Скачать или смотреть The Great Gatsby: Chapter 6

Chapter Six shifts the focus from Gatsby’s dream to his past, revealing the truth behind his carefully constructed identity. We learn that Gatsby was born James Gatz, the son of poor farmers in North Dakota. As a young man, he rejected his humble origins and reinvented himself, seizing an opportunity to work for the wealthy copper magnate Dan Cody. Although Gatsby never inherited Cody’s fortune, the experience exposed him to a life of luxury and solidified his vision of what he wanted to become. This revelation underscores Gatsby’s self-made persona, but also the illusion at the heart of it: his entire life has been built upon aspiration, not inheritance.

The chapter also brings into sharper focus the clash between Gatsby and Tom Buchanan. When Tom and Daisy accept Gatsby’s invitation to one of his parties, Daisy finds herself uncomfortable with the extravagance and vulgarity of the crowd. Unlike Nick, who has grown accustomed to Gatsby’s world, Daisy is repelled by its lack of refinement. This response deeply unsettles Gatsby, who begins to realize that his dream of recreating the past may not align with Daisy’s reality.

Tom becomes increasingly antagonistic, mocking Gatsby’s background and belittling him as a social upstart. For Tom, Gatsby represents the threat of “new money” encroaching upon the established order of old wealth. Yet what enrages Tom most is not simply class difference but Gatsby’s attempt to claim Daisy. This tension reveals the social and personal obstacles standing in the way of Gatsby’s dream.

At the close of the chapter, Gatsby insists to Nick that he can repeat the past, refusing to accept that time has changed Daisy or her feelings. Nick’s response — “You can’t repeat the past” — is met with Gatsby’s unshakable certainty. This exchange highlights the central conflict of the novel: Gatsby’s idealized vision of Daisy and the past versus the reality of time, change, and human imperfection.

In Chapter Six, Fitzgerald strips away some of Gatsby’s glamour to show the fragility of his dream. Gatsby’s romantic determination is admirable, yet it is also self-destructive, as he attempts to bend reality to fit his illusion. The chapter underscores the broader themes of class, ambition, and the futility of clinging to an idealized past. It is a turning point where Gatsby’s pursuit of Daisy begins to collide with the immovable barriers of class and time.