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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 more about Chapter 2 with our 3-minute Summary & Analysis
Read explanations of all 9 chapters The Great Gatsby in 3 minutes
What characters are introduced in Chapter 2 of The Great Gatsby?
Three secondary, but important new characters are introduced in Chapter 2. They are:
Myrtle Wilson: Tom Buchanan’s socially aspirational lover.
George Wilson: Myrtle’s dispirited husband, who runs garage by “the valley of ashes.”
Mr. McKee: A neighbor of Myrtle’s sister Catherine in New York City.
Chapter 2 also introduces Myrtle’s sister Catherine and Mrs. McKee. Although he is the subject of ardent discussion by the characters in Chapter 2, Jay Gatsby does not make an appearance.
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 Chapter 1, 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 explanations of East Egg and West Egg as Settings in The Great Gatsby (2-minute read)
Is there a video summary of The Great Gatsby?
Yes, SparkNotes has a video on YouTube that discusses the main plot points as well as key topics regarding The Great Gatsby at the link below.
Watch the SparkNotes video about The Great Gatsby. (8-minute video)
