# Chapter II explained — The Great Gatsby

> Chapter companion for The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

## What happens

Nick is drawn by Tom into the Valley of Ashes to meet Tom's mistress, Myrtle Wilson. They travel to the New York apartment Tom keeps for the affair, where Myrtle hosts a small, raucous party. The gathering includes her sister Catherine and the McKees. The party descends into drunkenness and revealing gossip, exposing the crude ambitions, social pretensions, and marital dissatisfactions of the attendees. Nick observes the scene with a mix of fascination and disgust.

## Themes in this chapter

### Social Class and Wealth

Myrtle's desperate attempt to mimic the wealthy through dress, possessions, and affectation; the McKees' social climbing; Tom's use of wealth to maintain power over Myrtle.

### Moral and Social Decay

The sordid affair, heavy drinking, empty gossip, and violent language in the apartment party illustrate the corruption and emptiness beneath the surface of 1920s society.

### Love and Desire

Portrayed as transactional and possessive. Myrtle's desire for Tom is intertwined with her desire for the status he represents; Tom's desire is rooted in power and ownership.

## Character check-ins

### Nick Carraway

A reluctant participant and observer at the party; feels 'within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled.'

### Tom Buchanan

Dominates the gathering, orchestrates the affair with Myrtle, and shows casual cruelty and impatience.

### Myrtle Wilson

Transforms in the apartment, adopting an affected hauteur; expresses contempt for her husband and revels in her connection to Tom.

### Catherine

Myrtle's sister; gossips about Tom and Myrtle's plans, reveals the lie about Daisy being Catholic, and shares rumors about Gatsby.

### Mrs. McKee

Aspirational and gossipy; boasts about almost marrying beneath her and flatters Myrtle's dress.

### Mr. McKee

A listless photographer hoping for patronage; discusses his artistic studies of Long Island.

## Key lines

> I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.

Nick felt both involved in and detached from the scene, fascinated and disgusted by life's complexity.

_Encapsulates Nick's dual role as participant and moral observer._

> I married him because I thought he was a gentleman... but he wasn't fit to lick my shoe.

Myrtle married Wilson believing he had class, but now sees him as utterly beneath her.

_Highlights Myrtle's obsession with social status and her bitter disappointment._

> The intense vitality that had been so remarkable in the garage was converted into impressive hauteur.

Myrtle's raw energy in the Valley of Ashes turned into an arrogant, put-on grandeur in the apartment.

_Shows her transformative performance for a wealthier social setting._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_great_gatsby/chapters/ii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_great_gatsby
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_great_gatsby/chapters