Chapter 4 gives us a lot of insight that helps to understand the characters, especially Gatsby. Nick does this by getting the perspectives of Gatsby, Meyer Wolfshiem, and Jordan Baker. The chapter begins with Nick describing all the people that come to Gatsby’s parties. These people live extravagant lives, but there are so many that you don’t remember any of them. He then describes a day trip he took with Gatsby to New York. Gatsby calls for this outing because of a certain matter that Jordan will later talk to him about. On the way there, Gatsby once again starts talking about himself and how he was raised by a wealthy family in the Midwest, traveled around Europe collecting precious jewels, and went to Oxford. Nick is suspicions about whether Gatsby is telling the truth. When Gatsby is pulled over by a cop for speeding, he flashes a white card and the police lets him go and apologizes for stopping him. This goes to show how Gatsby and others of his wealth live in an elite society that has different rules than those of the regular community.

            When at lunch, Gatsby introduces Nick to Wolfshiem who is said to be responsible fixing the 1919 World Series by gambling. At this point, we can tell Nick is in the midst of rich men doing shady business. By the way Wolfshiem talks to Gatsby, Nick thinks that Gatsby may have something to do with some underground business. When Gatsby and Nick are finishing their meal, Nick sees Tom Buchanan and brings Gatsby over to meet him. When they shook hands, “a strained, unfamiliar look of embarrassment came over Gatsby’s face,” (74). Gatsby quickly leaves, which leaves us being confused and thinking that Gatsby must know Mr. Buchanan in some way. This is the only person whom Gatsby has put up a cold front to, which will be explained later in the chapter.

            When Nick meets up with Jordan later that day, Jordan explains Daisy Buchanan’s past, the same subject she was talking to Gatsby about at his party. She recounts to Nick that during the war Daisy fell in love with Gatsby, who was then a military officer and stationed near her home in Louisville, Kentucky. When he left to go overseas, Daisy married Tom Buchanan, but before her wedding Jordan found her “as drunk as a monkey” with a bottle of wine in one hand and a letter from Gatsby in the other. Ever since, Daisy has not seen nor heard of Gatsby until Nick brings him up in the first chapter. However, we learn that Gatsby bought the mansion he lives in to be near Daisy and has waited five years until he’s had the perfect moment to reconnect with her, which is available with the help of Nick. Gatsby’s desperation for Daisy is very unlike his professional and powerful appearance, and is very alike to F. Scott Fitzgerald in that he did everything to get the girl. Gatsby’s master plan is that Nick will invite Daisy over to his house while he is there in hope that they will reconnect. Some interesting topics from this chapter to discuss would be the new side of Gatsby we learn of, what Wolfshiem gives us insight to, and Jordan and Nick’s place in Gatsby’s plan to reconnect with Daisy.