The beginning of chapter four further displays Nick’s obsession towards the Gatsby residence as he notes each person that arrives to the parties that Jay hosts throughout the summer, so as to serve in a way as a list of who to watch out for, as those who frequently attend his events could be seen as threats and competitors longing for the attention of Mr. Jay Gatsby. One morning, Jay picks up Nick to go to lunch together to which Nick admires the qualities, as he always does, of his acclaimed neighbor. However, he does note that “he was balancing himself on the dashboard of his car with that resourcefulness of movement that is so peculiarly American” (p.64), implying that Jay is trying to fit in and seem like an “American” so as to dissuade any doubts that he is not American and to discourage the rumors that have been told of him. Jay tells Nick that he wants him to know the truth behind the mysterious Jay Gatsby so as not to buy into the rumors that have been spreading about himself, but when he does divulge the information to Nick, he is unsure as to whether he is telling the truth: “With an effort I managed to restrain my incredulous laughter. The very phrases were worn so threadbare that they evoked no image except that of a turbaned ‘character’” (p.66). There are a lot of holes in the story that do not add up and the serendipity that his family died and he stumbled into a great deal of money, then proceeded to have the opportunity to study abroad at Oxford to continue a family tradition, is very elaborate and almost too hard to believe, but because his past is so interesting and story-like (because it is a story), Nick dismisses his doubts and wants to hear all about the man that has captured his attention.
Upon arriving to the restaurant that the two are supposed to have lunch at together, Nick finds Jay talking to another man, Mr. Wolfstein, and tries to include himself in the conversation as the two old friends reminisce upon memories made without his presence. Mr. Wolfstein almost discourages Nick upon first meeting him as he brings up a business negotiation that one of Gatsby’s friends is interested in, to which Gatsby reminds him that Nick is not the man Jay was referring to. The purpose of doing so was to let Nick know that Jay has other male friends that he spends his time with, including Mr. Wolfstein who he previously spent a great deal of his time with, and that Nick is just the newest comrade in a long list of acquaintances, discouraging him of any personal romantic relationship with Jay. Mr. Wolfstein practically competes with Nick for Gatsby’s attention, causing Nick to act very aloof and standoffish towards him and only inquiring minimally of Gatsby’s past, but eventually leaves the two to resume their lunch date as he realizes his opportunity to build a more-than-friends connection with Gatsby has passed and that Nick is the newest addition to his collection of male friends.
Towards the end of the chapter Nick notices Tom at the restaurant and introduces Jay to him, almost as Tom introduced Myrtle to him: they are mistresses to one another in such a way that they do not have a title to what their relationship is, but it is clear that Nick and Jay, and Tom and Myrtle, are much more than just friends. However, when being introduced to Tom, Jay finds other people to converse with and avoids an introduction. The chapter ends from Jordan Baker’s perspective of her friend Daisy and how she was madly in love with a soldier before the war, but when he was deployed and she was left to her lonesome, she eventually married the rich Tom Buchannan from Chicago and married into a great deal of wealth. The soldier turned out to be the same Jay Gatsby that Nick has recently befriended, explaining why he avoided being introduced to Tom: Jay Gatsby returned from the war to discover the love of his life was now unavailable to him, so he bought a house directly across the harbor from her and put on elaborate parties in the hopes of her attendance. Mr. Gatsby may be somewhat romantically interested in Nick, however he is obsessed with Daisy in the same way the Nick is obsessed with him, as at the parties he threw in the hopes of her arrival he would go around asking each guest if they knew her, hoping to find someone with a personal connection to her. Jay Gatsby is taking advantage of Nick’s feelings for him as he knows that they are cousins and that Nick will be able set something up for the two of them to meet and reconnect their love for eachother.
Upon arriving to the restaurant that the two are supposed to have lunch at together, Nick finds Jay talking to another man, Mr. Wolfstein, and tries to include himself in the conversation as the two old friends reminisce upon memories made without his presence. Mr. Wolfstein almost discourages Nick upon first meeting him as he brings up a business negotiation that one of Gatsby’s friends is interested in, to which Gatsby reminds him that Nick is not the man Jay was referring to. The purpose of doing so was to let Nick know that Jay has other male friends that he spends his time with, including Mr. Wolfstein who he previously spent a great deal of his time with, and that Nick is just the newest comrade in a long list of acquaintances, discouraging him of any personal romantic relationship with Jay. Mr. Wolfstein practically competes with Nick for Gatsby’s attention, causing Nick to act very aloof and standoffish towards him and only inquiring minimally of Gatsby’s past, but eventually leaves the two to resume their lunch date as he realizes his opportunity to build a more-than-friends connection with Gatsby has passed and that Nick is the newest addition to his collection of male friends.
Towards the end of the chapter Nick notices Tom at the restaurant and introduces Jay to him, almost as Tom introduced Myrtle to him: they are mistresses to one another in such a way that they do not have a title to what their relationship is, but it is clear that Nick and Jay, and Tom and Myrtle, are much more than just friends. However, when being introduced to Tom, Jay finds other people to converse with and avoids an introduction. The chapter ends from Jordan Baker’s perspective of her friend Daisy and how she was madly in love with a soldier before the war, but when he was deployed and she was left to her lonesome, she eventually married the rich Tom Buchannan from Chicago and married into a great deal of wealth. The soldier turned out to be the same Jay Gatsby that Nick has recently befriended, explaining why he avoided being introduced to Tom: Jay Gatsby returned from the war to discover the love of his life was now unavailable to him, so he bought a house directly across the harbor from her and put on elaborate parties in the hopes of her attendance. Mr. Gatsby may be somewhat romantically interested in Nick, however he is obsessed with Daisy in the same way the Nick is obsessed with him, as at the parties he threw in the hopes of her arrival he would go around asking each guest if they knew her, hoping to find someone with a personal connection to her. Jay Gatsby is taking advantage of Nick’s feelings for him as he knows that they are cousins and that Nick will be able set something up for the two of them to meet and reconnect their love for eachother.