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What happens in Chapter 2 of The Great Gatsby?
On their way into New York City, Nick and Tom stop at George Wilson’s garage located on the edge of the squalid “valley of ashes” to pick up Wilson’s wife and Tom’s lover, Myrtle. Tom, Nick, and Myrtle proceed to have an impromptu party at Myrtle’s sister Catherine’s apartment with her neighbors. The party grows increasingly wild as the group continues drinking, but it is abruptly ended after Tom breaks Myrtle’s nose for talking about Daisy, leaving Nick, in turn, to take a train back to West Egg.
Read our Summary & Analysis of Chapter 2. (3-minute read)
Read our one-paragraph summaries of all 9 chapters of The Great Gatsby. (2-minute read)
What main characters are introduced in Chapter 2 of The Great Gatsby?
The most important new characters in Chapter 2 are Tom’s socially aspirational lover, Myrtle Wilson and her dispirited husband, George Wilson. The chapter also introduces Myrtle’s sister, Catherine, and her neighbors, Mr. McKee and Mrs. McKee. Interestingly, although he is the subject of ardent discussion by the characters in Chapter 2, Jay Gatsby does not make an appearance.
Read our brief Character List descriptions of these characters and others. (2-minute read)
Read our in-depth Character Analysis of Myrtle Wilson. (1-minute read)
Read our in-depth Character Analysis of George Wilson. (1-minute read)
Read our in-depth Character Analysis of Mr. McKee. (1-minute read)
What do we learn about the setting of The Great Gatsby in Chapter 2?
Having been introduced to two of the novel’s four settings—East Egg and West Egg—in the first chapter, we see the other two in Chapter 2. They are “the valley of ashes” and New York City. The valley of the ashes is a key symbol in The Great Gatsby, as a faded advertising billboard called “the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg” that stares out over the valley of ashes.
Read more about the importance of Setting in The Great Gatsby. (1-minute read)
