Gatsby Blog (4-6)

    In Chapter 4, there is evidence that shows how the epigraph applies to Gatsby. For example, Gatsby’s car is mentioned near the beginning of the chapter. It is introduced through Nick who was staring at it with interest and then Nick goes on to describe it in his head. He mentions how EVERYONE has SEEN this car. It has a rich cream color, with bright nickel, and swollen at some parts. It has a lot of features like boxes for hats and tools and a complicated structure/layers of wind-shields (with huge reflective properties). He ends the description with the fact that the compartment is made of green leather. Which is shown on page 64, “...It was a rich cream color, bright with nickel, swollen here and there in its monstrous length with triumphant hat-boxes and supper-boxes and toolboxes, and terraced with a labyrinth of wind-shields that mirrored a dozen suns…” To connect this back to the epigraph, you have to consider the fact that it talks about wearing the gold hat if that will move her and if you can bounce high, to bounce for her too. So that part can be explained by the fact that Gatsby has a car that literally stands out a lot with all of its features and the over the top wind-shields and noticeable cream color. So that is like wearing the gold hat in an effort to move her (her in this case being Daisy) and trying to make his car stand out in an effort to bounce high for her too.

    Then later on in that same chapter (4) on page 79 it’s stated, “‘He wants her to see his house,’ she explained. ‘And your house is right next door.’” So this quote is Jordan saying that Gatsby wants Daisy to see his house and so he is hoping to set a date at Nick’s house since it's next door. The reason why Gatsby wants to show his house to Daisy is because he is hoping to impress her with how grand and well kept it is. So this ties back to the epigraph because he is trying to wear the gold hat if that will move her. So he is trying to make Daisy see his house to try and move her since it's so grand.

    Moving on to Chapter 5 on page 90 it states, “‘That huge place there?’ she cried pointing. ‘Do you like it?’ ‘I love it, but I don’t see how you live there all alone.’” Here Daisy is amazed by the huge place that Gatsby lives in and then Gatsby retorts by asking if she likes it. Which elicits a response out of Daisy that she loves it, although she doesn’t understand why he lives there all by himself. Again here it ties back to the epigraph because it talks about wearing the gold hat if that will move her which is shown more clearly in the quote because Gatsby has a huge place referring to the gold hat and he asks Daisy about her interest in it to gauge how much she is moved by it which fits like a glove with the epigraph. 

    On page 92 it states, “‘They’re such beautiful shirts,’ she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. ‘It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such----such beautiful shirts before.’” In this quote Daisy cries tears of sadness due to the beauty of the shirts which she has never before seen. So it MOVES her to tears. And this has gotten repetitive, but ONCE AGAIN the epigraph talks about wearing the gold hat if that will move her and if you can bounce high then bounce for her too. So, he is bouncing high here for her (Daisy) in order to move her. He obviously does this by MOVING HER TO TEARS; thus moving her. He does this by bouncing high for her (going the extra mile to show her the most beautiful shirts she has ever seen).

    Then finally to connect all of these pieces of evidence together on page 96 of Chapter 5, it is stated through Nick’s eyes that Gatsby visibly adjusts himself a bit before he holds Daisy’s hand then she says something in his ear (although too low for Nick to hear) and as she says this, Gatsby turns toward her with waves of emotion. And the voice that Daisy uses towards him must have captivated him since it said, “I think that voice held him most, with its fluctuating, feverish warmth” and so it was so great that it could not be “over-dreamed”. By this time, they both had forgotten about Nick, but Daisy looked up still and held out her hand while for Gatsby it was like he did not recognize Nick at all anymore. But Nick looked once again at them and they reciprocated that stare intensely then he left the room and went down the steps and left the two of them together. Now, to bring it all together using the last two lines of the epigraph: we can surmise that Gatsby has worn the gold hat and bounced high to move her. So this quote reveals how he got her to cry: that she must have him, because Daisy accepts his hand and gives him a grand voice that causes his emotions to surge. And they spend the day together.