It's all a custom job.The Great Gatsby · 2013 — Chapter 5 of 18 · 4'27" · B2
Gatsby Tells Nick His Life Story, Explained: a pack of lies
Riding to lunch, Gatsby volunteers his whole life story — fortune, Oxford, war medals, Europe — the exact rumors he's trying to deny. Nick can't tell if any of it is real, and the narration says so: "Could it all be true?" Then Gatsby pivots to what he actually wants: a favor.
What happens
Gatsby drives Nick into the city for lunch and, on the way, tells him the story of his life: a wealthy Midwestern family, an Oxford education, a heroic war record, and years drifting through Europe. Nick listens and doubts. Later Gatsby admits what he's after: a very big request.
Listen for
take my word for ita pack of liesanyhowGod's truth
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Phrase of the scene
a pack of lies
一派谎言；满口胡话
盖茨比在车上谈到外界对他的种种指控，用这句话把它们全盘否定。
What he told the police was a pack of lies.
Also in this scene
- take my word for it
相信我说的话；听我的没错
- anyhow
话说回来；反正；究竟
- God's truth
an emphatic oath that what you are saying is completely true
Everything marked in this scene
30 notes across 100 lines
What is your opinion of me, anyhow?I don't want you to get the wrong impression...want someone to do
I don't want you to get the wrong impression...A pack of lies, I guarantee. You've heard the stories?an emphatic oath that what you are saying is completely true
I will tell you God's truth. God's truth about myself.I am the son of very wealthy people from the Middle West.liaison
I am the son of very wealthy people from the Middle West....but educated at Oxford......have been educated there for years. It's a family tradition.simple present
...have been educated there for years. It's a family tradition.After my family died, I ran into a great deal of money.After that, I lived like a prince......hunting big game...Trying to forget something sad...And this is something I always carry with me, a souvenir of Oxford days.Of course, you don't need to take my word for it, old sport.need to
Of course, you don't need to take my word for it, old sport.elision
Of course, you don't need to take my word for it, old sport.At lunch, I'm going to introduce you to one of...- ...and vouch for my good character. - That's not necessary.I thought you ought to know something......I didn't want you to think I was some nobody....I didn't want you to think I was some nobody.You see, old sport, I'm going to make a very big request of you today....it's nothing underhand.Well, I was able to do the commissioner a favor once....we reached the bridge, I was impossibly confused.stress
...we reached the bridge, I was impossibly confused....is always the city seen for the first time...Gatsby Tells Nick His Life Story, explained
What's really going on
Gatsby's confession is a performance, and the film knows it. He insists, "I will tell you God's truth," then recites a biography so polished it sounds rehearsed — "I am the son of very wealthy people from the Middle West," Oxford, jewels, big-game hunting. Nick's voice-over supplies the verdict: "The way he spoke. No wonder people thought he was lying." The point isn't whether the stories are true; it's that Gatsby needs Nick to believe him, which is why he protests too much. Even his disarmament is a move: "Of course, you don't need to take my word for it, old sport" — a line that dares Nick to do exactly that.
Theme
DeceptionGatsby recites a polished, possibly invented biography, and Nick openly wonders whether any of it is true.
IdentityThe whole car ride is Gatsby assembling the self he wants Nick to see: scholar, soldier, heir.
What you'll learn
- Use God's truth as a sworn claim
- Hear take my word as trust me
- Catch pull over as a cop order
- Notice Nick's doubt on the bridge
Listen for
- the son of — liaison
- take my word for it — elision
- impossibly confused — stress
I will tell you God's truth. God's truth about myself.A grand oath before any detail: Gatsby promises total honesty while launching the most carefully staged version of himself.
I am the son of very wealthy people from the Middle West.The first fact of the biography he offers Nick — a claim his later life contradicts in every way that matters.
Of course, you don't need to take my word for it, old sport.A smooth reversal: he invites Nick to doubt him, which only makes the story feel more convincing and Nick more obliged to trust it.
You see, old sport, I'm going to make a very big request of you today.The real reason for the confession — the biography was always leading here, to the favor he wants from Nick.
Questions about this scene
Why does Gatsby tell Nick all this in the car?
He needs Nick's trust before he can ask for a favor involving Daisy. The biography is groundwork: Gatsby is trying to replace the rumors with his own version of himself.
Should Nick believe Gatsby's story?
Nick wants to. He notes the photograph looks authentic, yet admits he was "impossibly confused," because Gatsby's manner makes an impressive life sound rehearsed. The film leaves the truth deliberately unresolved.
What is the "very big request" Gatsby mentions?
He doesn't say in the car. He tells Nick that Jordan Baker will explain everything when Nick takes her to tea — which turns out to be about arranging a meeting with Daisy.
Who is Meyer Wolfshiem, whom Gatsby promises to introduce?
Gatsby calls him "my good friend" and one of New York's most distinguished businessmen, and offers him as someone who can vouch for Gatsby's character. He later turns out to be a gambler tied to organized crime.
The Great Gatsby · 18 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 6keeps his mouth shutGatsby's Lunch with a Gambler
Chapter 1reserve all judgmentsNick Begins His Story
Chapter 2have the decencyNick Dines with the Buchanans
Chapter 3sit on the sidelineTom's Secret Apartment Party
Chapter 4old sportNick Searches for Gatsby
Watching · Chapter 5a pack of liesGatsby Tells Nick His Life Story
Chapter 6keeps his mouth shutGatsby's Lunch with a Gambler
Chapter 7pomp and circumstanceJordan Tells Gatsby's Backstory
Chapter 8acting like a little boyGatsby's Awkward Reunion with Daisy
Chapter 9If it wasn't forGatsby Shows Daisy His Mansion
Chapter 10to your likingTom and Daisy Join Gatsby's Party
Chapter 11make a point ofDaisy Wants to Run Away
Chapter 12repeat the pastGatsby Refuses to Let the Past Go
Chapter 13Have it your own wayGatsby Meets Tom at Lunch
Chapter 14Nobody From NowhereTom Calls Gatsby Nobody From Nowhere
Chapter 15in our bloodTom Exposes Gatsby at the Hotel
Chapter 16pull yourself togetherThe Yellow Car After the Crash
Chapter 17keep your voice downGatsby Waits Outside Daisy's House
Chapter 18made something of myselfGatsby Keeps Vigil Until DawnChapter 5 of 18 · about 58 min to go