He's Just a Man Named Gatsby

The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
chap III, pgs 39-49

The chapter starts off with a butler formally inviting Nick to one of Gatsby's parties that he had so often observed with awe.  The description of the party comes off to me as a intricate and confusing whirlwind of people, food, and music.  Nick feels out of place and just when he needs a companion, he spots Jordan Baker.  Jordan stays with him throughout the party and helps Nick to socialize.  To me, Jordan seems to stand out among all the other guests.  Conversations with others are kept short and fleeting and names are only mentioned once, if at all.  Both the author and Nick himself write and act, respectively, in a way that puts Jordan apart from the other guests.  Nick is comfortable with her and happy to be in her presence.  She contributes to Nick's mood and the mood of the chapter.  Miss Baker is calm and lovely, and seems to flow about the party, even among young girls dancing to the orchestra.  I'm hoping that Jordan continues to contribute to the mood and that Nick comes to notice her grace and beauty.

Another character that stands out  is of course the namesake of the book, Gatsby.  But before we truly find out who Gatsby is, the author adds even more mystery.  There are rumors that Gatsby killed a man, was a German spy, fought in the American army, and went to Oxford.  It's hard to discern which is true and what is simply fabricated.  Adding to the mystery is that Nick has a full conversation with a man before he realizes that the man is actually Gatsby.  I figured that this would happen because Nick says, "It was on the tip of my tongue to ask him his name when Jordan looked around and smiled" (Fitzgerald, 47).  This was a foreshadowing that this man's name would soon be important to the story.  After the conversation, Gatsby is called away and both Nick and the reader are arrested with curiosity.  " 'Who is he?' I demanded. 'Do you know?' 'He's just a man named Gatsby.' "