The Great Gatsby - Chapter 5

Adam Walsh 6B4 Mrs. Moles
The Great Gatsby – chapter 5
The preparation of Gatsby’s meeting with Daisy  
When the chapter opens, Nick is returning home from a date with Jordan. He is surprised to see that Gatsby’s mansion is lit up but there is no sign of life or noise. As Nick walks home, Gatsby startles him by approaching him from across the lawn. Gatsby seems agitated and almost desperate to make Nick happy i.e. he invites him to Coney Island and for a swim in his pool. It is then brought to Nick’s attention that Gatsby wants him to arrange a meeting with Daisy by inviting her over for tea. This would give Gatsby a chance to talk to her. Overjoyed at Nick’s approval, Gatsby offers to have someone cut Nick’s grass. Similarly, he offers him the chance to make some money, saying, “...you see, I carry on a little business on the side, a sort of side line, you understand. And I thought that if you don’t make very much” and “It wouldn’t take up much of your time and you might pick up a nice bit of money. It happens to be a rather confidential sort of thing”. This implies that the legality of Gatsby’s work on the side is questionable.
Gatsby’s behaviour before the meeting with Daisy
It rains on the day of the meeting, and Gatsby becomes increasingly anxious and nervous. He worries that even if Daisy accepts his advances that things might not be the same between them as they were in Louisville. At two minutes to four, Gatsby was ready to accept that Daisy was not coming and it is said that he ‘sat down miserably’. Gatsby appears to be very pessimistic and doubtful. Eventually Daisy arrives and Gatsby has suddenly disappeared. He returns after having been for a walk in the rain. (It is possible that Gatsby used his disappearance and walk in the rain as a way of obtaining sympathy from Daisy i.e. out in the wet and the cold.)
Gatsby’s reunion with Daisy is terribly awkward to begin with and it is clear that he is agitated and anxious e.g. he knocks Nick’s...