Great Gatsby: Chapter 4 (Pages 61-80)

Chapter 4

In this chapter Nick and Gatsby go to New York to dine. As they are on their way not only does Gatsby tell Nick more about himself but Gatsby is caught speeding by an officer which I found interesting. When Gatsby was stopped all he had to do was show the officer a type of note and he was off the hook. The officer himself apologized for stopping him something that does not happen often today. Later on, we find out that possibly the true intention of why Gatsby was so interested in Nick all along. He is in love with Daisy Buchanan and wants to see her again as soon as possible. With the help of Nick that could be a reality.

Meyer Wolfshiem

"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."

Wolfshiem doesn't seem like a man who has many great qualities. Like many of the powerful people we have met it seems that Wolfshiem is a sefish, greedy man who only cares about himself. One character in particular is the infamous Tom Buchanan.

I find Wolfshiem a very intriguing character. Though we have only met him briefly in this chapter we can tell much though binary opposition. We can tell that even though he is a friend of Gatsby it does not mean he has the exact same attitude. To Nick he seems like the other wealthy men. At this point it does not seem like he has that much of a role in the novel but we do find out that he is like many men also a gambler who fixed the World Series. We also see many baseball "terms" or hints such as highball that show that everyone knows he fixed it but the police can not do anything about it.

"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 wan, scornful mouth smiled, and so I drew her up again closer, this time to my face."

This quote to me had an important meaning. In this quote Nick decribes how he has no one to love like Gatsby or Tom but as we soon find out he does. It shows how there is always hope of new things. Not only in love but in life. This scene expresses how opportunity is always around the corner. Its all about searching for the right corner for long lasting opportunity.