Friday, April 15, 2011

What is the best way to title Chapter IV of The Great Gatsby?

When I taught The Great Gatsby, I
never made this assignment, but I like it! To write an appropriate title for each
chapter, you really have to understand its content and purpose in the novel. You are
right about many things happening in Chapter IV. It does seem fragmented, but one
element unifies the chapter--revelations about Gatsby's present life and his
past.


The "party list" that begins the chapter, the names
and descriptions Nick wrote down of the people who came to Gatsby's parties, indicates
the social environment in which Gatsby now lives. The stories of his life that he tells
Nick on the ride into New York seem fabricated, but certain parts of them seem to ring
true. The meeting with Wolfshiem reveals Gatsby's "business connections" and suggests a
dark side to his present life, and the chapter ends with Jordan's memories of Gatsby as
a young lieutenant in love with Daisy Fay in Louisville during World War
I.


The purpose of the chapter seems to be to answer some
questions about the mysterious Jay Gatsby while raising others. These titles might
address that:


  • Visions of the Mysterious
    Gatsby

  • Gatsby's Mystery
    Deepens

  • Glimpses of the Real
    Gatsby

  • Bits and Pieces of the
    Truth

I kind of like the last two because each
part of Chapter IV does reveal at least some of the truth about Gatsby and his life.
Hope this helps!

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