Gatsby's Party — The Great Gatsby

Gatsby's parties run like a private amusement park: crates of oranges fed into a juicing machine, an orchestra in the garden, cars parked five deep, and guests who were never invited but simply showed up. Nick is one of the few who receives a formal note from Gatsby's chauffeur. Dressed in white flannels he wanders the lawn ill at ease, attaches himself to Jordan Baker, and listens to rumors that Gatsby killed a man or spied for Germany while Lucille brags that Gatsby replaced her torn gown after a previous party.

Jordan drags him through the spectacle to find the host. In the Gothic library they meet Owl Eyes, drunk and marveling that the books are real but uncut, proof that Gatsby's props go all the way down. Back outside Nick finally talks to the man he came to find: a stranger who turns out to be Gatsby himself, awkwardly admitting he is a bad host. They discover they served in the same infantry division in France. Gatsby's smile makes Nick feel specially understood, then vanishes into formality. Chicago calls Gatsby away; Jordan is summoned for a private hour Nick never learns about that night.

After midnight the party curdles: a weeping singer, married couples fighting, wives dragged out kicking. Nick finds Jordan and Gatsby emerging from the library looking oddly formal. Outside, Owl Eyes drives a car into a ditch and insists he was not even trying to drive while another man climbs out asking for a gas station. Nick cuts across the lawn and looks back at Gatsby standing alone on the porch, hand raised in farewell, while emptiness seems to flow from the glowing windows.

Nick then steps back and admits the party was only one crowded event in a summer mostly spent working at the Probity Trust, dining at the Yale Club, and drifting through New York at twilight. He takes up with Jordan again, learns she cheated at golf and lied about leaving a car in the rain, and listens to her say it takes two to make an accident while calling herself careful. Nick decides he is one of the few honest people he has ever known, a verdict he delivers just after showing how easily he forgives her dishonesty.