The Great Gatsby Chapter 5 Summary

great gatsby chapter 5 summary(Click the summary infographic to download.)

  • When Nick arrives home after his talk with Jordan, Gatsby is waiting for him, excited as a little kid on Christmas morning. But he tries to hide it and play Mr. Cool.
  • Gatsby offers Nick the opportunity to make some money on the side…very suspicious. Nick says no, playing it off as though he's just too busy.
  • On the big day, Gatsby is all nerves. He's afraid that she's not coming, that the food isn't right, that the sky is too blue, etc.
  • When Daisy gets there, as usual, we hear all about her voice and how special and excited it is.
  • Nick tries to leave the two alone for a minute but even the silence sounds awkward, so he joins them again.
  • Gatsby gives Nick the old "can I see you for a minute?" and in the other room flips out about how badly things are going.
  • Nick suggests Daisy might feel less uncomfortable were they NOT speaking about her in clearly audible tones in the next room. Right.
  • Nick runs outside and chills in the rain while the two do their thing.
  • When he finally comes back, Gatsby is glowing, and Daisy is crying. We'll let you deduce what transpired in the interim. (But really, all they did is talk.)
  • While Daisy is powdering her nose, Nick and Gatsby look with awe on Gatsby's house. Gatsby slips up a little when he says it took him three years to earn the money for it, and when Nick questions his earlier statement that he inherited the money, Gatsby gets suddenly defensive. Hmm!
  • As they explore Gatsby's house, Nick thinks he hears the ghostly laughter of the owl-eyed man in the library.
  • It becomes painfully obvious that Gatsby only has such a fine house and such fine things for the purpose of impressing Daisy.
  • When Daisy sees Gatsby's collection of expensive shirts, she cries about how beautiful they are.
  • Nick muses that, since Daisy is now here with Gatsby, the green light loses its magical mystery significance. The present, it seems, doesn't really live up to the past ideals.
  • OK, this is important: while they're perusing his house, Gatsby explains that a large framed picture is one Mr. Dan Cody, supposedly an "old friend." Keep this in mind.
  • They go downstairs and have this man, Klipspringer, play "The Love Nest" on the piano.
  • Nick heads home, leaving Gatsby and Daisy alone together.