The Importance of Chapter Five of the Great Gatsby

Summary: Chapter Five is one of the most pivotal chapters within the novel. The chapter begins when Nick returns to his home and encounters Gatsby walking across his front lawn. Nick and Gatsby engage in a long conversation in which Gatsby makes several offers to Nick, among them a potential job position, as well as an offer to go swimming and take a trip to Coney Island. However, most of these offers are aimed specifically at convincing Nick to invite Daisy over for tea. In the following days, a man sent by Gatsby comes to cut Nick's grass. On the appointed day, Gatsby and Nick pace nervously around Nick's house as they wait for Daisy to arrive. As Daisy and Gatsby converse, Gatsby knocks down a clock and mentions that the reunion was a "terrible, terrible mistake". When Nick returns later, however, he finds the two in deep conversation and very happy with each other. Later, the three journey to Gatsby's mansion, where they are entertained by a piano player and Gatsby and Daisy appear to be deeply entranced by one another. The chapter ends as Nick leaves the mansion and Gatsby and Daisy are left alone together.

Chapter Quote: "He had passed visibly through two sates and was entering upon a third. After his embarrassment and his unreasoning joy he was consumed with wonder at her presence." The quote selected here has a very large significance to the whole of the novel. Although the quote does not provide any significant foreshadowing or add a great deal of revealing information to the story, it does provide a good amount of detail regarding Gatsby's feelings and motivations. When Nick talks about Gatsby going through several phases and "states" he is revealing that most of Gatsby's actions and motivations, at least to this point in his life, have been motivated by his love of Daisy. In fact, it is very likely that Gatsby even selected the location for his mansion based on proximity to Daisy's home. Also revealed by this quote is the evidence that Gatsby's feelings are highly based upon his love for Daisy. It has become very likely that future parts of the novel will also be motivated by Gatsby's love for Daisy.