The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby Chapter Nine
TASK 79
How does Fitzgerald use the opening lines of this chapter to eliminate
the need to describe the finding of Gatsby’s body?
The opening lines of Chapter 9 eliminate the necessity for Nick to
provide details of the intricacies surrounding the discovery of Gatsby’s
body: ‘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 reporters and
photographers and newspaper men in and out of Gatsby’s front door.’
Details of the period after Gatsby’s death are, however, recorded. Nick
calls Daisy only half an hour after the discovery of the body, only to
find that she has gone away with Tom for an indefinite period of time.
Meyer Wolfsheim proves to be similarly difficult to track down.
The nature of Gatsby’s business is further revealed when someone
called Slagle rings Gatsby’s house to inform him that his latest
business deal has run into trouble. The caller tells Nick (assuming him
to be Gatsby) that one of his employees has been apprehended in
what appears to have been an attempt to cash bonds illegally. Slagle
terminates the telephone call, along with his associations with Gatsby,
when he is informed by Nick of the death.
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The Great Gatsby – Chapter Nine