have caused. Although the experience with Gatsby has given Nick a new insight and maturity, it has left Daisy and Tom basically unchanged. |
| How does Nick react to the phone call revealing Gatsby’s criminal activities? | While Tom’s original revelations of Gatsby’s background had revolted Nick, he can now accept this confirmation without changing his high opinion of Gatsby as a total human being. He recognizes the essential integrity of the man and can compare it to the essential corruption of Tom, Daisy, and Jordan. |
| What is the significance of Mr. Gatz’s arrival? | It is a deliberate contrast to the desertion of Gatsby’s recent associates and “friends.” The glittering world he sought has abandoned him and none of the hypocritical mob he served has come to honor him in death. Thus the father he disowned is the only one to own him now. |
| What is the irony of Mr. Gatz’s admiration of the house? | He is tremendously awed by the size and splendor of the mansion. His values are the empty ones which had seduced his son, so apparently Gatsby had not gone very far from his source. |
| What two emotions are pulling at Mr. Gatz? | He is moved by both sorrow and pride. The grandeur of the house overwhelms him and he is thrilled to know that his son was its owner. His eyes “leak” from both grief and excitement. He does not really grieve for his son, the actual person, but for his son the “big man” who, had he lived, would have become even bigger. It is evident that though Gatsby abandoned his parents, their ideas of success were forever embedded in his soul. |
| What is the significance of the owl-eyed man’s attendance at the funeral? | Again, he is associated with the omniscient eyes of the sign. He somehow knows about the funeral without Nick’s summons and he comes to pay tribute to Gatsby. Just as the owl-eyed man had recognized the depths of Gatsby’s character beneath the flashy exterior, he now sums up Gatsby’s total existence in terms of compassion. It is pity one must feel for Gatsby, and somehow respect. |
| What is the significance of Jordan’s comment about the “bad driver”? | She and her circle are accustomed to adjusting life to suit themselves. They expect others to stay out of their way and help to make their lives smooth and comfortable. Her mistake was in assuming that Nick would go along with this corrupted version of reality. |
| How does Tom cling to his image of himself just as Gatsby clings to his dream of Daisy? | Tom believes that he has acted as a gentleman throughout the whole affair. Like Gatsby, he has behaved consistently and honorably within the limits of his illusions. He considered Gatsby a threat to his happy marriage, an upstart whose true colors were revealed not only by the facts about his criminal activities but also by his callous killing of Myrtle. Tom, who has forgotten his own brutal treatment of Myrtle in the past, thinks he felt genuine sorrow at her loss. He had no compunction about sending Wilson out after Gatsby since he believed the bootlegger to be guilty of her death. In his own eyes, Tom has behaved correctly throughout the entire experience; he has been the perfect upper-class gentleman, adhering manfully to an upper-class code of values. |
| Why does Nick finally shake hands with Tom? | Nick has matured and now understands the world’s corruption. There is no place for the nobility of Gatsby’s dream; only the selfish toughness of a Tom Buchanan can survive. Nick will not be misled by illusion. He knows Tom for what he is, and shakes his hand. |
| Why does Nick feel that Gatsby’s tragedy is a contrast between the East and the West? | He feels that there is more interest, more caring about people on human terms in the West and Middle West. Although the East may be superior in terms of intellect and excitement, he misses the human values of the West. Since none of the major characters in the novel were originally Easterners, Nick wonders if perhaps the tragedy might have been caused by their inability to adapt to the cold, unfeeling nature of the East. |
Great Gatsby Chapter 9
April 11, 2020