THE GREAT GATSBY

Gatsby’s JOURNAL
By Alex Ingman
Period 3

July 1922,
 Last night’s party was an interesting one. I got to meet some new people, and be

reunited with old acquaintances. Yesterday morning I sent out invitations to many different

people, but in particular my new neighbor who had recently moved to West Egg, and the house

adjacent to mine. I had seen him a few times before, and I thought it would be suit to invite him

to my “little party” (41). His name is Nick, Nick Carraway. He is an interesting man, and I

got to know him better as he did accept my invitation and attended my party. I was talking

with someone when he and a friend of his came over to the table next to me. When I saw him

he looked very familiar. After talking with him at my party we realized that we had served in

the same division during the war! However, he didn’t realize who he was talking to, it was

quite humourous. He told us, “This is an unusual party for me. I haven’t even seen the host. I

live over there...and this man Gatsby sent over his chauffeur with an invitation.(47)” Not

knowing the host was sitting next to him, I told him I was Gatsby. He quickly apologized, but

I really wasn’t too offended or surprised for that matter, as I really am not the best host. I

don’t go amongst my guests, but more sit back and watch it all. I’m sure there are all sorts of

rumors circulating about me, but I really am not bothered by that, because I do these parties
not for them, or my neighbors, or me, but for the woman across the water. The green light,

Daisy Buchanan, who lives directly across from me. I would like nothing more than for her to

attend one of my parties, so far she has not. However after last night there is a possibility of a

reunion. Last night after talking with Nick’s friend Miss Baker, I discovered that Nick was

related to Daisy. If I play my cards right, I could get to meet her again...after all these years.

August 1922,

After speaking with Nick really late one night after one of my parties, we

discussed a time for Daisy, Nick, and myself to go to Nick’s house for tea. Nick was willing to

make it happen, and it did. Two days later I put on my white suit and gold tie and headed over

to Mr. Carraway’s house. “The day agreed upon was pouring rain(84)” I arrived a little

before 4:00, the set time. I had sent someone that morning to cut the grass, and a great

number of flowers to the house...just to make things look a little better, no offense to the old

sport. Daisy arrived soon after me, however I decided it was better if it looked like I didn’t

know of this arrangement. When our host went to greet her, I went out the back door, and
around to the front. After she had came inside, I knocked on the door. Then I saw her, I’m

sure I was as white as my suit. We talked a little, but things weren’t going too well, so I

decided the best course of action was to show her around my house, as the rain had ceased and

it seemed like the perfect way to show her who I am. To say that she was impressed wouldn’t

do her reaction justice. I walked with her and showed her the rooms of my mansion, and she

loved it all. She sobbed at the sight of the shirts in my cabinets, then we went out to the

swimming-pool, hydroplane, and the garden. When I talked of the green light across the bay,

she put her arm through mine. I showed her the newspaper clippings of her I had collected over

the years, then we went downstairs and listened to Mr. Klipspringer on the piano. Nick left

not much later, and Daisy and I sat together and talked. We talked of the gap between the 5

years, it truly was a great date after all. It was cut short by her cab honking outfront, but

that day changed everything.

August 1922,
 Today has proved to be a horrifically eventful day. It started with lunch at the

Buchanan’s. There attending the luncheon was Jordan, Nick, and myself along with the hosts.

It was there I saw Daisy’s daughter for the first time. I guess I never really saw Daisy as a

mother, especially of that of another man. Pammy didn’t stay long, but the room seemed to be

dead. To break the silence, Daisy suggested we go out into town. We went out of the house,

and we decided that Tom and I would switch cars. I drove his blue coop, and he drove my

yellow rolls royce. Daisy suggested she ride with me to town, and Jordan and Nick go with

Tom. To my surprise he accepted the suggestion, and we left. We decided to get a suite for the

day at the Plaza Hotel. Tom throughout lunch and the ride there seemed to have picked up on

the situation between Daisy and I because he was very indignant...towards me. He started by

attacking my attendance at Oxford, I then admitted I had only attended for 5 months with a

military program after the war. Tom continuously attacked my past, and I couldn’t contain

myself. I told him, “Your wife doesn’t love you, She’s never loved you. She loves me(130)”

Tom continues to shout all sorts of accusations of m being a bootlegger and doing all sorts of

other things. Daisy and I left in my car this time, and Daisy wanted to drive. On the way
home I felt that Daisy was concerned with all of the things mentioned in the suite. I wanted to

talk about it, but what happened next changed everything. On the way home we were driving

by a mechanic shop when this woman ran out of her house and into the road...I tried to grab

the wheel but it was too late. The woman seemed to come towards the car...she had to have

been killed instantly. Daisy must have been in shock, because she wouldn’t move her foot from

the pedal. She kept driving, I drove back home, but from that moment everything changed.

August 1922,

After yesterday’s events, I was concerned for the safety of Daisy. Tom had learned the

situation between Daisy and myself, and being the person Tom is I was worried for her. I

couldn’t just let her be by herself with her husband after all what happened, I took the

necessary precaution to make sure she would be untouched. I waited outside of her house that

night, I told her before she went in that if Tom seemed to want to do anything to her, that she

flicker the lights and then I would come in and save her. I stayed out there waiting for any

sign of distress or panic. Hours passed as I waited in the cool darkness outside her house near

some bushes. During that night the horrific images of the previous day haunted my mind, I
could only imagine the aftermath of such an incident. I kept thinking the likelihood that I

would be suspected to be the driver of that yellow car. All that night I was ready for

anything, but as the night progressed nothing happened. I didn’t leave the Buchanan’s house

until four o’clock that morning, and Tom didn’t do anything to Daisy. I guess he does have a

little dignity in him. Back at my house I met up with Nick a few hours later. He had been in

the car with Tom and saw the aftermath of the accident and told me all about it. He suggested

with this mess of a situation that I “Go to Atlantic City for a week, or up to

Montreal(148)” while everything dies down. Part of me didn’t like what was going on, and

thought of that idea of leaving as a way to escape this mess. The other side of me thought of

Daisy, why would I leave her at a time like this? Just recently I have been sewing up the rips

the past 5 years had torn. Was I really going to throw all of that away? I left Daisy once,

and look what happened. Leaving her again is something I would not do again.

Daisy my love,
 This war has required the sacrifice of so many fine men, and I am no exception. I know

every minute I am out fighting I could be at home with you. There isn’t a day that goes by that

I don’t think about you Daisy. What gets me through the horrors of this war is the thought of

being with you, and that is what I think of when I participate in this fight. I picture the people

like you I need to protect, as if anything would happen to you I would be destroyed inside. I

fight for you, so I can spend a lifetime with someone as amazing as you. You are my

motivation, my happiness, my everything. This war has taken so much from me, but I know

that when I get back we can start where we left off. Nothing can hinder my love for you

Daisy, not this War, not time, not anything. The thought of us in Louisville is something I

would want nothing more than to continue that when we are reunited when this war is over.

You are the first woman that I have ever felt like this for. Never have I been so madly in love

with someone, and for good reason. You are the type of girl that men spend their whole lives

trying to find, and I can not tell you how happy I am to call you mine. War changes men,

sometimes into a better person with a greater purpose, others are darkened by the

monstrosities of such an event. As war changes every man in some way, this war no matter
how horrible and long it is, will never change how I feel about you. I loved you before the war,

during, and I most certainly will when I am reunited with you after. In the different places I

am and will be, I will look at the same moon you look at, and I will think of the memories I

have had with you, but also the adventures that await us in the future. Until we meet again...