Chapter II— the Affair 
           10/08/2012, Su Lin Chen               

A man like Tom Buchanan inevitably has some affairs outside marriage; however, it appears his extramarital relationship with Myrtle, Mr. Wilson’s wife, is everything but a romance. Tom, a former celebrated athlete and coming from an extremely prosperous family, gets used to having a mistress wherever he lives; Myrtle, on the other hand, far less charming than Tom’s wife Daisy, living in a desolate area, and regretting marrying a poor, spiritless garage proprietor, has been lacking for peacefulness in her mind.

Today, Tom, together with Nick the narrator, comes to Wilson’s to secretly ask Myrtle out for a party at an apartment downtown. At the party, attends her sister Catherine, the photographer Mr. McKee and his wife, and the doggie Tom just bought for her. Believing Tom, the only one wealthy person therein, is in love with her, Myrtle behaves so arrogantly and rudely that she doesn’t even conceal her contempt for the McKees even though she condemns her own marriage while Mrs. McKee is gratified by the luck not to marry a “little tyke” that pursued her. When conversing with Nick, Catherine mentions a legendary person named Gatsby and is surprised to find he is Nick’s neighbor.

The episode in this apartment foreshadows the appearance of the protagonist and somewhat rationalizes the romance coming about later between Gatsby and Daisy.

Chapter III— the Party
10/10/2012, Su Lin Chen 

For reasons undisclosed, Gatsby holds extravagant parties all through the night on every weekend. Throughout the parties, each utility including canvas, bar and lights is well designed and set; various splendid, delicious foods and drinks are unlimitedly supplied; joyful music is being played by a whole big orchestra; moreover, Gatsby offers his gorgeously luxurious Roll-Royce as an omnibus shuttling guests who need it. All visitors: invited or uninvited, acquaintances or strangers, men or women, couples or singles, prosperous or homeless, celebrities or nobodies are welcome.

Tonight, Nick is formally invited to the party, so is the golf champion Miss Jordan Baker whom Nick met the other day at the Buchanan’s house. This is the first time Nick comes upon Gatsby and he knows him through an embarrassing way. The guests luxuriate all they can in the party, and some are even overjoyed; however, they don’t even appreciate Gatsby’s hospitality; as a matter of fact, they are gloatingly cynical about him, and malicious rumors saying he is a German spy, a killer, or a bootlegger abound. Nevertheless, Gatsby seems entirely indifferent toward these gossips.

Miss Baker is invited to have a personal talk with Gatsby, and this talk hinted to be influential on what happens thereafter. A subtle love for Baker comes into Nick’s heart although he is somewhat skeptical about her personality. 

Chapter IV —Gatsby
10/15/2012,  Su Lin Chen

Like Jesus says: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,” the social elite rigorously criticize Gatsby as a devil while they gulp everything Gatsby prepares for them to the last drop. However, is Gatsby really a devil? And, why is he so incredulously generous? All these secrets will be unveiled to Nick since Gatsby talked with Baker at the party.

In one morning, Gatsby comes and takes Nick out to lunch with a Jew named Wolfshiem, and requests Nick to have a talk with Baker thereafter. On the way, Gatsby makes a pause and shows Nick some souvenirs to prove he is a brave soldier and an Oxford man. At the restaurant when Gatsby is away, Wolfshiem says to Nick that Gatsby is “the kind of man you’d like to take home and introduce to your mother and sister.” Then, in the tea-garden at a hotel, Baker tells him the love story between Gatsby and Daisy before she gets married, and now he is still profoundly in love with her and eager to know if she loves him as well. Baker says that Gatsby has been hosting the weekly sumptuous parties to seek a chance to meet Daisy only to fail, so today he wants to know if Nick would like to help achieve his eagerness, and this preludes the first climax of the story.

Chapter V—the Reunion
10/17/2012,  Su Lin Chen

Ever since Nick tells Gatsby he is going to invite Daisy to his house, Gatsby loses his usual elegance and becomes excited at the coming of his love and worried about any loss it could be.

In that afternoon, the rain is pouring and Gatsby grows even more nervous and prissier before Daisy’s arrival; it is such an expectant and unbearable moment, and he looks like going to faint. However, the most unendurable moment is awaiting him still ahead. After Daisy goes into Nick’s house and sits for a while, Gatsby pretends to come across and meet Daisy accidently, they then have a short chat; all of a sudden, Gatsby rushes into the kitchen murmuring, “This is a terrible mistake…;” he appears to be going to collapse, so does this reunion, except for Nick. Nick helps Gatsby regain his calmness, and he begins to enjoy the bewitching moment with Daisy. Then, leaving Nick’s house, Gatsby leads her walk through the blooming garden and go into his gorgeous mansion; she is so charmed into his property, and when she touches the beautiful shirts Gatsby collected and she has never seen, she “cries stormily.”

In the night, the rain calms down; Gatsby sits on a couch with Daisy, holding softly her hand in his, letting Mr. Klipspringer’s piano swanning in the air, and forgetting Nick’s existence. Daisy’s love for him is back, and his dream is now in his hands. 

Chapter VI—Tom’s Visits
10/20/2012, Su Lin Chen 

Thanks to those who enjoy Gatsby’s hospitality and thereby become authorities of the host’s notorious past, grotesque rumors concerning Gatsby have gone beyond imagination. However, Nick now has the ideas totally different from what they say about the generous mysterious gentleman.

Gatsby changes his former name, James Gatz, into present one, Jay Gatsby, when he comes to the millionaire debauchee Dan Cody’s yacht. He then becomes his confidential steward for five years and learns to be a capable man, including realizing alcohol is detrimental to life. But, this Gatsby’s biography is nothing more than a trivial story as compared with Tom’s appearance at Gatsby’s house. In one Sunday afternoon, several weeks after his reunion with Daisy, Gatsby is somewhat startled at Tom’s first and abrupt visit. Mrs. Sloane, the woman accompanies her husband and Tom, tells Gatsby that they will come to his party. Though affected by Tom’s unexpected show-up, Gatsby welcomes them with a calm look.

On the next weekend, together with Daisy, Tom comes to Gatsby’s sumptuous party, which might be the reason that Nick smells some air different from those held ever before. All in all, it is a very bizarre night. Picturing a vain member of social elite takes his beautiful, charming wife to her lover’s, which he doesn’t even have any idea about, party is something interesting for readers to eagerly know what’s going to happen between him and her, and him and him.

After the Buchanans leave, Gatsby appears somewhat sentimental about Daisy’s feeling at the party; all he cares is none but Daisy. He is now determined that something has gone wrong before, which is Daisy's unhappy marriage with Tom, must be fixed.