Chapter 5 - Reader Response

Since Daisy left Gatsby to marry the wealthy Tom Buchanan, Gatsby has led his life making sure that Daisy would accept him when they met again. He prepares for a future reunion with her by becoming rich and buying an extravagant mansion across the lake from her house. Gatsby has had only the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock to fuel his hopes of seeing Daisy once again. When Daisy and Gatsby meet, Gatsby acts like the shy awkward soldier in love who met Daisy 5 years ago. He clumsily knocks over the mantelpiece clock after muttering “’We’ve met before,’” to Daisy, signifying his desire to return to the time when he and Daisy were together and Daisy had not married Tom. During this awkward first encounter, the rain is pouring outside paralleling the nervousness and anxiety that Gatsby experiences. When Gatsby returns to the room to speak to Daisy, the rain stops which parallels the “new well-being [radiating] from” (89) Gatsby. Thus, the rain is a symbol of Gatsby’s feeling and emotions. Then, Gatsby feels the need to show Daisy his splendid mansion. First going through the gardens, then the “Marie Antoinette music-rooms and Restoration salons…[and] the Merton College Library” (91), Gatsby wanted to be sure to show Daisy every aspect of his new extravagant life so that Daisy would accept him. Nick observes that Gatsby “revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes” (91) which shows that he owned all of the magnificent rooms and wondrous shirts from England for the sole purpose of convincing Daisy that he was wealthy enough to be with her. I didn’t understand the significance of the song that Mr Klipspringer sings so I looked up the rest of the lyrics of The Love Nest: “Every morning, / Every evening, / Ain't we got fun / Not much money / Oh, but honey / Ain't we got fun / The rent's unpaid, dear / We haven't a bus / But smiles were made, dear / For people like us” (link). The lyrics are ironic because the tone of the song is light and cheery which starkly contrasts with the awkward and uncomfortable manner of Gatsby and Daisy’s reunion. The lyrics “Not much money…Ain’t we got fun” also contrasts with Gatsby and Daisy’s situation since Daisy left Gatsby because of his poverty and now returns to him for his wealthy remarkable life.