Reflection for Chapter 1

           The book starts of by introducing the first character, being Nick Carraway both the narrator and the author of the book. He starts off by talking about some of the morals he had learnt from his father as a little child. He tells the reader about an important advice he has received from his father about criticizing people, which I think will be important as the novel progresses relating to some of the events that Nick will go through. He also talks about Gatsby, the hero that gives the title to this book and talk about what he feels about him and what kind of a person he is. During this he tells the reader that Gatsby is representing everything that he scorns. He also doesn’t forget to add a sentence describing Gatsby’s personality, which I have found to be a very interesting way; “ If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him” (pg. 1).  I think the quote refers to the sympathy the narrator has for Gatsby, a kind of man opposite from him in many ways.

            He than moves to the story beginning from the time he graduates from Yale University to him deciding move to the East during the summer of 1922 to be in the bond business like the rest of his family. He moves to a part of Long Island called West Egg. As the story progresses Nick goes to East Egg a part of Long Island that is more fashionable than West Egg, where Nick lives. During this part of the story I really like the comparison of the two places because of the differences and the similarities they had. He goes to East Egg to visit his cousin Daisy and her husband Tom Buchanan an arrogant and racist man. As Nick goes to Daisy and Tom’s house he finds Tom, who I though is very different from Nick with his behaviors and habits, in his riding clothes waiting for him in the porch. Tom greets Nick and takes him inside, where Daisy and her friend Miss Baker, a competitive golf player sitting inside. As they sit for dinner talking about many things including Daisy and Tom moving to the East permanently to Tom suggesting that they all read a book called “The Rise of the Coloured Empires. The dinner is then disturbed by the phone ringing and Tom going away to get the call and Daisy following him inside. Ms. Baker, who wants to overhear Tom and Daisy’s conversation, informs Nick impatiently that Tom had a girl in New York. This event leads to Nick and Daisy talking privately as cousins about what Daisy is going through. In one part of this conversation Daisy tells Nick that she wishes her daughter will be a fool she grows up, because Daisy believes that women live best as beautiful fools. After leaving Tom and Daisy’s house, Nick goes back to his house, which is the first time we see Gatsby in the book. Even though Nick wants to call out to Gatsby because he has spoken about him in dinner he can’t. I think this is because he is scared about him as he doesn’t know anything about him and what type of person he is.                                                                            
          Reading the first chapter made me feel like Nick cares a lot about Daisy, not just as a cousin but I think much more than that. I don’t know if this is true or if its just because Nick is an extremely nice person that is just trying to follow the advice his father has given him. I also think that Tom and Daisy want Nick to have something romantic with Ms. Baker. I feel like there are many characters in the novel but all of them have different ways of living and personalities.