Chapter 4

               My feelings toward this chapter can be summarized through one idea: doubt. Even though there was so much new information in this chapter, I was skeptical of it to the point where I finished reading with more questions than answers.

               The chapter begins and we immediately are told another rumor about Gatsby and his wealth.  Nick over hears people claiming that Gatsby is a bootlegger and that he killed a man. While these rumors initially seemed outrageous and like general gossip to me, the more I hear them, the more I wonder if there is a reason he has this reputation. I feel similar to how Owl Eyes felt at the party; I feel like everything Gatsby does is a front. This only continues as Gatsby starts explaining himself to Nick. Nick’s skeptical nature might just be rubbing off on me, but the events that Gatsby described in his life did not make sense even though he had proof to back some of it up. For example, Gatsby tells Nick he is from a wealthy family in the Mid-West, but when Nick asks where, he says San Franscico, which is just not part of the Mid West. As he then explains his life in Europe, it sounds like a rehearsed script of what he feels like someone with the background he is claiming should have done. I also doubt his feeling about the war. He says it was a relief and that he wanted to die, which does not make sense with the timeline that we come to know later in the chapter that involves his and Daisy’s romance.

               Another reason I am starting to believe (or at least not dismiss) the rumors about Gatsby is because of his interaction with Mr. Wolfshiem. Wolfshiem seems like a shady character, and I found it odd that Gatsby would outwardly associate himself with someone who rigged the World Series. This is again reinforced when Wolfshiem brings up business that Gatsby is obviously involved in even though we do not know what it was. Gatsby was so quick to shut down that conversation, that I feel like the partnership is probably to do with something illegal.

               My final take away from the chapter is from Nick’s conversation with Jordan Baker. I found it odd that Gatsby would specify that he wanted to meet Daisy next to his house and not out at lunch like Jordan was so willing to set up. It makes me feel like Gatsby thinks that the way to win Daisy over is through wealth. I think he thinks that Tom’s wealth is why he lost her to begin with. This only reinforces my own idea that Gatsby is not necessarily who he claims to be. He has made himself into the person that he thinks Daisy wants.