"Watching over nothing"

Chapter 7 is the longest chapter in the book and it includes so many incidents that it is hard to understand them at once. The dominating event is that Tom and Gatsby's conflict come to surface. Gatsby's love for Daisy increases each day, so much that now it is more of an obsession. Tom, now, is fully aware of what is going on between Daisy and Gatsby. He even confronts Gatsby and challenges him, saying that Daisy will chose him over Gatsby. When they go to New York, we learn that Wilson is now aware of the fact that his wife in being unfaithful to him and it is ironic because Tom and Wilson are now at the same situation. With this chapter we see more of Tom's hypocrisy and with great disappointment we see that Daisy chooses Tom over Gatsby. The obstacle of time prevents Daisy and Gatsby to reconcile. While one of them has moved on compared to the other, the other is still in the past.


When Gatsby takes on the blame for Daisy, we can clearly see that his love is very passionate and is not over. Unfortunately, Daisy's love is not as powerful and while Gatsby waits for Daisy, alone, she has already forgotten him and is with Tom. At the end of the chapter, the reader feels great sympathy for Gatsby. He is just like the way he was at the end of chapter one, with some slight differences. Instead of looking at the green light, arms wide open, with hope he is looking at an emptiness "watching over nothing" because his dream is over.

Daisy- Chapter 6

Days pass by easier now because I am no longer alone. With everything I do, I feel Gatsby next to me. It's hard to explain what I am feeling now. I should feel happy but I can't. Tom has changed. He doesn't know but I can tell he knows that something is different. I feel guilty because I know what I am doing is no good and that it doesn't have hope. I'm married, I shouldn't be doing this. But I can't help it. Sometimes your brain dominates your body and sometimes your soul. Unfortunately I can't get my soul to listen to my brain.


We were invited to Gatsby's party and to be polite, we went. Tom, me and Gatsby, all in the same place; it wasn't a pleasant scene. I had a very bad time and I felt horrible. We argued with Tom and he knew exactly the right words to say to make me feel bad. I'm angry at him but mostly at life. If only...If only, this could have happened earlier. It's too late now. Too late...

Gatsby's True Life

In this chapter we learn almost everything we need to know about Gatsby. We learn about his past up till the point where he gets rich, though, the source of his money is still unknown. Tension between the characters start to rise in this chapter. Tom, who is unaware of Gatsby and Daisy, starts to get suspicious. When Daisy and Tom come to one of Gatsby's parties, things get out of control. The atmosphere gets very tense and the characters of the love triangle have a very bad time. Tom and Daisy argue about Gatsby. Even though Tom is unfaithful to Daisy, the idea of her being unfaithful to him makes him mad. This might be related to Tom's character. He has a very big ego and probably cannot accept the fact that another guy, especially a guy like Gatsby, can take away his girl.


Gatsby is again living in a dream. He wants to alter time so badly that he can't see how impossible what he wants is. He wants life to be the way it used to be and he wants to erase the past. He is so madly in love that he can't think realistically. There is only one thing he can hold on to in his life, Daisy, and because of this he can't even imagine the possibility of losing her.

Daisy - Chapter 5

You never know what life can bring because it is full of surprises. Every day is another mystery, full of unexpected incidents. Today when I was going to Nick's house for tea I never would have guessed that I would see him after so many years. It was raining when I came to Nick's house and then suddenly I saw him. Gatsby, after so many years, still as handsome and still a gentleman. At first I was so shocked I didn't know what to do. He was also nervous; he knocked over a clock. But afterwards both of us became more calm. We remembered the old days when everything was so simple. We started talking as if none of those years had passed and as if I didn't marry Tom. I remembered the letter he wrote to me, the day of my wedding and all of those painful memories. I was strong at first but after one point I couldn't stand it; the shirts were the last I could handle. I digged up deep and cried for everything. It was a sad cry but also a happy cry. I was relieved to let go of what I had been holding for years. I was relieved to see him, to smell him again, to touch him again... I was happy to live my dream.  

The Reunion

This chapter is one of the most important chapters in the book because Gatsby and Daisy, after many years, meet and their love which was only mentioned in theory is know seen in concrete. Their meeting is first awkward and this is even hinted by the weather because it is raining. Gatsby gets so nervous that he knocks over a clock. This is also symbolic because when meeting with Daisy Gatsby is trying to make up for the past and bring what was left in the past to the future. In other words, Gatsby is changing the balances in time. So when he knocks over the clock he is also altering the balances of time.

Just as Nick did before with Myrtle and Tom, he chooses to not comment on the reunion between Gatsby and Daisy. Even though Gatsby and Daisy love each other, what they are doing is immoral because Daisy is married. Nick doesn't like the immoral behavior he sees around him but also acts immoral himself because by reconciling Daisy and Gatsby he is sabotaging Daisy's marriage. This brings up a big question in the novel. What are the qualifications for being immoral? Is what Nick is doing moral or immoral?

Daisy- Chapter 4

Days are passing by without me realizing. I am so swept away by the housework that sometimes I don't know what day it is. It doesn't matter as long as everything is getting done. It feels like my daughter is growing every day and with her help I am stronger every day. I wonder sometimes about how her future will be. I dream about her being very happy but I don't try to define the happiness. My only dream is for her to be happy and it doesn't matter in which way she does get happy. As long as she is not alone and has a true partner I'm okay with anything else that comes with it.

The Love Between Gatsby and Daisy

The mystery behind Gatsby is finally solved but in a very unexpected way. Out of all of the possibilities which Gatsby's secret can be about the least probable one comes up - love. And not just love but moreover, love for Daisy, Nick's cousin. After learning this secret many questions about Gatsby's behaviors are solved such as what he was doing at night in the first chapter. The green light, which he was looking at, is the light at the end of Daisy's dock. We also learn that this love had started many years ago and Daisy had chosen to set aside her love and marry Tom. We learn that she has never been unfaithful to Tom and this makes us feel even more sympathetic to Daisy. She can sacrifice her love for Tom but he doesn't deserve any of it. Tom is most likely not in love with Mrytle though he still chooses to have an affair with her. Even though Daisy is madly in love with Gatsby she chooses not to speak to him so that she can be faithful to her husband.


There are still some questions about Gatsby that are not answered, like the source of his money. Gatsby at the beginning of the chapter tells his past to Nick but Nick is not convinced. After he sees the picture and the medal he isn't as skeptical but he still feels unsatisfied with the story he hears. Especially after the lunch he has with Meyer Wolfshiem, Nick thinks that Gatsby's money might be coming from illegal sources. One of the recurring motifs in the book is that "looks can be deceiving". Gatsby is a profound person, or more accurately, he looks like a guy who wouldn't be involved in such businesses. Hopefully in the next chapters we will learn the truth about Gatsby's source of money.