Parties of Myrtle and Daisy

In the second Chapter, Nick is invited to another dinner party with Tom Buchanan, this time with his mistress, Myrtle Wilson, and her friends. This party seems to be very different than the one in the first chapter as the setting, tone, and people are all different. While at Daisy’s house, everyone at the party seemed to be civilized and polite there was only a hint of tension below the surface. At this party, the guests are constantly arguing with each other, are drunk, and by the end of the night, Tom has broken Myrtle’s nose. Nick explains that whenever he tried to leave, he was “entangled in some wild strident argument.” In addition to the behavior of the guests, there is a great contrast between the living spaces of Myrtle and Daisy. Daisy’s larger-than-life mansion is described as welcoming nature, “gleaming” with light, and “allowing fresh grass” to almost grow into the house. However, Myrtle lives in a shabby apartment, which was “crowded to the doors with furniture entirely too large for it.” Throughout the first two chapters, Nick does not seem to play a major role in either of the parties, but he passively sits and observes the others. Another interesting trend is that right when information about Gatsby begins to be revealed, there is an interruption, and the story cannot be completed. This reinforces the mystery and obscurity associated with Gatsby.