The Great Gatsby Chapter 8 Analysis

Fitzgerald chooses to narrate the story of the beginning of Daisy and Gatsby’s first relationship to us twice throughout the novel: once in chapter 4 and once in chapter 8. Although this structural decision will have been multifaceted, perhaps the most significant reason will have been to highlight the fact that due to the use of a narrator most of the information we are given is subjective to Nick’s opinions. Through the use of Jordan’s storytelling to Nick in the first section of exposition we are allowed two different interpretations of the same relationship.

Fitzgerald uses Jordan and Nick’s storytelling in the sections of exposition to introduce the theme of romanticism. Jordan’s presents Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship as very romantic,
Jordan’s insistence that Daisy ‘wouldn’t let go of the letter’ written to her by Gatsby suggests she wouldn’t let Gatsby leave her live either, as the letter may have been physically representational of their relationship. This presentation of Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship suggest to us as readers that Daisy deeply cares for Gatsby, perhaps even more than she cares for her social class. This notion is then reinforced by how she threw a ‘string of pearls’ into the bin, perhaps symbolising her throwing social class in the bin, especially since pearls connote to luxury. However, in Nick’s version of events social class is far more important to Daisy, demonstrated when he talks of her porches ‘bought luxury of star-shine’. Fitzgerald perhaps does this to imply that everything in Daisy’s life is shaped by her social class, even the way the shine of the stars hits her home. This is again reiterated shortly after when he uses the adverb ‘fashionably’ when describing a settee squeaking. This may imply that due to social class Daisy’s social class affects all of her surroundings, and could imply that wealth and social class can fix everything, even the squeak of a