The Holocaust

      So far, Myrtle is dead, Nick and Jordan are no longer speaking, and Gatsby is still confused about Daisy. Myrtle was hit by Gatsby's car. She thought it was Tom but it was actually Gatsby. Wilson is grieving and completely devastated. He found out that Myrtle was having an affair but he didn't know who it was with. Nick is a little upset with Gatsby because Gatsby can't seem to grasp the fact that he and Daisy will never be the same as they were 5 years ago.
       Nick and Jordan got into a fight over the phone and I don't think that Nick really seems to be affected by it. He sits at his desk all day pondering over Gatsby. Nick had told Gatsby the other day that after the accident with Myrtle and everything that has been going on with Daisy that he should probably get away for a little while. Of course, Gatsby doesn't listen to him. I think Gatsby thinks way too highly of himself. He doesn't think anything can happen to him and he doesn't want to listen to what anyone else has to think. Gatsby thinks that he can have Daisy no problem. Sadly, Gatsby is wrong. Daisy has another life now. Things have changed and it is taking him the longest time to realize it.
        This is when things all begin to change. Wilson is searching to find who killed his wife and had an affair with her. He thinks that is Gatsby because he has the yellow car. Meanwhile, Gatsby is in the pool because he hasn't used it all summer. Wilson goes to his house and shoots him. Then he shoots himself. They are both dead. The last sentence of the book sums everything up, "It was after we started with Gatsby toward the house that the gardener saw Wilson's body a little way off in the grass, and the holocaust was complete." The help and Nick all find them at the same time. I think that it is so sad that he is dead. Gatsby wasn't the one who had an affair with Myrtle. But I do think that karma had a little bit to do with his death. Gatsby was living the high life and lying to everyone about it. He thought he was better than everyone else. I think that all of his lies finally caught up with him. I'm curious to see what will happen next and i'm wondering if Nick will reveal all of Gatsby's secrets to the world.

Gatsby's Fairytale Life

      In Chapter 7, Gatsby changes his whole life to satisfy Daisy. He wants everything to be perfect for her. He stops having his lavish parties and he fires all of his help. This is totally out of character for Gatsby. He is changing himself to be with Daisy. They are falling in love with each other. Soon, Gatsby meets Daisy's daughter. I think Gatsby is in total shock. He doesn't think that its real, or at least he hopes that it isn't. Gatsby is completely taken back by her daughter. In the book it says, "Afterward he kept looking at the child with surprise. I don't think he had ever really believed in its existence before."
      In the previous chapter, the author really discusses Gatsby's want to go back in time. Gatsby wants things to just fall back into place like they were 5 years ago. Sadly, that can't happen because a lot has changed since then. Daisy has a daughter with Tom. I think this really changes how Gatsby feels. I think that he is going to start to feel differently and maybe soon realize that his dream of perfection with Daisy isn't going to happen.

Who Really Is Gatsby?

     I think this was a very confusing chapter but it tells a lot. We learn that Jay Gatsby isn't who he says he is. There was mystery all along with Gatsby but now it is all revealed. Jay Gatsby isn't his real name. His real name is James Gatz. James life all turned at the age of 17 when he met Dan Cody. I think that all of Cody's money and glamorous life style really sparked Gatz's change. He was so thrilled by all the things that Cody had to offer. Cody was "quick and extravagantly ambitious." He wanted to leave his old life behind and become something big and better so he changed his name to Gatsby.
      Gatsby was supposed to inherit all of Cody's money but he doesn't because Cody's mistress took all of it. Cody was a drunk and Gatsby was always taking care of him. Gatsby worked for Cody on his boat and did everything for him. Gatsby realizes that he doesn't want to end up like Dan Cody. He wants to be very wealthy and live a great lifestyle. Gatsby doesn't drink a lot because of Cody. He saw how it affected him and he didn't want to end up the same way. This chapter reveals a lot about Gatsby's past and his character. My interpretation of Gatsby has changed so much that I wouldn't be surprised if it changes again in the next chapters.

Lunch With Gatsby

       Gatsby wants to go out to lunch with Nick. Nick soon realized that Gatsby isn't a great as he thought he was. He realizes that he really doesn't have a lot to say. Jordan didn't think that Gatsby went to Oxford but we find out that he actually did. Gatsby tells Nick about himself and he tells him that a lot of the rumors about him aren't true. Gatsby is such a worldly person not because he is a German spy but because he has traveled to many countries. He was also in the war. I think something tragic may have happened to him in his life and he doesn't want to deal with it anymore because he was saying that he wanted to die in the war.
       Gatsby was being very sentimental to Nick. He was also saying to him that he didn't want to think that he was a nobody. He says to Nick, "I didn't want you to think I was just some nobody (pg.67)." I think that Gatsby cares way too much about what people think about him. He is a very showy person. He likes to have the nicest things because he wants people to think that he is a great person. He is very concerned with what others think about him.

A Dinner with Friends

          This was the first chapter of the book and I really enjoyed it. The book so far appears to be an easy read. In the first chapter we learn a little bit about the main characters. So far I like the character Nick a lot. I think he is an honest and good person. He means well and he was taught not to be judgmental and he does a very good job following that. The other characters are not as morally good as Nick. Tom does not seem to be the best husband. He cheats on his wife and doesn't even try and hide it from her. His wife, Daisy, knows but doesn't do anything which is so strange.
             We don't learn a lot about Gatsby in the first chapter. We see that he is very mysterious and I am very anxious to learn more about him. I predict that Gatsby is revealed to us very slowly which will not make me happy. I like instant gratification with books but it doesn't appear that this book will be that way. The author writes very well and its an easy book to read which I like. So far, I'm excited to learn more!