The Great Gatsby — Chapter 9 Summary & Analysis — CliffsNotes (2024)

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The Great Gatsby — Chapter 9 Summary & Analysis — CliffsNotes? ›

Nick's final thoughts suggest that the future will forever remain inaccessible. Gatsby

Several themes and main ideas are contained in this final chapter. Nick desperately sought to "get" people for Gatsby. He did not want Gatsby to die and be buried alone. Daisy, who claimed to love Gatsby, disappeared, and the few friends Gatsby had, such as Wolfsheim and Klipspringer, refused to come to the funeral.

The Theme of the American Dream in Chapter 9

The American Dream has long been a central theme in literature, and Chapter 9 of The Great Gatsby delves into this complex concept.

In chapter 9, Nick brings up Gatsby's infatuation with the green light again. He compares it to what America must have looked like before settlers had tore down the trees and built cities, just “a fresh, green breast of the new world” (180). Both the green light and the land represent the American Dream.

The irony of the chapter is based on people's obsession with material, replacing respect with their selfish desires. - Nick tried his hardest to gather all of Gatsby's friends and acquaintances though they either moved away, or disappeared. - None of Gatsby's friends were interested in attending his funeral.

Why did Daisy marry Tom? Even though she was still in love with Gatsby, Daisy most likely married Tom because she knew he could provide her with more material comforts.

Chapter 9 is a turning point in The Kite Runner because it marks the end of the friendship between Amir and Hassan. It also is the end of Amir's memories in Kabul.

He is blown away by the sheer wealth of Gatsby, but also curious about who Gatsby is as a person. While most people coming to Gatsby's parties and taking advantage of his wealth do not truly care about Gatsby, Owl Eyes is one of the few that takes up an interest in Gatsby's life, which is why he attends the funeral.

The line suggests that our past experiences will always pull us back, highlighting the inevitability of the past. It also comments on the futility of the American Dream, as the pursuit of success is often an unending struggle. So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

Sick of the East and its empty values, Nick decides to move back to the Midwest. He breaks off his relationship with Jordan, who suddenly claims that she has become engaged to another man.

What does the green light symbolize in chapter 9 of The Great Gatsby? ›

Situated at the end of Daisy's East Egg dock and barely visible from Gatsby's West Egg lawn, the green light represents Gatsby's hopes and dreams for the future.

Tom admits that it was he who sent Wilson to Gatsby's; he shows no remorse, however, and says that Gatsby deserved to die. Nick reflects that Tom and Daisy are capable only of cruelty and destruction; they are kept safe from the consequences of their actions by their fortress of wealth and privilege.

No one seems to be coming to the funeral, and it starts to rain, so Nick, Mr. Gatz, and the minister drive to the cemetery. The man with the owl-eyed glasses (the one who had been marveling at Gatsby's library of unread books in Chapter 3) suddenly shows up to mourn with them.

In October, Nick bumps into Tom Buchanan on Fifth Avenue. Nick refuses to shake his hand, as he discovers that Tom was the one who told George Wilson that Gatsby killed Myrtle.

Exaggeration - "His eyes leaked continuously with excitement." Simile - "She was dressed to play golf, and I remember thinking she looked like a good illustration. . . " Imagery - ". . . a hundred houses, at once conventional and grotesque, crouching under a sullen, overhanging sky, and a lusterless moon."

In Chapter 9, Jonas realizes that his life will never be the same as a result of having been selected as the new Receiver of Memory. At the conclusion of the December Ceremony, Jonas immediately feels "separate, different." People move aside for him to pass, and his peers are unsure of how to act toward him.

In chapter 9, Simon finds out the beast is actually just a dead body. The boys all go to Jack's feast, and Ralph and Jack argue. Jack has his boys start a tribal dance, and they kill Simon because they are so worked up they think he is the beast.

The novel is about Gatsby's nostalgic and idealistic pursuit of Daisy Buchanan, an old flame and now a married woman, who turns out to be selfish and careless, ultimately betraying him. Some of the key themes in The Great Gatsby are the American Dream and its failure, dysfunctional marriages, and corruption.