football player at Yale, and Daisy was Carraway's second cousin. Jordan 
mentions that, since Carraway lives in West Egg, he must know Gatsby. 
Another woman, Jordan Baker, is also there. She tells Nick that Tom is 
having an affair with some woman in New York. Tom discusses the book "The 
Rise of the Colored Empires," which claims that the colored races will 
submerge the white race eventually. Daisy talks to Carraway alone, and 
claims that she has become terribly cynical and sophisticated. After 
visiting with the Buchanans, Carraway goes home to West Egg, where he sees 
Gatsby come from his mansion alone, looking at the sea. He stretches out 
his arms toward the water, looking at a faraway green light. 
Chapter Two: Fitzgerald begins this second chapter with the description of 
a road running between West Egg and New York City. A large, decaying 
billboard showing two eyes (advertising an optometrist's practice) 
overlooks the desolate area. It is here, at a gas station, where Tom 
Buchanan introduces Nick Carraway to Myrtle Wilson, the woman with whom he 
is having an affair. Myrtle herself is married to George B. Wilson, an auto 
mechanic. Tom has Myrtle meet them in the city, where Tom buys her a dog. 
They go to visit Myrtle's sister and also visit her neighbors, Catherine 
McKee and her husband, who is an artist. They gossip about Gatsby, and 
Myrtle discusses her husband, claiming that she was crazy to marry him, and 
how she met Tom. Later, Myrtle and Tom argue about whether or not she has a 
right to say Daisy's name, and he breaks Myrtle's nose. 
Chapter Three: Nick Carraway describes the customs of Gatsby's weekly 
parties: the arrival of crates of oranges and lemons, a corps of caterers 
and a large orchestra. On the first night that Carraway visits Gatsby's 
house, he was one of the few guests who had actually been invited. When he 
arrives, he sees Jordan Baker, who had recently lost a golf tournament. 
They hear more gossip about Jay Gatsby  he supposedly killed a man, or was 
a German spy. Jordan and Nick look through Gatsby's library, where she 
thinks that his books are not real. Later in the party, a man who 
recognized Nick from the war talks to him  Nick does not know that it is 
Gatsby. Suddenly, after he identifies himself, Gatsby gets a phone call 
from Chicago. Afterwards, Gatsby asks to speak to Jordan Baker alone. When 
she finishes talking to Gatsby, she tells Nick that she heard the most 
amazing thing and says that she wishes to see him. Guests leaving the party 
have a car wreck in Gatsby's driveway. This was merely one event in a 
crowded summer. Carraway, who spent most of his time working, began to like 
New York. For a while he lost sight of Jordan Baker. He was not in love 
with her, but had some curiosity toward her. 
Chapter Four: At a Sunday morning party at Gatsby's, young women gossip 
about Gatsby (he's a bootlegger who killed a man who found out that he was 
a nephew to Von Hindenburg and second cousin to the devil). One morning 
Gatsby comes to take Nick for lunch. He shows off his car: it had a rich 
cream color and was filled with boxes from Gatsby's purchases. Gatsby asks 
Nick what his opinion of him is, and Nick is evasive. Gatsby gives his 
story: he is the son of wealthy people in the Middle West, brought up in 
America and educated at Oxford. Carraway does not believe him, for he 
chokes on his words. Gatsby continues: he lived in the capitals of Europe, 
then enlisted in the war effort, where he was promoted to major and given a 
number of declarations (from every Allied government, even Montenegro). 
Gatsby admits that he usually finds himself among strangers because he 
drifts from here to there, and that something happened to him that Jordan 
Baker will tell Nick at lunch. They drive out past the valley of ashes and 
Nick even glimpses Myrtle Wilson. When Gatsby is stopped for speeding, he 
flashes a card to the policeman, who then does not give him a ticket. 
At lunch, Gatsby introduces Carraway to Meyer Wolfsheim, a small, flat- 
nosed Jew. He talks of the days at the Metropole when they shot Rosy 
Rosenthal, and proudly mentions his cufflinks, which are made from human 
molars. Wolfsheim is a gambler, the man who fixed the 1919 World Series. 
Tom Buchanan is also there, and Nick introduces him to Gatsby, who appears 
quite uncomfortable and then suddenly disappears. Jordan Baker tells the 
story about Gatsby: Back in 1917, Daisy was eighteen and Jordan sixteen. 
They were volunteering with the Red Cross, making bandages, and Daisy asked 
Jordan to cover for her that day. She was meeting with Jay Gatsby, and 
there were wild rumors that she was going to run off to New York with him. 
On Daisy's wedding day to Tom, she nearly changes her mind, and goes into 
hysterics. According to Jordan, Gatsby bought his house just to be across 
the bay from Daisy. Nick becomes more drawn to Jordan, with her scornful 
and cynical manner. Jordan tells Nick that he is supposed to arrange a 
meeting between Gatsby and Daisy. 
Chapter Five: Nick speaks with Gatsby about arranging a meeting with Daisy, 
and tries to make it as convenient for Nick as possible. Gatsby even offers 
him a job, a "confidential sort of thing," although he assures Nick that he 
would not have to work with Wolfsheim. On the day that Gatsby and Daisy are 
to meet, Gatsby has arranged everything to perfection. They start at Nick's 
home, where the conversation between the three (Nick, Gatsby, Daisy) is 
stilted and awkward. They are all embarrassed, and Nick tells Gatsby that 
he's behaving like a little boy. They go over to Gatsby's house, where 
Gatsby gives a tour. Nick asks Gatsby more questions about his business, 
and he snaps back "that's my affair," before giving a half-hearted 
explanation. Gatsby shows Daisy newspaper clippings about his exploits, and 
has Ewing Klipspringer, a boarder, play the piano for them. One of the 
notable mementos that Gatsby shows Daisy is a photograph of him with Dan 
Cody, his closest friend, on a yacht. As they leave, Carraway realizes that 
there must have been moments when Daisy disappointed Gatsby during the 
afternoon, for his dreams and illusions had been built up to such grandiose 
levels. 
Chapter Six: On a vague hunch, a reporter comes to Gatsby's home asking him 
if he had a statement to give out. The actual story of Gatsby is revealed: 
he was born James Gatz in North Dakota. He had his named legally changed at 
the age of seventeen. His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm 
people, and the young man was consumed by fancies of what he might achieve. 
His life changed when he rowed out to Dan Cody's yacht on Lake Superior. 
Cody was then fifty, a product of the Nevada silver fields and of the Yukon 
gold rush. Cody took Gatsby in and brought him to the West Indies and the 
Barbary Coast as a personal assistant. When Cody died, Gatsby inherited 
$25,000, but didn't get it because Cody's mistress, Ella Kaye, claimed all 
of it. Gatsby told Nick this much later. 
Nick had not seen Gatsby for several weeks when he went over to his house. 
Tom Buchanan arrived there. He had been horseback riding with a woman and a 
Mr. Sloane. Gatsby invites the group to supper, but the lady counters with 
an offer of supper at her home. Mr. Sloane seems quite opposed to the idea, 
so Nick turns down the offer, but Gatsby accepts. Tom complains about the 
crazy people that Daisy meets, presumably meaning Gatsby. On the following 
Saturday Tom accompanies Daisy to Gatsby's party. Tom is unpleasant and 
rude during the evening. Tom suspects that Gatsby is a bootlegger, since he 
is one of the new rich. After the Buchanans leave, Gatsby is disappointed, 
thinking that Daisy surely did not enjoy herself. Nick realizes that Gatsby 
wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should tell Tom that she never 
loved him. Nick tells Gatsby that he can't ask too much of Daisy, and that 
"you can't repeat the past," to which Gatsby replies: "Of course you can!" 
Chapter Seven: It was when curiosity about Gatsby was at its highest that 
he failed to give a Saturday night party. Nick goes over to see if Gatsby 
is sick, and learns that Gatsby had dismissed every servant in his house 
and replaced them with a half dozen others who would not gossip, for Daisy 
had been visiting in the afternoons. Daisy invites Gatsby, Nick and Jordan 
to lunch. At the lunch, Tom is supposedly on the telephone with Myrtle 
Wilson. Daisy shows of her daughter, who is dressed in white, to her 
guests. Tom claims that he read that the sun is getting hotter and soon the 
earth will fall into it  or rather that the sun is getting colder. Daisy 
makes an offhand remark that she loves Gatsby, which Tom overhears. When 
Tom goes inside to get a drink, Nick remarks that Daisy has an indiscreet 
voice. Gatsby says that her voice is "full of money." They all go to town: 
Nick and Jordan in Tom's car, Daisy in Gatsby's. On the way, Tom tells Nick 
that he has investigated Gatsby, who is certainly no Oxford man, as is 
rumored. They stop to get gas at Wilson's garage. Mr. Wilson wants to buy 
Tom's car, for he has financial troubles and he and Myrtle want to go west. 
Wilson tells Tom that he "just got wised up" to something recently, the 
reason why he and Myrtle want to get away. 
While leaving the garage, they see Myrtle peering down at the car from her 
window. Her expression was one of jealous terror toward Jordan Baker, whom 
she took to be his wife. 
Feeling that both his wife and mistress are slipping away from him, Tom 
feels panicked and impatient. To escape from the summer heat, they go to a 
suite at the Plaza Hotel. Tom begins to confront Gatsby, irritated at his 
constant use of the term "old sport." Tom attempts to expose Gatsby as a 
liar concerning Gatsby's experience at Oxford. Tom rambles on about the 
decline of civilization, and how there may even be intermarriage between 
races. Gatsby tells Tom that Daisy doesn't love him, and never loved him 
the only reason why she married him was because Gatsby was poor and Daisy 
was tired of waiting. Daisy hints that there has been trouble in her and 
Tom's past, and then tells Tom that she never loved him. However, she does 
concede that she did love Tom once. Gatsby tells Tom that he is not going 
to take care of Daisy anymore and that Daisy is leaving him. Tom calls 
Gatsby a "common swindler" and a bootlegger involved with Meyer Wolfsheim. 
Nick realizes that today is his thirtieth birthday. 
The young Greek, Michaelis, who ran the coffee joint next to Wilson's 
garage was the principal witness at the inquest. While Wilson and his wife 
were fighting, she ran out in the road and was hit by a light green car. 
She was killed. Tom and Nick learn this when they drive past on their way 
back from the city. Tom realizes that it was Gatsby who hit Myrtle. When 
Nick returns home, he sees Gatsby, who explains what happened. Daisy was 
driving the car when they hit Myrtle. 
Chapter Eight: Nick cannot sleep that night. Toward dawn he hears a taxi go 
up Gatsby's drive, and he immediately feels that he has something to warn 
Gatsby about. Gatsby is still there, watching Daisy's mansion across the 
bay. Nick warns him to get away for a week, since his car will inevitably 
be traced, but he refuses to consider it. He cannot leave Daisy until he 
knew what she would do. It was then when Gatsby told his entire history to 
Nick. Gatsby still refuses to believe that Daisy ever loved Tom. After the 
war Gatsby searched for Daisy, only to find that she had married Tom. Nick 
leaves reluctantly, having to go to work that morning. Before he leaves, 
Nick tells Gatsby that he's "worth the whole damn bunch put together." At 
work, Nick gets a call from Jordan, and they have a tense conversation. 
That day Michaelis goes to comfort Wilson, who is convinced that his wife 
was murdered. He had found the dog collar that Tom had bought Myrtle hidden 
the day before, which prompted their sudden decision to move west. Wilson 
looks out at the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg and tells Michaelis that "God sees 
everything." Wilson left, "acting crazy" (according to witnesses), and 
found his way to Gatsby's house. Gatsby had gone out to the pool for one 
last swim before draining it for the fall. Wilson shot him, and then shot 
himself. 
Chapter Nine: Most of the reports of the murder were grotesque and untrue. 
Nick finds himself alone on Gatsby's side. Tom and Daisy suddenly left 
town. Meyer Wolfsheim is difficult to contact, and offers assistance, but 
cannot become too involved because of current entanglements. Nick tracks 
down Gatsby's father, Henry C. Gatz, a solemn old man, helpless and 
dismayed by news of the murder. Gatz says that his son would have "helped 
build up the country." Klipspringer, the boarder, leaves suddenly and only 
returns to get his tennis shoes. Nick goes to see Wolfsheim, who claims 
that he made Gatsby. He tells Nick "let he learn to show our friendship for 
a man when he is alive and not after he is dead," and politely refuses to 
attend the funeral. Gatz shows Nick his son's daily schedule, in which he 
has practically every minute of his day planned. He had a continual 
interest in self-improvement. At the funeral, one of the few attendees is 
the Owl-Eyed man from Gatsby's first party. Nick thinks about the 
differences between the west and the east, and realizes that he, the 
Buchanans, Gatsby and Jordan are all Westerners who came east, perhaps 
possessing some deficiency which made them unadaptable to Eastern life. 
After Gatsby's death the East was haunted and distorted. He meets with 
Jordan Baker, who recalls their conversation about how bad drivers are 
dangerous only when two of them meet. She tells Nick that the two of them 
are both 'bad drivers.' Months later Nick saw Tom Buchanan, and Nick scorns 
him, knowing that he pointed Wilson toward Gatsby. Nick realizes that all 
of Tom's actions were, to him, justified. Nick leaves New York to return 
West. 
      Fitzgerald concludes the novel with a final note on Gatsby's beliefs. 
It is this particular aspect of his character  his optimistic belief in 
achievement and the ability to attain one's dreams  that defines Gatsby, in 
contrast to the compromising cynicism of his peers. Yet the final symbol 
contradicts and deflates the grand optimism that Gatsby held. Fitzgerald 
ends the book with the sentence "So we beat on, boats against the current, 
borne ceaselessly into the past," which contradicts Gatsby's fervent belief 
that one can escape his origins and rewrite his past. 
                      Long Day's Journey Into the Night 
    Act I, Part One The play begins in August, 1912, at the summer home of 
the Tyrone family. The setting for all four acts is the family's living 
room, which is adjacent to the kitchen and dining room. There is also a 
staircase just off stage, which leads to the upper-level bedrooms. It is 
8:30 am, and the family has just finished breakfast in the dining room. 
While Jamie and Edmund,Tyrone enter and embrace, and Mary comments on being 
pleased with her recent weight gain even though she is eating less food. 
    Tyrone and Mary make conversation, which leads to a brief argument 
about Tyrone's tendency to spend money on real estate investing. They are 
interrupted by the sound of Edmund, who is having a coughing fit in the 
next room. Although Mary remarks that he merely has a bad cold, Tyrone's 
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