Chapter 6 Notes

Chapter 6 starts with the back story of Gatsby.  Gatsby invented himself.  He was James Gatz of North Dakota.  He went to St. Olaf College in Minnesota and dropped out after a week.  He met Dan Cody, became Cody's steward, mate, skipper, secretary, and jailor.  Gatsby doesn't drink because of Cody; Gatsby learns about women through Cody; Gatsby travels around the continent three times with Cody.  Cody is Gatsby's university. 

Mr. and Mrs. Sloane along with Tom stop by Gatsby's for a drink.  They are "old" money and have been out horseback riding. 

Gatsby tells Tom, "I know your wife."  This concerns Tom.  He says, "I may be old-fashioned in my ideas, but women run around too much these days to suit me."  Ha ha. 

Mrs. Sloane invites Gatsby to dinner but leaves before Gatsby is ready to go.  It's an empty invitation.

Tom brings Daisy to Gatsby's next party.  Gatsby - in a little joke - introduces Tom as "the polo player"..  Daisy gives Tom a gold pencil and tells him "if you want to take any addresses here's my little gold pencil".  Daisy tells Nick that the girl Tom is interested in is "common but pretty". 

Daisy voice: "When the melody rose, her voice broke up sweetly, following it, in a way contralto voices have, and each change tipped out a little of her warm human magic upon the air." 

Daisy doesn't like West Egg.  She doesn't like Gatsby's parties because they are chaotic, loud, full of drunks and there are lots of people who come who haven't been invited.  There is no safety here.  It doesn't match Daisy "white girlhood" as a Southern Belle from Kentucky.

Tom - "I'd like to know who he is and what he does.  And I think I'll make a point of finding out."

Daisy - "I can tell you right now.  He owned some drug-stores, a lot of drug-stores.  He built them up himself."

(Ah - Tom is offended by Gatsby, and Gatsby has told Daisy some half-truth).

Gatsby wants "nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: 'I never loved you.'"  Then he could truly repeat the past. 

The last page of chapter six - is the true meaning of the green light (and Daisy is the green light in some ways): there's a flash back to 1917 (the fall equinox) and this poetic scene of Gatsby first kiss with Daisy.  Until he kisses her everything is possible - "he could suck on the pap of life, gulp down the incomparable milk of wonder" - and yet "when kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God."  Until Gatsby gives Daisy that first kiss his world is open and boundless.  When he kissed her - she the siren - his life dream is Daisy.  She is the only "green light" that remains for him.  

"Three O'Clock in the Morning" plays as the party is breaking up.  Here is another reference to time.