Great Gatsby - Chapter 4 [Audiobook]
Summary
TLDRThe video script from 'The Great Gatsby' chapter four unfolds a lavish world of mystery and opulence, where rumors of Gatsby's bootlegging past and his enigmatic persona are juxtaposed with the extravagant parties he hosts. The narrative delves into Gatsby's fabricated background, his service in World War I, and the complex relationship with Daisy Buchanan, his long-lost love. The summary captures Gatsby's yearning for Daisy's attention and his elaborate plan to reconnect with her through Jordan Baker, revealing the depth of his obsession and the lengths he is willing to go to win her over.
Takeaways
- π The script revolves around Gatsby's house and his extravagant parties, which are attended by a diverse and mysterious crowd.
- π₯ Gatsby is rumored to be a bootlegger, and there are wild stories about his past, including claims of having killed a man and being related to influential figures.
- π The narrator lists the names of Gatsby's guests from a timetable, emphasizing the vast number of people who have visited him but know little about him.
- ποΈ Gatsby's character is portrayed as enigmatic and somewhat suspicious, with hints that he may not be telling the truth about his background and education.
- ποΈ Gatsby claims to have been educated at Oxford and to have received military honors, including from Montenegro, which adds to the air of mystique around him.
- π€ Gatsby's introduction to Tom Buchanan and the subsequent awkward encounter suggests a tension between the two men and possibly a connection to Daisy.
- π The description of New York City and its inhabitants provides a backdrop of ambition, wealth, and moral ambiguity.
- π The script introduces Meyer Wolfsheim, who is implied to be a shady character with connections to criminal activities, including fixing the 1919 World Series.
- π The story of Daisy Buchanan's past with Gatsby and her marriage to Tom is revealed, hinting at a complex love triangle and Gatsby's ongoing infatuation with Daisy.
- πΉ Jordan Baker is presented as a key character who has connections to both Daisy and Gatsby, and who narrates parts of Daisy's history and her own experiences.
- ποΈ The script suggests that Gatsby's grand lifestyle and parties are all part of a plan to attract Daisy's attention and possibly rekindle their past relationship.
Q & A
What is the setting of the events described in the script?
-The script describes events taking place in the 1920s, primarily in the fictional locations of East Egg and West Egg on Long Island, New York, as well as New York City.
Who is the main character narrating the events in the script?
-The main character narrating the events is Nick Carraway, who is also a participant in the story and a neighbor of Jay Gatsby.
What rumors are circulating about Gatsby's background and activities?
-Rumors include that Gatsby is a bootlegger, he killed a man who found out he was related to Von Hindenburg, and that he is a nephew to the devil.
What is the significance of the timetable that Nick mentions?
-The timetable is significant as it lists the names of people who visited Gatsby's house during the summer, providing a sense of the diverse and mysterious crowd that Gatsby entertained.
What is the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan?
-Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan had a romantic relationship in the past, and Gatsby's lavish lifestyle and parties are part of his attempt to attract Daisy's attention and rekindle their love.
Why does Gatsby want to meet Daisy through Jordan Baker?
-Gatsby wants to meet Daisy through Jordan Baker because he believes that Daisy would be more comfortable in a familiar setting, and he is cautious about how his past relationship with Daisy might affect their reunion.
What is the significance of the 'valley of ashes' mentioned in the script?
-The 'valley of ashes' is a desolate wasteland area between West Egg and New York City, symbolizing the moral decay and social inequality of the era.
What is the role of Meyer Wolfsheim in the script?
-Meyer Wolfsheim is a character who is revealed to be the man who 'fixed' the 1919 World Series, implying he is involved in criminal activities and has a significant influence on Gatsby's life.
How does Gatsby's car symbolize his wealth and aspirations?
-Gatsby's car is described as being richly colored, luxurious, and adorned with the latest technology, symbolizing his immense wealth and his desire to impress and attract Daisy.
What is the significance of Gatsby's parties and his mansion?
-Gatsby's parties and mansion are significant as they are part of his strategy to create an image of success and wealth to win Daisy's heart, despite the fact that he is a self-made man with a mysterious background.
Outlines
π The Enigmatic Gatsby's Summer Soiree
This paragraph sets the scene of Gatsby's extravagant parties, attended by a diverse and mysterious crowd. It introduces the rumors about Gatsby's background, suggesting he might be a bootlegger or related to infamous figures. The narrator recounts the guests from East Egg, including the peculiar Blackbuck clan and various individuals with notable stories. The paragraph also mentions Gatsby's desire for privacy and the enigma surrounding his identity, as well as the first-person encounter between the narrator and Gatsby, hinting at a deeper connection to come.
π Gatsby's Grand Automobile and His Elusive Past
The focus shifts to Gatsby's impressive car and his restless demeanor. Gatsby opens up about his supposed wealthy upbringing and education at Oxford, claiming a lineage of tradition. However, the narrator expresses doubt about Gatsby's truthfulness, especially after Gatsby's awkward mention of Oxford. The paragraph delves into Gatsby's alleged military achievements and the various medals he received, including one from Montenegro, which adds to the air of mystique and skepticism surrounding his character.
π½οΈ Lunch with Gatsby and Wolfsheim: The Underworld Connection
The scene moves to a lunch meeting where Gatsby introduces the narrator to Mr. Wolfsheim, a character with a criminal past, known for fixing the 1919 World Series. The encounter is filled with tension and veiled business propositions. Gatsby's mysterious request through Miss Baker is hinted at, adding another layer to his enigmatic persona. The paragraph also provides a glimpse into the underworld through the characters' interactions and the mention of past crimes.
π‘ Daisy's Early Life and Marriage to Tom Buchanan
This paragraph narrates Daisy's life before her marriage to Tom Buchanan. It describes her popularity, her engagement to a man from New Orleans, and the lavish wedding that followed. The story also touches on Daisy's rebellious streak, her brief scandal with a soldier, and her eventual move to Chicago with Tom. The paragraph paints Daisy as a figure of fascination and charm, setting the stage for her future interactions with Gatsby.
π Gatsby's Hopes and Daisy's Unawareness of His Presence
The paragraph reveals Gatsby's intentional move to West Egg to be close to Daisy, illustrating his long-standing affection for her. It discusses Gatsby's attempts to reconnect with Daisy through various means, including his grand parties and the hope that she would attend one. The paragraph also highlights the narrator's role in facilitating Gatsby's desire to see Daisy again, without her knowing the true intention behind the meeting.
π A Drive Through the City and a Glimpse of Gatsby's Plan
The final paragraph captures a nighttime drive through the city, reflecting on Gatsby's grand plan to reunite with Daisy. It details Gatsby's request for the narrator to invite Daisy over without revealing his involvement. The paragraph ends with a moment of intimacy between the narrator and Jordan Baker, suggesting a budding romantic interest that contrasts with Gatsby's unrequited love for Daisy.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Gatsby
π‘Bootlegger
π‘Oxford
π‘Valley of Ashes
π‘American Dream
π‘Jordan Baker
π‘Daisy Buchanan
π‘Tom Buchanan
π‘Meyer Wolfsheim
π‘The Green Light
π‘The Eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg
Highlights
Introduction of Gatsby's mysterious background with rumors of being a bootlegger and having a dubious family history.
Description of Gatsby's extravagant parties and the eclectic mix of guests from different social circles.
Narration of the protagonist's attempt to document the names of Gatsby's guests, reflecting the enigmatic nature of the attendees.
Mention of Gatsby's car as a symbol of his wealth and the attention it draws, including from the protagonist.
Gatsby's sudden and unexpected revelation of his supposed education at Oxford and his fabricated family history.
The protagonist's skepticism towards Gatsby's stories, hinting at a potential dark side to his character.
Gatsby's military service and the dubious claim of his valor and the decorations he supposedly received.
Gatsby's association with Wolfsheim, who is implied to be involved in the 1919 World Series scandal.
The protagonist's encounter with Tom Buchanan and the revelation of Daisy's past relationship with Gatsby.
Jordan Baker's recount of Daisy's youth, her popularity, and her encounter with Gatsby before he went to war.
Daisy's marriage to Tom Buchanan, described with its opulence and the string of pearls incident on the wedding eve.
The aftermath of Daisy's marriage, including Tom's infidelity and Daisy's move to Chicago with their daughter.
Gatsby's purchase of his mansion across from Daisy, revealing his long-standing obsession and pining for her.
Gatsby's request for Jordan to arrange a meeting with Daisy, showing his cautious and calculated approach to reconnecting with her.
The protagonist's growing interest in Jordan Baker and the shift of focus from Gatsby's story to his own romantic prospects.
Transcripts
the great gatsby chapter four
on sunday morning while church bells
rang in the villages along shore the
world and its mistress returned to
gatsby's house and twinkled hilariously
on his lawn
he's a bootlegger said the young ladies
moving somewhere between his cocktails
and his flowers
one time he killed a man who had found
out that he was nephew to von hindenburg
and second cousin to the devil reach me
a rose honey and pour me a last drop
into that their crystal glass
once i wrote down on the empty spaces of
a timetable the names of those who came
to gatsby's house that summer
it is an old timetable now
disintegrating at its folds and headed
this schedule in effect july 5th 1922
but i can still read the gray names and
they will give you a better impression
than my generalities of those who
accepted gatsby's hospitality and paid
him the subtle tribute of knowing
nothing whatever about him
from east egg then came the chester
becker's and the leeches and a man named
bunsen whom i knew at yale and dr
webster civit who was drowned last
summer up in maine and the hornbeams and
the willy voltaires and a whole clan
named blackbuck who always gathered in a
corner and flipped up their noses like
goats at whosoever came near and the
ismaes and the christies or rather
hubert auerbach and mr christie's wife
and edgar beaver whose hair they say
turned cotton white one winter afternoon
for no good reason at all
clarence endive was from east egg as i
remember he came only once in white
knickerbockers and had a fight with a
bum named eddie in the garden
from farther out on the island came the
cheatles and the orp schraders and the
stonewall jackson abrams of georgia and
the fish guards and the ripley snells
snell was there three days before he
went to the penitentiary so drunk out on
the gravel drive that mrs ulysses
sweat's automobile ran over his right
hand
the dances came too and sb whitebait who
was well over 60 and maurice a flink and
the hammerheads and beluga the tobacco
importer and beluga's girls
from west egg came the poles and the
mulrides and cecil roebuck and cecil
shone
and gulick the state senator and newton
orchid who controlled film's par
occilons and eckhaus and clyde cohen and
don s schwarze the son and arthur
mccarty all connected with the movies in
one way or another and the catlips and
the bembergs and g earl muldoon brother
to that muldoon who afterwards strangled
his wife
defontano the promoter came there and ed
legross and james b rotgut ferret and
the de jongs and ernest lilly
they came to gamble and when ferret
wandered into the garden it meant he was
cleaned out and associated traction
would have to fluctuate profitably next
day
a man named clipsbringer was there so
often and so long that he became known
as the border i doubt if he had any
other home
of theatrical people there were gus ways
and horus o'donovan and lester meyer and
george duckweed and francis bull
also from new york were the chromes and
the bacchusens and the deneckers and
russell betty and the corrigans and the
kellehers and the dewars and the scullys
and sw belcher and the smirks and the
young twins divorced now and henry l
palmetto who killed himself by jumping
in front of a subway train in times
square
benny mclennan arrived always with four
girls
they were never quite the same ones in
physical person but they were so
identical one with another that it
inevitably seemed they had been there
before
i've forgotten their names
jacqueline i think or else consuelo or
gloria or judy or june and their last
names were either the melodious names of
flowers and months or the sterner ones
of the great american capitalists whose
cousins if pressed they would confess
themselves to be
in addition to all these i can remember
that faustina o'brien came there at
least once and the bedecker girls and
young brewer who had his nose shot off
in the war and mr albrecht's burger and
miss hogg his fiancee and ardita
fitzpeters and mr p jewett once head of
the american legion and miss claudia hip
with a man reputed to be her chauffeur
and a prince of something whom we call
duke and whose name if i ever knew it i
have forgotten
all these people came to gatsby's house
in the summer
at nine o'clock one morning late in july
gatsby's gorgeous car lurched up the
rocky drive to my door and gave out a
burst of melody from its three noted
horn
it was the first time he had called on
me though i had gone to two of his
parties mounted in his hydroplane and at
his urgent invitation made frequent use
of his beach
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 with that
resourcefulness of movement that is so
peculiarly american that comes i suppose
with the absence of lifting work or
rigid sitting in youth and even more
with the formless grace of our nervous
sporadic games
this quality was continually breaking
through his petilious manner in the
shape of restlessness he was never quite
still there was always a tapping foot
somewhere or the impatient opening and
closing of a hand he saw me looking with
admiration at his car
it's pretty isn't it old sport
he jumped off to give me a better view
haven't you ever seen it before
i'd seen it everybody had seen it it was
a rich cream color bright with nickel
swollen here and there in its monstrous
length with triumphant hat boxes and
supper boxes and tool boxes and terraced
with a labyrinth of windshields that
mirrored a dozen suns
sitting down behind many layers of glass
and a sort of green leather conservatory
we started to town
i had talked with him perhaps half a
dozen times in the past month and found
to my disappointment that he had little
to say
so my first impression that he was a
person of some undefined consequence had
gradually faded and he had become simply
the proprietor of an elaborate road
house next door
and then came that 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 colored suit
look here old sport he broke out
surprisingly what's your opinion of me
anyhow
a little overwhelmed i began the
generalized evasions which that question
deserves
well i'm going to tell you something
about my life he interrupted i don't
want you to get a wrong idea of me from
all these stories you hear
so he was aware of the bizarre
accusations that flavored conversation
in his halls
i'll tell you god's truth
his right hand suddenly ordered divine
retribution to stand by
i am the son of some wealthy people in
the middle west all dead now i was
brought up in america but educated at
oxford because all my ancestors have
been educated there for many years it is
a family tradition
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
what part of the middle west i inquired
casually san francisco
i see
my family all died and i came into a
good deal of money
his voice was solemn as if the memory of
that sudden extinction of a clan still
haunted him
for a moment i suspected that he was
pulling my leg but a glance at him
convinced me otherwise
after that i lived like a young raja in
all the capitals of europe paris venice
rome collecting jewels chiefly rubies
hunting big game painting a little
things for myself only and trying to
forget something very sad that it
happened to me long ago
with an effort i managed to restrain my
incredulous laughter the very phrases
were worn so threadbare that they evoked
no image except that of a turbaned
character leaking sawdust at every pore
as he pursued a tiger through the puerto
boulonn
then came the world sport it was a great
relief and i tried very hard to die but
i seemed to bear an enchanted life
i accepted a commission as first
lieutenant when it began in the argonne
forest i took two machine gun
detachments so far forward that there
was a half-mile gap on either side of us
where the infantry couldn't advance
we stayed there two days and two nights
130 men with 16 lewis guns when the
infantry came up at last they found the
insignia of three german divisions among
the piles of dead i was promoted to be a
major and every allied government gave
me a decoration even montenegro little
montenegro down on the adriatic sea
little montenegro he lifted up the words
and nodded at them with his smile
the smile comprehended montenegro's
troubled history and sympathized with
the brave struggles of the montenegrin
people it appreciated fully the chain of
national circumstances which had
elicited this tribute from montenegro's
warm little heart
my incon incredulity was submerged in
fascination now it was like skimming
hastily through a dozen magazines he
reached in his pocket and a piece of
metal slung on a ribbon fell into my
palm
that's the one from montenegro
to my astonishment the thing had an
authentic look
order
de denilo ran the circular legend
montenegro nicholas rex
turn it
major j gatsby i read for valor
extraordinary
here's another thing i always carry a
souvenir of oxford days it was taken in
trinity quad the man on my left is now
the earl of doncaster
it was a photograph of half a dozen
young men in blazers loafing in an
archway through which were visible a
host of spires there was gatsby looking
a little not much younger with a cricket
bat in his hand
then it was all true i saw the skins of
tigers flaming in his palace on the
grand canal i saw him opening a chest of
rubies to ease with their
crimson-lighted depths the gnawings of
his broken heart
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 you see i usually find
myself amongst strangers because i'd
drift here and there trying to forget
the sad thing that happened to me he
hesitated you'll hear about it this
afternoon
at lunch
no this afternoon i happened to find out
that you're taking miss baker to tea
do you mean you're in love with miss
baker
no old sport i'm not but miss baker has
kindly consented to speak to you about
this matter
i hadn't the faintest idea what this
matter was but i was more annoyed than
interested i hadn't asked jordan to t in
order to discuss mr j gatsby i was sure
the request would be something utterly
fantastic and for a moment i was sorry
i'd ever set foot upon his overpopulated
lawn
he wouldn't say another word his
correctness grew on him as we neared the
city
we past port roosevelt where there was a
glimpse of red-belted ocean-going ships
and sped along the cobbled slum lined
with the dark undeserved saloons of the
faded guilt 1900s
then the valley of ashes opened out on
both sides of us and i had a glimpse of
mrs wilson straining at the garage pump
with panting vitality as we went by
with fenders spread like wings we
scattered light through half astoria
only half for as we twisted among the
pillars of the elevated i heard the
familiar
jug spat of a motorcycle and a frantic
policeman rode alongside
all right old sport called gatsby we
slowed down
taking a white card from his wallet he
waved it before the man's eyes
right you are agreed the policeman
tipping his cap know you next time mr
gatsby excuse me
what was that i inquired the picture of
oxford
i was able to do the commissioner a
favor once and he sends me a christmas
card every year
over the great bridge with the sunlight
through the girders making a constant
flicker upon the moving cars
with the city rising up across the river
in white heaps and sugar lumps all built
with a wish out of nominal factory money
the city seen from the queensboro bridge
is always the city scene for the first
time in its first wild promise of all
the mystery and the beauty in the world
a dead man passed us in a hearse heaped
with blooms followed by two carriages
withdrawn blinds and by more cheerful
carriages for friends
the friends looked out at us with the
tragic eyes and short upper lips of
southeastern europe and i was glad that
the sight of gatsby's splendid car was
included in their somber holiday
as we crossed blackwell's island a
limousine passed us driven by a white
chauffeur in which sat three motish
negros two bucks and a girl
i laughed aloud as the yolks of their
eyeballs rolled toward us in haughty
rivalry
anything can happen now that we've slid
over this bridge i thought anything at
all
even gatsby could happen without any
particular wonder
roaring noon
in a well-fanned 42nd street cellar i
met gatsby for lunch blinking away the
brightness of the street outside my eyes
picked him out obscurely in the anteroom
talking to another man
mr carraway this is my friend mr
wolfsheim a small flat-nosed jew
raised his large head and regarded me
with two fine growths of hair which
luxuriated in either nostril
after a moment i discovered his tiny
eyes in the half darkness
so i took one look at him said mr
wolfsheim shaking my hand earnestly and
what do you think i did
what i inquired politely but evidently
he was not addressing me for he dropped
my hand and covered gatsby with his
expressive nose i handed the money to
cat spa and i said all right katspa
don't pay him a penny till he shuts his
mouth he shut it then and there
gatsby took an arm of each of us and
moved forward into the restaurant
whereupon mr wolfsheim swallowed a
nuisance he was starting and lapsed into
a some ambulatory abstraction
highballs asked the headwaiter this is a
nice restaurant here said mr wolfsheim
looking at the presbyterian nymphs on
the ceiling but i like across the street
better
yes highballs agreed gatsby and then to
mr wolfsheim it's too hot over there
hot and small yes said mr wilsheim but
full of memories
what place is that i asked the old
metropole said gatsby the old metropole
rooted mr wolfsheim gloomily
filled with faces dead and gone filled
with friends gone now forever i can't
forget so long as i live the night they
shot rosie rosenthal there it was six of
us at the table and rosie had eaten
drunk a lot all evening
when it was almost morning the waiter
came up to him with a funny look and
says somebody wants to speak to him
outside all right says rosie and begins
to get up and i pulled him down in his
chair let the bastards come in here if
they want you rosie but don't you so
help me move outside this room
it was four o'clock in the morning then
and if we'd have raised the blinds we'd
have seen daylight
did he go i asked innocently sure he
went mr wilsheim's nose flashed at me
indignantly he turned around in the door
and says don't let that waiter take away
my coffee then he went out on the
sidewalk and they shot him three times
in his full belly and drove away
four of them were electrocuted i said
remembering
five with becker
his nostrils turned to me in an
interested way i understand you're
looking for a business connection
the juxtaposition of these two remarks
was startling gatsby answered for me oh
no he exclaimed this isn't the man no mr
wolfsheim seemed disappointed this is
just a friend i told you we'd talk about
that some other time
i beg your pardon said mr wolfsheim i
had a wrong man
a succulent hash arrived and mr
wolfsheim forgetting the more
sentimental atmosphere of the old
metropole began to eat with ferocious
delicacy his eyes meanwhile roved very
slowly all around the room
he completed the ark by turning to
inspect the people directly behind i
think that except for my presence he
would have taken one short glance
beneath our own table
look here old sport said gatsby leaning
toward me i'm afraid i made you a little
angry this morning in the car
there was the smile again but this time
i held out against it
i don't like mysteries i answered and i
don't understand why you won't come out
frankly and tell me what you want why
has it all got to come through miss
baker
oh it's nothing underhand he assured me
miss baker's a great sports woman you
know and she'd never do anything that
wasn't all right
suddenly he looked at his watch jumped
up and hurried from the room leaving me
with mr wolfsheim at the table
he has to telephone said mr wolfsheim
following him with his eyes fine fellow
isn't he handsome to look at and a
perfect gentleman
yes he's an oxford man
oh
he went to oxford college in england you
know oxford college
i've heard of it
it's one of the most famous colleges in
the world
have you known gatsby for a long time i
inquired
several years he answered in a gratified
way i made the pleasure of his
acquaintance just after the war but i
knew i had discovered a man of fine
breeding after i talked with him an hour
i said to myself there's the kind of man
you'd like to take home and introduce to
your mother and sister
he paused i see you're looking at my
cuff buttons
i hadn't been looking at them but i did
now they were composed of oddly familiar
pieces of ivory
finest specimens of human molars he
informed me
well i inspected them that's a very
interesting idea
yeah he flipped his sleeves up under his
coat yeah gatsby's very careful about
women he would never so much as look at
a friend's wife
when the subject of this instinctive
trust returned to the table and sat down
mr wolfsheim drank his coffee with a
jerk and got to his feet i have enjoyed
my lunch he said and i'm going to run
off from you two young men before i
outstay my welcome
don't hurry meyer said gatsby without
enthusiasm mr wolfsheim raised his hand
in a sort of benediction you're very
polite but i belong to another
generation he announced solemnly you sit
here and discuss your sports and your
young ladies and your
he supplied an imaginary noun with
another wave of his hand as for me i am
50 years old and i won't impose myself
on you any longer
as he shook hands and turned away his
tragic nose was trembling i wondered if
i had said anything to offend him
he becomes very sentimental sometimes
explain gatsby this is one of his
sentimental days he's quite a character
around new york a denizen of broadway
who is he anyhow an actor no
a dentist
meyer wolfsheim no he's a gambler
gatsby hesitated then added he's
the man who fixed the world series back
in 1919.
fixed the world series i repeated the
idea staggered me i remembered of course
that the world series had been fixed in
1919 but if i had thought of it at all i
would have thought of it as a thing that
merely happened the end of some
inevitable chain
it never occurred to me that one man
could start to play with the faith of 50
million people with the
single-mindedness of a burglar blowing a
safe
how did he happen to do that i asked
after a minute he just saw the
opportunity
why isn't he in jail
they can't get him old sport he's a
smart man
i insisted on paying the check as the
waiter brought my change i caught sight
of tom buchanan across the crowded room
come along with me for a minute i said
i've got to say hello to someone
when he saw us tom jumped up and took
half a dozen steps in our direction
where have you been he demanded eagerly
daisy's furious because you haven't
called up
this is mr gatsby mr buchanan they shook
hands briefly and a strained unfamiliar
look of embarrassment came over gatsby's
face
how have you been anyhow demanded tom of
me how'd you happen to come up this far
to eat
i've been having lunch with mr gatsby i
turned toward mr gatsby but he was no
longer there
one october day in
1917 said jordan baker that afternoon
sitting up very straight on a straight
chair in the tea garden at the plaza
hotel i was walking along from one place
to another half on the sidewalks and
half on the lawns i was happier on the
lawns because i had on shoes from
england with rubber knobs on the soles
that bit into the soft ground i had on a
new plaid skirt also that blew a little
in the wind and whenever this happened
the red white and blue banners in front
of all the houses stretched out stiff
and said
in a disapproving way
the largest of the banners and the
largest of the lawns belonged to daisy
faye's house she was just 18 2 years
older than me and by far the most
popular of all the young girls in
louisville she dressed in white and had
a little white roadster and all day long
the telephone rang in her house and
excited young officers from camp taylor
demanded the privilege of monopolizing
her that night
anyways for an hour
when i came opposite her house that
morning her white roadster was beside
the curb and she was sitting in it with
a lieutenant i had never seen before
they were so engrossed in each other
that she didn't see me until i was five
feet away
hello jordan she called unexpectedly
please come here i was flattered that
she wanted to speak to me because of all
the older girls i admired her most
she asked me if i was going to the red
cross and make bandages i was well then
would i tell them that she couldn't come
that day
the officer looked at daisy while she
was speaking in a way that every young
girl wants to be looked at sometime and
because it seemed romantic to me i've
remembered the incident ever since
his name was jay gatsby and i didn't lay
eyes on him again for over four years
even after i'd met him on long island i
didn't realize it was the same man
that was 1917. by the next year i had a
few bows myself and i began to play in
tournaments so i didn't see daisy very
often she went with a slightly older
crowd when she went with anyone at all
wild rumors were circulating about her
how her mother had found her packing her
bag one winter night to go to new york
and say goodbye to a soldier who was
going overseas
she was effectually prevented but she
wasn't on speaking terms with her family
for several weeks
after that she didn't play around with
the soldiers anymore but only with a few
flat-footed short-sighted young men in
town who couldn't get into the army at
all
by the next autumn she was gay again gay
as ever she had a debut after the
armistice and in february she was
presumably engaged to a man from new
orleans
in june she married tom buchanan of
chicago with more pomp and circumstance
than louisville ever knew before
he came down with a hundred people in
four private cars and hired a whole
floor of the seal bock hotel and the day
before the wedding he gave her a string
of pearls valued at 350 000
i was a bridesmaid i came into her room
half an hour before the bridal dinner
and found her lying on her bed as lovely
as the june night in her flower dress
and as drunk as a monkey
she had a bottle of so turn in one hand
and a letter in the other
congratulate me she muttered never had a
drink before but oh how i do enjoy it
what's the matter daisy i was scared i
can tell you i'd never seen a girl like
that before
here dearest
she groped around in a wastebasket she
had with her on the bed and pulled out
the string of pearls take them
downstairs and give them back to whoever
they belong to tell them all daisies
change your mind
say daisies change your mind
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 into a wet ball and
only let me leave it in the soap dish
when she saw that it was coming to
pieces like snow but she didn't say
another word we gave her spirits of
ammonia and put ice on her forehead and
hooked her back into her dress and half
an hour later when we walked out of the
room the pearls were around her neck and
the incident was over
next day at five o'clock she married tom
buchanan without so much as a shiver and
started off on a three-month trip to the
south seas
i saw them in santa barbara when they
came back
and i thought i'd never seen a girl so
mad about her husband
if he left the room for a minute she'd
look around uneasily and say where's tom
gone and where the most abstracted
expression until she saw him coming in
the door
she used to sit on the sand with his
head in her lap by the hour rubbing her
fingers over his eyes and looking at him
with unfathomable delight
it was touching to see them together it
made you laugh in a hushed fascinated
way that was in august
a week after i left santa barbara tom
ran into a wagon on the ventura road one
night and ripped a front wheel off his
car
the girl who was with him got into the
papers too because her arm was broken
she was one of the chambermaids in the
santa barbara hotel
the next april daisy had her little girl
and they went to france for a year i saw
them one spring in khan and later in
dovil and then they came back to chicago
to settle down daisy was popular in
chicago as you know
they moved with a fast crowd all of them
young and rich and wild but she came out
with an absolutely perfect reputation
perhaps because she doesn't drink it's a
great advantage not to drink among hard
drinking people you can hold your tongue
and moreover you can time any little
irregularity of your own so that
everybody else is so blind that they
don't see or care
perhaps daisy never went in for a moor
at all
and yet there's something in that voice
of hers
well about six weeks ago she heard the
name gatsby for the first time in years
it was when i asked you do you remember
if you knew gatsby in west egg after you
had gone home she came into my room and
woke me up and said what gatsby and when
i described him i was half asleep she
said in the strangest voice that it must
be the man she used to know
it wasn't until then that i connected
this gatsby with the officer in her
white car
when jordan baker had finished telling
all this we had left the plaza for half
an hour and were driving in victoria
through central park
the sun had gone down behind the tall
apartments of the movie stars in the
west 50s and the clear voices of
children already gathered like crickets
on the grass rose through the hot
twilight
it was a strange coincidence i said but
it wasn't a coincidence at all
why not
gatsby bought that house so that daisy
would be just across the bay
then it had not been merely the stars to
which he had aspired on that june night
he came alive to me delivered suddenly
from the womb of his purposeless
splendor
he wants to know continue jordan if
you'll invite daisy to your house some
afternoon and then let him come over
the modesty of the demand shook me he
had waited five years and bought a
mansion where he dispensed starlight to
casual moths so that he could come over
some afternoon to a stranger's garden
did i have to know all this before he
could ask such a thing
he's afraid he's waited so long he
thought you might be offended you see
he's a regular tough underneath it all
something worried me
why didn't he ask you to arrange a
meeting
he wants her to see his house she
explained and your house is right next
door
oh
i think he half expected her to wander
into one of his parties some night went
on jordan but she never did then he
began asking people casually if they
knew her and i was the first one he
found
it was that night he sent for me at his
dance and you should have heard the
elaborate way he worked up to it of
course i immediately suggested a
luncheon in new york and i thought he'd
go mad i don't want to do anything out
of the way he kept saying i want to see
her right next door
when i said you were a particular friend
of tom's he started to abandon the whole
idea he doesn't know very much about tom
though he says he's read a chicago paper
for years just on the chance of catching
a glimpse of daisy's name
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 wasn't thinking of daisy and
gatsby anymore but of this clean hard
limited person who dealt in universal
skepticism and who leaned back jauntily
just within the circle of my arm
a phrase began to beat in my ears with a
sort of heady excitement
there are only the pursued the pursuing
the busy and the tired
and daisy ought to have something in her
life murmur jordan to me
does she want to see gatsby
she's not to know about it gatsby
doesn't want her to know you're just
supposed to invite her to tea
we passed a barrier of dark trees and
then the facade of 59th street a block
of delicate pale light beamed down into
the park
unlike gatsby and tom buchanan i had no
girl whose disembodied face floated
along the dark cornices and blinding
signs and so i drew up the girl beside
me tightening my arms her one scornful
mouth smiled and so i drew her up again
closer this time to my face
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