The Great Gatsby: Chapter 2

There are initially 5 key focused settings in chapter 2:

• Nick and Tom on the train to NY
• At George Wilson's garage
• The taxi with Myrtle on the way to the apartment
• The apartment
• Mysterious location with MrMckee

Although there are many changes in setting it's a very short chapter compared to others, why has Nick given it such a fast paced vibe.

Nick really focuses on the settings and scenery in this theme especially at the beginning, he uses the first few paragraphs to en capture this very dull area which he describes as "a valley of ashes", it's a wasteland and this wasteland is where Myrtle (Tom's mistress) is from. I believe that Nick is trying to show the contrast between Tom and Myrtles world, Tom is from a beautiful expensive area which Nick had previously described with many vibrant colours whereas were now shown that Myrtle is the complete opposite, she's from what seems a poverty stricken neighbourhood, her social class would be the bottom of the chain. This raises the question of how did these two people meet when they have such a different life? why was Tom in such a deprived place when he looks down on people from these classes.

There is a sense of ideology within the first two chapters as chapter 1 focuses around Daisy whereas chapter 2 around Myrtle.nick is showing the equality that he referred to in the first few pages of the novel. He's showing the social differences and contrast between Tom's women. However once you look at all three characters and how they're interlocked amongst each other you realise that they are all using each other.Daisy uses Tom because he has wealth which is the initial reason she married him,Tom uses Myrtle because she is an escape from his dead marriage and Myrtle uses Tom because she is underprivileged and Tom allows her to feel more important. Although Myrtle and Tom constantly refer to how they will be together and how Tom will leave Daisy to be with her in this chapter you know that Tom never plans to do this. he knows that Myrtle will never be more than a fling and she knows deep down that it wont happen either.Although Tom and Daisy's marriage isn't great and it appears they are married due to convenience he plans to stay with Daisy because he's comfortable with her.

One question that can be asked from the beginning of chapter 2 is why did Tom invite Nick to meet his mistress when Nick is Daisy's cousin? also why when in the taxi on the way to the apartment does Tom force Nick to stay with them when Nick tries to escape? Tom and Nick don't even like each other.

Later on when in the fourth location (the apartment) they have a small gathering with Myrtles sister Catherine and the neighbours  Mr and Mrs Mckee, they get rather drunk and all discuss with an essence of light banter which results in Tom hitting Myrtle in the nose (breaking it) because she kept mentioning Daisy. Nick describes this incident very briefly and shows no sympathy towards her which may suggest one good quality as a narrator... that he's a passive narrator. However it also highlights that he spends very little time describing indicents which you would consider as quite impiortant or major in the evenings events, yet he uses extensive detail on the apartment itself; he mainly focuses on the minor occurances. One other thing this incident highlights is that Tom is rather disassociated towards others as he shows no compassion towards his mistress who he has just injured, he shows no remorse and even towards the groaning dog (which had no proper food and was engulfed in smoke) that he had bought Myrtle previously.... however noone at the party showed any slight caring towards this dog.

There are major gaps in the day and how events unfold especially toards the end. Nicks recollection falters as he has consumed  a vast amount of alcohol and so his memory has blurred. After the broken nose incidence it skips to the next morning when Nick is standing beside Mr Mckees bed with Mrmckee on the bed in only underwear "with a great portfolio in his hand". What happened over the night because every other event had occured quite early on in the evening and why was Nick and Mr Mckee nearly naked and alone? I think this information is rather strange and unimportant to include although it does raise question, it even can be related to my first thought of Nick being secretly gay and the fact that he never really comes out (if this is the case) is understandable since in the 1920's it was still seen as a sin, people in those days were closet gays.It's not really relevant to the main story yet hints keep appearing towards this as if Nick is secretly admitting to the world in a way that they may not realise.