How does Fitzgerald tell the story in chapter 4

Chapter 4 starts with an exposition which provides background information on Gatsby’s

guests, the retrospective point of view adds an element of reminiscence as highlighted by
the quote “From east egg, then came the Chester Beckers and the leeches” and one may
infer the fact that Nicks opinion on Gatsby is starting to change, with the subtle tones of
admiration shown in the quotes such as “To my astonishment the things had an authentic
look”

Furthermore Jordan’s narration of the subsequent paragraphs compound the evidence of

Gatsby’s previous encounters with Daisy, Nick trusts Jordan’s narrative, despite her
dishonest nature ( Especially in her golfing career ), owing to his physical attraction to her,
which is shown in chapter 3 by the quote “She held my hand impersonally”

In reference to the structure of this chapter, cinematic techniques and telescoping are
used to guide us through the past, shown by the quote “Benny Mclenahan always arrived
with four girls” this not only describes his tenacious efforts in recording the comings and
goings of Gatsby’s numerous guests but also shows contrast to the following paragraphs and
segues nicely into the present tense and the symbolically significant car journey.

The symbolism of Gatsby’s car is as follows; seeing as Gatsby’s car is most certainly a
status symbol, it further shows Gatsby’s efforts at attracting Daisy, this is shown by the
quote “Everybody had seen it” also the colours of the car imply grandeur as green is the
colour of American currency, and is a colour shared with the cars seats, shown when Nick
says “Green leather…..”

With the end of the car journey comes the introduction of Gatsby’s network of crooks,
which provides a contrast to the glittering façade of his decadent parties, another element
of contrast is the fact that New York is portrayed as a place of wild promise, where
characters such as Gatsby can exist, shown when Nick says “Even Gatsby could happen,
without any particular wonder”, this shows contrast with the party in the previous chapter.

The fact that the cellar is dark shown by the quote “I discovered his tiny eyes through
the darkness” shows that the cellar is a metaphor for the underworld where the characters
almost seem part of the shadows, as well as this, another point may be drawn from this
quote, in the way that things with small eyes are usually accustomed to seeing through dark
places, in my mind this is a way in which Fitzgerald is trying to imply that Mayer Wolfshiem
is used to looking through the darkness, and in reference to the aforementioned metaphor
involved in such shady dealings. Shortly after this comes the sudden realisation that Gatsby
himself is a part of the shady underworld he just experienced, as shown by when nick says
“and then came that disconcerting ride”

The way in which Gatsby is revered by other men at the meeting almost implies a level of
corruption in Gatsby. Shown when Wolfshiem says the Gatsby is “A perfect Gentleman”
Gatsby’s actions when Wolfshiem exits the cellar act to compound this fact in the readers
mind, as when he says “He’s the man that fixed the world series 1919” this is a passing
comment, and the way that Gatsby is so Blasé about this, shows his continual association
with criminals and one may infer that by very nature of association, Gatsby himself is in fact
a criminal, this foreshadows events later on in the story as one wonders of the significance
of this scene.

In reference to the character of Jordan, she is possibly immoral at times, as seeing that
she plays golf, which is usually associated with honour and integrity, she cheats at it, which
almost defiles an honourable sport, but it seems as though ignores this aspect of her
character and trusts her account of the events, as shown by the quote “Hello Jordan … I was
flattered that she wanted to speak to me” the very fact that Jordan is used as a narrator
here implies that she can be trusted, although as we know from before there are some
dishonest aspects to her character, this creates conflict in the readers mind.

In conclusion Fitzgerald tells the story rather well, he creates conflict, changes our own
preconceived ideas about Gatsby and then reverts back to them, in essence Fitzgerald
subverts our feelings towards the characters and foreshadows further events to come.