Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Pg. 39-59

Summary: Nick talks about the parties that Gatsby is having constantly. Eventually, he is invited to one. Once at the party, he meets up with Jordan Baker and joins her party. Nick runs into Gatsby, learning that they were both in the war together. Once leaving the party, Nick sees that someone driving away has lost their wheel, and has no idea of what just happened. Nick then talks about how he is growing to enjoy New York more and more and how he is going to more parties with Jordan Baker.

Character: Gatsby
- “I was looking at an elegant young roughneck, a year or two over thirty, whose elaborate formality of speech just missed being absurd. Some time before he introduced himself I’d got a strong impression that he was picking his words with care.” (Pg. 48)
- Gatsby seems to be one of a kind. The story gives a large description of his smile, saying it’s the type you only see four or five times in your life. He is very polite and nice to Nick, offering him a ride on his hydroplane before they exchanged names. He also is a businessman, constantly being called by Chicago and Philadelphia. At the end of the party, Jordan talks about her amazing conversation with Gatsby, making him even more interesting.
- Since Gatsby is the person who the book is named after, he will probably be a very important part of the novel. He seems as if he will be a very good friend of Nick’s. Although they just met, they seem to be very friendly towards each other, already arranging times to “hang out”.

Meaningful Quote: “He smiled understandingly- much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced- or seemed to face- the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey.” (Pg. 48)
- This quote is the first part and longest part of the description of Gatsby. From this quote alone, Gatsby is portrayed a good person who wants to be friends and wants to help out, probably later in the story. There is such a description of being understanding, meaning that maybe Gatsby is someone Nick turns to in time of distress or confusion. It makes Gatsby seem as the person you want to be around.