Chapter five features the
culmination of our aspirations for the love rekindling. Cupid stands figuratively astride Jay Gatsby
and Daisy Buchannan.
After returning from New York, Nick
Caraway finds “the whole corner of the peninsula…blazing with light, which fell
unreal on the shrubbery and made thin elongating glints upon the roadside
wires. Turning [the] corner, [he] saw
that it was Gatsby’s house, lit from tower to cellar” (p. 81). Although the mansion’ festivities are not
underway upon this particular night, often it is described empty, “there wasn’t
a sound. Only wind in the trees, which
blew the wires and made the lights go off and on again as if the house had
winked into the darkness” (ibid.). This
vacuum house is void of its stellar shindigs on this particular night. The daylight has fled, leaving the house
longing for is usual concourses of people dotting the dining rooms, filling the
furniture, and packing the passageways.
Gatsby affirms this when Nick inquires as to the house’s emptiness “I
have been glancing into some of the rooms” (ibid).
As they converse, the truth is quickly
revealed regarding why Gatsby has approached Nick on this night. Gatsby desires that Nick host tea for Daisy
and Gatsby just happens to arrive. In
Gatsby’s mind, this meeting will break the barriers of his desolate existence
and, thereby, liberate him from the dismal depression in which he finds
himself.
Naturally, we as the reader, find
the bringing of flowers totally romantic.
Yet, the romanticism is marred by the nagging nervousness exhibited by
Gatsby before Daisy’s arrival. Gatsby sits
in Nick’s home and two minutes to four he is ready to withdraw when finally she
arrives.
My reasoning in recounting this
part of the novel is to remind us the stakes here. Gatsby has just invited the love of his life
to tea at Nick’s home, and Gatsby is almost too apprehensive to see it come to
fruition. In fact, as Daisy enters the
house, to our chagrin, Gatsby is not present at all! After all the planning, the wanting, the
desire to see this moment, Gatsby flees.
How often do we find ourselves in similar situations when at the
slightest pang of panic we run out the door, unable to face what we have
brought upon ourselves?
Just when all seems lost, “there
[is] a light dignified knocking at the front door. I went out and opened it. Gatsby, pale as death, with his hands plunged
like weights in his coat pockets, was standing in a puddle of water glaring
tragically into my eyes” (pp. 85-86). We
then see this almost tragic moment transform into what I will call “a romantic
love-punch for the audience,” simply because it becomes one of the most
memorable scene in the book and ultimately sets the stage for further love
interest between Gatsby and Daisy.
“For half a minute there wasn’t a
sound. Then from the living-room I heard
a sort of choking mummer and part of a laugh, followed by Daisy’s voice on a
clear artificial note: ‘I certainly am awfully glad to see you again.’ A pause; it endured horribly. I had nothing to do in the hall, so I went
into the room” (p.86).
As a reader, our emotions are roused
by this pathetic reunion. We feel
sadness for Gatsby, realizing that this is, most likely, not the encounter he
must have envisioned. However, as they
begin to converse, things quickly improve as both recognize their
embarrassment. It is with this jarring
of our heartstrings that Fitzgerald masterfully intensifies the moment. Through this distress, we are endeared to the
characters.
Daily we face moments of immense perplexity. Daily we must wend our way amidst fear,
anxiety, and uncertainty. We relate to
Gatsby in this moment. How often do we
see our plans lay wasted? We feel that
we should have fared better, when we fared worse. We can empathize with Gatsby; we see the
similarities of his situation and our current circumstances. Therefore, when he flagrantly flees and
reluctantly returns, it is us who is fleeing and returning. We feel intimately apart of the
proceedings. If Gatsby is rejected, we
are rejected. As Gatsby feels embarrassed,
likewise, we are embarrassed too. Thus,
when this premeditated meeting is somewhat successful, we feel overjoyed and
there is an inseparable link created between the reader and Gatsby. We are cheering and hoping for his success.
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