Chapter 6

Chapter 6
Pgs. 97-111

Summary
-A reporter travels to Gatsby’s house one day to ask him if he has anything to say about a rumor that involves him. We learn that Gatsby’s real name is James Gatz and that he is from a farming family from North Dakota. He meets Dan Cody when he docks in Lake Superior and traveled with him aboard his yacht for a while before Cody died, keeping from drink and inheriting twenty-five thousand dollars. Nick visits Gatsby one day, but Tom shows up with the Sloanes on horseback to have tea at Gatsby’s; they have a conversation and later they all leave to a dinner party at the Sloane’s except for Nick. The next weekend, Daisy, Tom, and Nick attend Gatsby’s party where Daisy and Gatsby dance, but he soon has to be away from the party; Daisy and Tom leave a little while later. After everyone leaves, Gatsby tells Nick that he thinks that Daisy did not like it.

Character Qualities
Tom Buchanan: “My God I believe the man’s coming; doesn’t he know she doesn’t want him? (Fitzgerald 103)” Tom has many bad qualities that make him an-trustworthy character. He is impolite, rude, self-centered, and controlling. He is extremely rude to many of the other characters in this novel such as the McKees and talks badly about others, such as he is talking about Gatsby in the quote, behind their backs. He is very controlling, especially of Daisy and Myrtle, the women which he is in relationships with, and likes to keep everything in its own little place, completely separate from one another. As we see in earlier chapters, he is a racist and cynical.
-Tom’s role in the story is to be the wife of Daisy and to serve as the binary opposite of Nick. He is also the antagonist of the novel as he stands for and represents everything that Nick despises and has mannerisms that show his callous, controlling nature. He tries to maintain his public image, which means treating Daisy well at parties and other events, but even then does not show her much respect or give her much attention.

Most Important Quote
-“Just why these inventions were a source of satisfaction to James Gatz of North Dakota isn’t easy to say. (Fitzgerald 98)” I think that this quote is important because it reveals Gatsby’s true identity and leads to a critical part of the story where we learn of his origins. It helps to explain the character underneath his mask of good cheer and easy-goingness and to an extent how he obtained some of his vast wealth. We learn that he was a completely different person back then than he is now.

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