No Fear The Great Gatsby Chapter 9
“America’s greatest promise is that something
is going to happen, and after awhile
you get tired of waiting because nothing
happens to people except that they grow old.”
-F. Scott Fitzgerald
Did you know that when you read this story a second time (or a twenty-ninth time), it is glaringly obvious in just the
second page of the book that Gatsby is dead? Yeah.
It’s interesting to reflect on the fact that Jay Gatsby was born and was killed in the water. Dan Cody, the millionaire,
and his yacht helped deliver Jay Gatsby into this world, and George Wilson, the poorest of poor men from the Valley of Ashes
shot and killed him in his pool. “Reinvention? No dice. The past always reaches out to grab the dreamer, and the poor dope
always drowns in the end” (Corrigan 154).
Nick wraps up his story and takes us back to the present. His first sentence reminds us that he’s been haunted by this
story for two years, and he can still remember every detail of that day (and the day after that).
Wilson is chalked up as a “madman.” Even though Michaelis told the police that Wilson was suspicious of the
faithfulness of his wife; Myrtle’s sister, Catherine, claims that Myrtle never would have been untrue to George, and so the
whole story disappeared, and George “Wilson was reduced to a man ‘deranged by grief’ in order that the case might remain in
its simplest form.” And then, he was quickly forgotten about.
I am almost inclined to feel bad for Wilson, because he was cheated on by his lousy wife, and then she was killed by a
car, and then he lost his fluffin’ mind… but then I remember that he shot and killed Gatsby, and then I don’t feel bad for him at
all. This whole situation also makes me draw a comparison between Tom Buchanan and Iago from Othello. Remember that
story from sophomore year? Hooray critical thinking!
Nick finds that he is feeling all alone, as questions about Gatsby come pouring in, and he finds that he “was
responsible, because no one else was interested—interested [he meant] with that vague intense personal interest to which every
one has some vague right at the end.” Nick wants to make sure this man is taken care of in his death—that people can pay their
respects to him, that Gatsby won’t be alone for his funeral. It’s awfully sad.
Nick assumes certainly he’ll be hearing from Daisy soon. Right? Uh…right? But no. No that’s not the case. The
Buchanans decided it was time to get the hell out of Dodge so they packed up and left, and didn’t leave so much as a telephone
number they could be reached at. They are so classy, I can’t even.
So, discouraged, Nick keeps at it- trying Wolfsheim next. Clearly Gatsby’s crime partner will come to attend his
funeral and pay his respects, but Wolfsheim seems to be trying to give Nick the slip, and doesn’t want to be involved.
Nick ends up feeling like it’s him and Gatsby against them all. Especially when he receives a letter from Wolfsheim
essentially saying it’s heartbreaking that Gatsby is dead, but he’s busy at the moment and can’t come down to pay his respects
at the funeral. When Nick goes to see him in person, Wolfsheim even admits that he’s the guy who made Gatsby into the man
he was, but later states that what’s important is to show a man friendship while he is alive, and not after he is dead. So, Nick
realizes Wolfsheim is definitely not coming to Jay’s funeral.
Nick also gets two phone calls that are incredibly upsetting for him. One is from another crook who is calling Gatsby
up on the phone, but once he hears Gatsby is dead, he just hangs up. The other call is from Klipspringer “the boarder,” who
turns out to be a real piece of work, because he’s calling up to get a pair of shoes he left in Gatsby’s house while he was living
there and can’t be bothered to make it to Gatsby’s funeral either.
