Chapter 9

Chapter 9
Pgs. 163-180

Summary
-Nick recalls the morning after the shooting; there were policemen and a bunch of reporters who were trying to get information and Wilson was deemed a man “deranged by grief” to keep the case under control. He calls Daisy but they had left and he can’t get a hold of her, so he sends a letter to Wolfsheim and receives his answer later asking Nick when the funeral is; a little later he answers a call from Gatsby’s associate and he hangs up. Gatsby’s father arrives a day later and tells Nick much about his son and he later talks to Klipspringer on the phone who says that he probably wouldn’t be able to come to the funeral which angers Nick. Nick goes to the city to talk to Wolfsheim at his business “The Swastika Holding Company” and he tells Nick that he made Gatsby what he was before he died. Before the funeral Gatsby’s father shows Nick a book that his son had sent him and on the back was his schedule; the funeral proceeds and Nick remembers coming back home from college at Christmas time and his Midwest. Time passes and Nick runs into Jordan who recalls that comment that Nick made to her about being a careless driver which she elaborates on that Nick is a careless driver in life; she then tells him that she is betrothed to another man and they are done. The story ends with Nick going to the beach and just laying down in the sand and looking up into the sky at the stars.

Character Qualities
-Henry C. Gatz: “He had a big future before him, you know. He was only a young man, but he had a lot of brain power here (Fitzgerald 168).” Mr. Gatz is an old man whose biggest characteristic is his immense appreciation of his son. When seeing Gatsby laid out on the couch after being shot, he is sad and filled with grief. He loves and adores his son and seems so amazed by what Gatsby could accomplish. Gatz is very understanding as he understands why his son ran away from home, because he believes that it was this way because Gatsby would become very successful in the future. He loves and cherishes the things that his son does for him and the mementos that he has from him like Gatsby’s old book that he had when he was a kid.
-Henry C. Gatz’s role at the end of this novel is to be the father of Gatsby and also be the only other person who truly knew the real Gatsby, James Gatz, not the illusion that everyone else knows. He is the person that Nick can actually really talk to about Gatsby for what he really was and not about what he has falsely planted in others’ minds that they all have come to know. He is also very sentimental and serves as a board of support for Nick as his appreciation of his son helps Nick out immensely.

Most Important Quote
- “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter-tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther (Fitzgerald 180).” I think this quote is significant because it is the last quote of the novel, so it is obligated to be, but also because it is very inspiring and positive. It urges us to strive for our goals and always look onwards, never giving up, trying and trying until we reach it. It is a fitting end to the story and offers a positive and optimistic message about what we should do to grasp our dreams and desires.

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