Character, theme and ideology - Gatsby Chapter 4

The Great Gatsby Chapter 4 - character, theme and ideology

Main discussion points:

• Nick’s confidence growing
• How he is becoming more involved with the people
• His feelings toward Gatsby
• Daisy’s past

In the first section of chapter 4 Nick names all the attendants of Gatsby’s parties. This explores Nick’s character development as it suggests to the readers his materialistic side. An example of this would be when he writes, ‘and Edgar Beaver, whose hair, they say, turned cotton white one winter afternoon for no good reason at all.’ He finds himself repeating rumour just like the characters would at the parties, who he looks upon as superficial and materialistic. In chapter one he tells us of how he would be referred to as a ‘politician’ in University and this is supported further throughout the novel as we begin to understand Nick; he is very reserved, observant and tends to think very carefully about all he does. However now we see Nick developing and beginning to succumb to the nature of the East and West Egg. Another point is when Nick writes, ‘a Prince of something, whom we called Duke,’ – here he uses the pronoun ‘we’, including himself when he regards the people of Gatsby’s elaborate parties. Clearly this is very contrasting to chapter 3 when he attends his first party at Gatsby’s when he writes, ‘I slunk off in the direction of the cocktail table – the only place in the garden where a single man could linger without looking purposeless and alone.’ His confidence is growing and this becomes more apparent as the novel continues.

In this chapter, Nick goes out with Gatsby in his car, which he describes as ‘rich cream’, and says that the colour of Gatsby’s suit is ‘caramel’. These colours are also sweet things, which may show a deeper affection for Gatsby despite Nick’s initial disgust in him, as he represents everything Nick begrudges. Again this shows character progression in Nick as his feelings toward Jay Gatsby are gradually changing. Also, the use of colours here represents the theme of materialism, as these may be seen as beautiful and grand colours, the colour of money. The theme/idea of wrong doing is also reinforced at the beginning of the chapter when Nick says, ‘on Sunday morning when church bells rang in the villages along the shore, the world and its mistress returned to Gatsby’s house and twinkled hilariously on his lawn.’  The bells ringing from the Church on a Sunday is religious and holy, with Sunday being a holy day, and the ‘world and it’s mistress’ representing all the wrong doing taking place, such as the illegal drinking and affairs, namely Tom and Myrtle, laughing in the face of morality – ‘and twinkled hilariously on his lawn’ – also representing the people who gather there to drink.

Nick further pursues his own desires and seems to be caving in his diplomatic ways. He writes, ‘There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy, and the tired.’ This acts as a shift in Nick Carraway, as a personal acceptance of his own adaptation - as at the end of chapter four, he kisses Jordan, despite his earlier thinking that he should sort the situation back home before moving on to anything else. Daisy also develops in this chapter as more is revealed about her and the relationship with Gatsby through Jordan. Here we learn that Daisy never wanted to marry Tom, but maybe did so as to conform to the character she was expected to be, to act as a trophy wife, or perhaps she was too scared to abandon her plans with Tom on a whim that Gatsby would come riding back into her life on a white stallion.