The Great Gatsby reading journal: Chapter 5

Chapter5; in which Gatsby goes to tea at Nick's house with Daisy, Gatsby shows his weaker side and Daisy loves the beautiful shirts.

Reader's thoughts: In this chapter, Daisy cries stormily into Gatsby's shirts. Now she says that this is because they are "such beautiful shirts", but what could the real reason be? Does she still have feelings for Jay Gatsby, or could it be that she doesn't and is just pretending in order to annoy her husband, who she knows has a mistress?

Times the weather is mentioned in this chapter:

• "The day agreed upon was pouring rain"
• Gatsby says that "the rain will stop about four", the same time, it turns out, that Daisy turns up.Could it be that Fitzgerald, when he makes Nick say that it's two to four just before Daisy arrives, is trying to tell us that when Daisy comes, everything will be alright and the rain will stop? It doesn't end up that way, in fact, the rain increases when Daisy comes in, but when the rain does stop and Nick goes back inside after standing under a tree in his garden, everything IS alright. Gatsby is literally glowing and Daisy is crying, her throat telling of her unexpected joy.
• There were "twinkle bells" of sunshine in the room, as if the weather were mimicking Gatsby's glowing mood. This is called pathetic fallacy and it was also used with the rain. Gatsby was nervous when it was raining, nervous about talking to Daisy. Nervousness is a negative emotion and what negative weather could be used to show this? Why, rain of course. The rain increases when Daisy first enters Nick's house, as if to show us Gatsby's nervousness increasing. The way that the weather is used to underline Gatsby's feelings just goes to show us that he is the most important character in the novel and that you should be interested in him because even the weather is.
•  Daisy cries "stormily" into Gatsby's shirts, as if the clouds that had been clouding her true feelings towards Gatsby had broken.
• An actual storm happens later in the evening while Gatsby and Daisy are listening to Gatsby's pianist playing. Could the weather have left them and started doing what it wants, like Nick?

Other Miscellaneous points:

•  There is a contrast between Gatsby's clothes and his appearance.
• Gatsby shows his weaker side publicly for the first time. Nick saw him like that in Chapter one, but Gatsby didn't know anything about it.
• There is a thorough description of Gatsby's house and some of his possessions for the first time wile Daisy is being shown around. It's almost as if Gatsby has it all just for her.
• There is a second reference to the Palace of Versailles (after chapter two in Myrtle's flat)
• Daisy never searched for Gatsby. She only wants him now that he is rich. She is a materialist.
• Daisy just wants to score points against Tom. He has a mistress, so why shouldn't she have Gatsby. She wants to use him.

 Something to remember:

• Is there anything in the fact that all of Gatsby's shirts that are described are in soft colours? Could this say something about the character, or was it just the fashion?