Summary
Nick arranges Gatsby's funeral, but almost no one comes. The people who attended his parties, who enjoyed his hospitality, who used his wealth, are gone. Only Nick, Gatsby's father, and a few others attend. The chapter reveals the emptiness of Gatsby's life—he had everything, but in the end, he had nothing. No one cared, no one remembered, no one came. The truth is buried—the newspapers report that Wilson was 'deranged by grief,' and the real story is never told. Nick reflects on Gatsby's life and death, on the corruption that destroyed him, on the dream that trapped him. He realizes that Gatsby was great not despite his flaws, but because of his ability to dream, to hope, to believe. But that same ability destroyed him. The chapter ends with Nick leaving the East, returning to the Midwest, having learned the lessons of the summer. He's seen the corruption, the illusion, the emptiness, and he's learned to see beyond surface appearances. The novel ends with Nick's reflection on the past, on the green light, on the dream that can never be caught.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~437 words)
After two years I remember the rest of that day, and that night and the next day, only as an endless drill of police and photographers and newspaper men in and out of Gatsby's front door. A rope stretched across the main gate and a policeman by it kept out the curious, but little boys soon discovered that they could enter through my yard, and there were always a few of them clustered open-mouthed about the pool. Someone with a positive manner, perhaps a detective, used the expression 'madman' as he bent over Wilson's body that afternoon, and the adventitious authority of his voice set the key for the newspaper reports next morning. Most of those reports were a nightmare—grotesque, circumstantial, eager, and untrue. When Michaelis's testimony at the inquest brought to light Wilson's suspicions of his wife I thought the whole tale would shortly be served up in racy pasquinade—but Catherine, who might have said anything, didn't say a word. She showed a surprising amount of character about it too—looked at the coroner with determined eyes under that corrected brow of hers, and swore that her sister had never seen Gatsby, that her sister was completely happy with her husband, that her sister had been into no mischief whatever. She convinced herself of it, and cried into her handkerchief, as if the very suggestion was more than she could bear. So Wilson was reduced to a 'man deranged by grief' in order that the case might remain in its simplest form. And it rested there. Nick arranges Gatsby's funeral, but almost no one comes. The people who attended his parties, who enjoyed his hospitality, who used his wealth, are gone. Only Nick, Gatsby's father, and a few others attend. The chapter reveals the emptiness of Gatsby's life—he had everything, but in the end, he had nothing. No one cared, no one remembered, no one came. The truth is buried—the newspapers report that Wilson was 'deranged by grief,' and the real story is never told. Nick reflects on Gatsby's life and death, on the corruption that destroyed him, on the dream that trapped him. He realizes that Gatsby was great not despite his flaws, but because of his ability to dream, to hope, to believe. But that same ability destroyed him. The chapter ends with Nick leaving the East, returning to the Midwest, having learned the lessons of the summer. He's seen the corruption, the illusion, the emptiness, and he's learned to see beyond surface appearances. The novel ends with Nick's reflection on the past, on the green light, on the dream that can never be caught.
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Reflection and Truth
When people disappear when you're no longer useful, when they enjoy your success but aren't there when you need them, they were never really there for you
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
After experiencing corruption, illusion, and emptiness, reflection and learning are possible. We can learn from the past, even if we can't recapture it.
Practice This Today
Practice reflection after difficult experiences. What did you learn? How did you grow? What will you do differently? Reflection and learning are possible, even after loss.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Fair-Weather Friends
People who disappear when you're no longer useful
Modern Usage:
Like people who enjoy your success but disappear when you need them—they were never really there for you
The Truth
What really happened versus what people say happened
Modern Usage:
Like the difference between reality and the stories people tell—the truth is often buried
Characters in This Chapter
Gatsby's Father
Gatsby's father, who attends the funeral
Gatsby's father represents the past Gatsby tried to escape, the humble origins he reinvented himself from. His presence at the funeral is a reminder of who Gatsby really was.
Modern Equivalent:
Someone from your past who reminds you of who you really are, before you tried to become someone else
Key Quotes & Analysis
"Most of those reports were a nightmare—grotesque, circumstantial, eager, and untrue."
Context: Nick reflecting on the newspaper reports about Gatsby's death
The truth is buried, the real story is never told. People prefer the simple story—the 'madman' narrative—over the complex truth. The truth is often buried beneath lies and simplifications.
In Today's Words:
The truth is buried, people prefer simple lies over complex truth
"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
Context: Nick's final reflection on Gatsby and the American Dream
This is the novel's final line, and one of literature's most famous. It captures the futility of trying to recapture the past, of fighting against time, of chasing dreams that can never be caught. We're always being pulled back into the past, no matter how hard we try to move forward.
In Today's Words:
We keep trying to move forward, but we're always being pulled back into the past
Thematic Threads
Fair-Weather Friends
In This Chapter
People disappear when Gatsby is no longer useful
Development
They were never really there for him
In Your Life:
Recognize when people disappear when you're no longer useful—they were never really there for you
Truth
In This Chapter
The truth is buried, the real story is never told
Development
People prefer lies over truth, simplicity over complexity
In Your Life:
Recognize when the truth is buried, when people prefer simple lies over complex truth
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
Why does almost no one come to Gatsby's funeral? What does this reveal about his life?
analysis • deep - 2
What does Nick learn from his summer in the East? How has he changed?
reflection • medium - 3
What does the novel's final line mean? How does it relate to the themes of the book?
application • surface
Critical Thinking Exercise
The Reflection Analysis
Nick reflects on Gatsby's life and death, on what he learned. Think about what you've learned from difficult experiences.
Consider:
- •What have you learned from difficult experiences?
- •How have you grown?
- •What will you do differently?
- •How can you use reflection to learn and grow?
Journaling Prompt
Write about what you've learned from a difficult experience. How have you grown? What will you do differently? How can you use reflection to learn and grow?