Hello and welcome to "Read it and (Don't) Weep," the podcast that will help you breeze through your high school literature classes. Are you tired of struggling to understand the themes and characters in classic works of literature? Do you wish you could just read the condensed version and be done with it? Well, I’ve got you covered! I am your host, Jackey Taggart, and I taught high school English for almost 20 years. 

Join me each episode as I dive into the world of high school literature and break down the essential elements of each work. From Shakespeare to Steinbeck, I'll cover it all. My goal is to give you valuable insights and analysis on some of the most popular high school literary texts, as well as tips and tricks for acing your tests and essays.  Let’s start reading!

Hello and welcome to this episode of Read It and (Don’t) Weep. In this episode, we are going to discuss Chapter 6 in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. If you have not read Chapters 1-5, it might be a good idea to read those chapters and listen to my other episodes before continuing.  

Chapter 6 begins with another attempt to discover more about the elusive Gatsby.  A reporter arrives at his doorstep on a hunch but is not given any information of value.  Rumors continue to swirl about Gatsby’s past and his wealth.  One rumor connects Gatsby to an “underground pipeline to Canada.” This pipeline was rumored during Prohibition to channel alcohol from Canada to the United States.  There was another rumor that Gatsby did not truly live in his house but instead lived on a houseboat that traveled up and down the Long Island Sound.  And Gatsby relished these rumors about himself, or should I say James Gatz of North Dakota relished these rumors about his alter ego, Jay Gatsby.  Because that is his real name, James Gatz. 

At seventeen, James Gatz was a clam digger and salmon fisher who longed for a better life. Even from a young age, he wanted something more out of life than his parents could offer him. “His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people – his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all.” Similar to Fitzgerald’s own view of his parents, James Gatz’ s (Gatsby) parents never really measured up to his own expectations of them. So he reinvented himself and created a new persona known forever more as Jay Gatsby.  His true nature or identity was shaped by how he saw himself, like a concept of himself that he created in his mind. He compared himself to the son of God, suggesting that he believed he had a special purpose in life, just like the son of God, and he believed he should be doing something important with his life. His plan came to fruition when Dan Cody’s yacht dropped anchor on Lake Superior one afternoon, and Gatsby stayed true to this persona for the rest of his life. 

Jay Gatsby let his imagination run wild and had vivid dreams of his future.  These dreams were the “satisfactory hint of the unreality of reality, a promise that the rock of the world was founded on a fairy’s wing.”  To put it in more simplified terms, Gatsby felt that these dreams were like clues or suggestions that the reality we experience may not be entirely real. Instead, they represent a promise that the foundation of the world we live in is delicate and fragile, like a fairy's wing. Why does Fitzgerald give us all this information?  It is to show that Gatsby is a dreamer.  This reinforces the theme of illusion versus reality.  It is not just Gatsby that lives in this dream world – Daisy dreams of a husband who loves and cares for her; Myrtle dreams of an easier life of wealth and social status; All the partygoers who show up uninvited at Gatsby’s house dream of a life filled with fun and adventure aways from the dullness of reality. Fitzgerald is suggesting that the characters' dreams act as a temporary escape from the harshness and monotony of the real world.

Back to Dan Cody.  He had made his millions in the silver and gold rushes, but he was not a savvy businessman.  Gatsby joined his crew and traveled with Cody as steward, mate, skipper, secretary, and jailor for Cody.  You see, Cody had a drinking problem and would often do crazy things when intoxicated which he would not remember when sober.  Cody trusted Gatsby and promised him an inheritance of $25,000, that is maybe half a million dollars today, but Gatsby never received it.  After Cody died, Gatsby did not understand the legal arguments that granted Cody’s millions to a former girlfriend, Ella Kaye. But what Gatsby did get from Cody was his new persona and his dislike of alcohol.  In case you haven’t noticed, Gatsby supplies his parties with alcohol, but he never drinks, and Dan Cody is the reason why.  

Gatsby tells Nick this information about himself later in the summer, but Nick shares this information now, so readers understand the events that are about to take place in the story.  He wanted readers to understand the truth of Gatsby’s past, of his parents and his education. These details about Gatsby’s past, even before he met Daisy, are important as they help the reader to understand Gatsby’s motives in the coming events. 

Ok, back to the events of summer 1922. Nick did not see Gatsby after tea with Daisy for several weeks.  He continued to enjoy Jordan’s company but decided to stop over Gatsby’s house one Sunday afternoon. Nick was surprised to meet Tom Buchannan there.  He arrived at Gatsby’s home with two friends.  What was surprising is that Tom had never been there before. Everyone whose anyone has been attending Gatsby’s parties, but this is the first time that Tom has found his way to Gatsby’s house.  Although a bit nervous on the arrival of his new guests, Gatsby is determined to show his hospitality to his guests.  He offers beverages that are declined and then turns to Tom to engage him in conversation.  Tom responds as if he has never met Gatsby before, despite Nick’s introduction several weeks ago. But Gatsby goofs up and tells Tom, “I know your wife.” Whoa! That gets Toms attention real fast.  Tom turns to Nick to ask if he lives close, and Nick tells Tom he lives next door.  

Now, call me crazy, but I think Tom just put a few things together.  His wife came to tea a few weeks back at Nick’s house without him, and this newly rich lowlife (in Tom’s opinion) knows his wife.  This cannot be good.    

The young lady with them, who is a little inebriated, invites herself and the two gentlemen to Gatsby’s next party.  It’s a little presumptuous of her, but as no one but Nick is ever really invited to Gatsby’s house, Gatsby agrees and encourages them to come.  The gentlemen try to take their leave, but the young, inebriated lady invites Gatsby to join them on a horseback ride. Gatsby doesn’t have a horse but says he will follow them in his car.   He leaves to go get ready, and Tom is visibly irritated with Gatsby.  He has no idea where Gatsby could have met Daisy, and he thinks the young lady is being too forward and comments, “By God, I may be old fashioned, in my ideas but women run around too much these days to suit me.”  Seriously? Tom, the man who frequently cheats on his wife, thinks that women run around too much?  What a hypocrite!  He is free to cheat on Daisy, but if Daisy ever did such a thing…Well, that is different. When Gatsby returns, the threesome have departed without him. 

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The following Saturday, Tom and Daisy attend one of Gatsby’s lavish parties, and Gatsby experiences his parties through Daisy’s eye.  Nick attends with Jordan. At first, Daisy is excited, and exclaims she is handing out green cards.  Now, this is not for immigration purposes like we use the term today.  It is like a business card, but it represents her high social status.  By giving out green cards, she is making a connection. She is hoping to meet new people and make new acquaintances within Gatsby’s circle of friends.  What she doesn’t realize is that no one at the party is friends with Gatsby. They use his house and his parties as an escape from their dreary lives.   Tom on the other hand expected to see people there that he knew, and comments that he doesn’t “know a soul here” emphasizing the superficiality of the party.  

Tom is annoyed at Gatsby for introducing him as “the polo player’ to his guests.  At one point, Tom disappears and then Gatsby and Daisy disappear to Nick’s house. When they all return for dinner, Tom goes to sit with others while Nick, Jordan, Gatsby, and Daisy dine at a rather tipsy table.   Nick comments that he had enjoyed the company of these people only a few weeks ago but is no longer amused by the outrageous behaviors, nor is Daisy. 

Ultimately, Daisy is not impressed by the party and finds it vulgar and offensive. Think back to Chapter 1 and the discussion on ‘old’ and ‘new’ money.   West Egg, or new money, is the less fashionable, and this is why Daisy is offended.  

Gatsby's party lacks authenticity, social etiquette, and true intimate connections. Think back to her dinner party in Chapter 1.  There was conversation, they followed the guidelines of proper social etiquette, and they connected with one another on a personal level.   Her character values sincerity, emotional depth, and genuine human connections, which are lacking in the extravagant and superficial world of Gatsby's parties. She just doesn’t see the appeal.  

Tom is also not impressed.  He is questioning Gatsby’s wealth and connections.  Tom thinks Gatsby is a bootlegger, but Nick defends his honor.  A bootlegger is someone who sells illegal goods.  

After they leave, Gatsby is upset. He knows Daisy didn’t enjoy the party and isn’t sure what he can do to make her understand.  She used to understand, but now she doesn’t.  Nick tells him not to be too hard on himself, its not like he can repeat the past.  To which Gatsby responds, “Can’t repeat the past? Why of course you can!”

What do you think of that? Can you repeat the past?   This comment reflects Gatsby as a true romantic hero. It reflects his unwavering belief in the possibility of recreating the past and recapturing past moments, particularly his relationship with Daisy. Gatsby saw their first kiss, which we experience in the flashback at the end of the chapter, as the promise of dreams to come. What he never realized it that the kiss was not the beginning, but the end of the dream. This is the tragic irony of Gatsby dream – It is in the past, not the future.

This is where we also see Nick’s firm belief in Gatsby. As I said in the Chapter 1 episode - Gatsby may represent everything Nick hated or scorned (which we will get to soon), but the man, the human being, had a good heart full of hope and romantic notions.  Nick realizes the dream is flawed, but he admires Gatsby because he cannot see it. He is pursuing the dream openly and innocently even though it is corrupt because he cannot see it.  The dream is corrupt, but the dreamer is pure. 

What are your thoughts?  Is Gatsby’s dream pure or is it flawed?  Is Gatsby blinded by his dream?  Will he be able to get Daisy to leave Tom for him?  Is Gatsby a bootlegger? How do you think this will all play out in the end?  Jot your ideas down in your reading journal before you continue your reading. 

Thanks for listening to this episode of Read it and (Don’t) Weep. Be sure to subscribe to the show so you will be notified when new episodes are released. If you liked today’s show, please leave a review so others can discover my show.  If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, drop me an email at readitanddontweep@gmail.com, or reach out to me on social media. I would love to hear from you. The links are in the show notes.  

Thank you for listening.  I am Jackey Taggart and remember to read it and don’t weep. 

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