Chapter 4

This is the chapter where we finally get a greater view in Gatsby's past. However, what we see is not very pretty and the new facts cause more confusion instead of clearing up any doubts.

The things Gatsby tells Nick about his past, most probably lies, do not make sense. Gatsby claims that he is from the Midwest. The city he calls his hometown is San Fransisco, which isn't even near to the center of the country. Gatsby goes on to tell Nick about his days in Oxford, the time he spent hunting down jewels, and how he won medals for his great work in the war. The photo and medal he shows Nick as proof may convince him, but as the reader I am still suspicious.

The people who attend Gatsby's parties are the most powerful and wealthiest people of the country. Gatsby maintains a close relationship with Meyer Wolfshiem, the man rumored to have fixed the 1919 World Series. This relationship gives the impression that Gatsby's wealth is disreputable and that Gatsby has underground connections. On top of all this, when Gatsby's car is pulled over for speeding, the police officer quickly lets Gatsby go after seeing a white card, but not before apologizing. It is understandable that Gatsby has power over the police, considering that he is a shady man, but is shocking that the police officer actually apologizes from Gatsby for doing his job. It is shocking to see that Gatsby might be a man that people are actually afraid of.

It is interesting to see that Nick can let go of all his suspicions about Gatsby after seeing only a photo and a medal that doesn't prove much, and ignore all the signs pointing towards the fact that Gatsby is not a honest man, and that he gained his fortune from bootlegging.
There are many questions about Gatsby that come to mind when thinking about Gatsby. Why doesn't he have a family? How come he knows all the richest people of the country? Why do these people bother to come to his parties? Why doesn't anyone ever question him about these things? these are only some of the questions that I can think of.

Towards the end of the chapter, we learn from Jordan Baker that Gatsby is a lovesick man. He is in love with Daisy, since the day he met her. There are many ugly things about Gatsby, yet he does have a soft side to him. Gatsby has a dream. The green light he was reaching out to in the first chapter was a symbol of Daisy, his dream. We see that Gatsby is full of hope. This also explains the reason if his eagerness to become rich. He wants to be able to reach Daisy. Gatsby is portrayed as a dedicated man who will do anything until he gets what he wants, even if the thing he wants is way out of his reach.

This doesn't suddenly erase everything Gatsby has ever done in the past, but makes him a representation of hope as well as greed and moral decay. In the end, Gatsby is a man who has taken things too far trying to achieve a dream he should be able to see that he won't reach.