This is the new one This is the new meta pixel newest one
100% satisfaction guarantee Immediately available after payment Both online and in PDF No strings attached
logo-home
Previously searched by you
Previously searched by you
logo
GATSBY - Chapter 5 summary £2.99   Add to cart
Quickly navigate to
Preview
  2.  
  3. OCR
  4.  
  5. English Language And Literature
  6.  
  7. Unit 1

Summary

GATSBY - Chapter 5 summary
 3 views  0 purchase
  • Institution
  • OCR

- Chapter summary for the Great Gatsby - detailed analysis for the chapter - used by myself for the OCR: English literature and language specification (H074, H474) - however, it can be used for other specifications - achieved A* with these notes (combined with others I have uploaded)

Preview 1 out of 4  pages

Document information

  • No
  • Chapter 5
  • June 17, 2019
  • 4
  • 2018/2019
  • Summary

Subjects

Connected book

book image

Book Title:

Author(s):

  • Edition:
  • ISBN:
  • Edition:

Written for

All documents for this subject (64)

Seller

avatar-seller
Calothamnus_Ogilbyina.novaehollandiae

Reviews received

Content preview

CHAPTER 5:
Overview:

- The turning point of the novel where the former lovers meet.

- Nick and Gatsby arrange a date to invite Daisy for tea. Nick tells her not to bring Tom.

- The reunion between Gatsby and Daisy is awkward and uncomfortable so Nick leaves the room. After a brief tour of
the mansion Nick leaves Daisy and Gatsby alone together.

Imagery of light throughout the chapter:

At the beginning Gatsby’s house is ‘blazing with light’. Nick describes the scene in a dramatic tone, reflecting his fear
that his house was ‘on fire’. In contrast, Gatsby’s response is casual and distracted: ‘I have been glancing into some
of the rooms’. Gatsby is preoccupied with the idea of finally proving his worth to Daisy.

The chapter ends with another image of electrical lighting: ‘All the lights were going on in West Egg now’.

In the central part of this chapter, the two lovers provide a different sort of light – Gatsby ‘literally glowed’ and the
room fills with ‘twinkle-bells of sunshine’. The contrast between electrical and natural lighting emphasises the lovers’
joy and gentle innocence at this point in the novel.

Nick describes Gatsby, glowing after his conversation with Daisy, as ‘an ecstatic patron of recurrent light’. This is
poetic language, rich with meaning. It makes Gatsby seem an extraordinary figure, with an almost god-like capacity
to dispense light or restore sunshine after the rain. Earlier, on a more mundane level, we have witnessed Gatsby’s
extravagant use of electric lighting in his house and at his parties.

We might choose to read the blazing lights of Gatsby’s house as an image of his blazing love for Daisy. Or it mat be
seen as a form of display, using electricity as he uses his cars and clothes in the hope of attracting Daisy’s attention
and drawing her to him. Note that, later in this chapter. In sunshine following a spell of rain, Gatsby remarks to Nick:
‘My house looks well, doesn’t it?’ ‘See how the whole front of it catches the light?’.

Fitzgerald also uses pathetic fallacy to suggest that their reunion will not have a happy fate – it’s married by ‘pouring
rain’ and a ‘damp mist’. It only rains twice in the novel – now and Gatsby’s funeral.

Nick returning home:

Nick returns to West Egg at 2 in the morning. Gatsby is waiting to know whether Nick will invite Daisy to visit. He
tries to appear nonchalant. As if to reinforce the message that his dream is not pure, the house seems to be winking
conspiratorially as he tries to persuade Nick to act as a go-between.

Fitzgerald questions Nick’s morality:

The chapter begins with a conversation between Nick and Gatsby, and Gatsby makes Nick a business proposition.
Nick turns down the proposition, which he seems to suspect is illegal, but his main reason for doing so is that he
feels Gatsby is trying to pay him for a ‘service to be rendered’. Nick seems to care less that the business is probably
illegal than that Gatsby is only offering it to him out of a sense of duty.

Nick is a moral character – The two men are positioned at the boundary of their gardens, where Gatsby’s neatly
mown ‘expanse’ of grass meets Nick’s ‘ragged lawn’. The pristine appearance of Gatsby’s garden symbolises the way
his glossy lifestyle covers up the less respectable ‘little business on the side’. Nick’s unkempt garden suggests that he
is less concerned with appearances and is a more honest character.

However, Nick’s sense of morality is not consistent. In Chapter 1 Nick explains that his tolerance has a limit, but in
this chapter, it’s suggested that his morality also has a limit. Nick’s feelings of disgust for the hedonistic behaviour of
the East have been overcome by his fascination with it.

Nick is morally corrupt – In Chapter 2 he witnesses Tom and Myrtle’s affair even though he claims he doesn’t want
to. In Chapter 5, Nick helps Gatsby arrange a private meeting with Daisy, which makes him complicit in their affair.

The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:

Guaranteed quality through customer reviews

Guaranteed quality through customer reviews

Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.

Quick and easy check-out

Quick and easy check-out

You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.

Focus on what matters

Focus on what matters

Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!

Frequently asked questions

What do I get when I buy this document?

You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.

Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?

Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.

Who am I buying these notes from?

Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller Calothamnus_Ogilbyina.novaehollandiae. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.

Will I be stuck with a subscription?

No, you only buy these notes for £2.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.

Can Stuvia be trusted?

4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)

0 documents were sold in the last 30 days

Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 15 years now

Start selling
£2.99
  • (0)
  Add to cart