The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
7: chapter 4

"So my first impression, that he was a person of some undefined consequence, had gradually faded and he had become simply the proprietor of an elaborate road-house next door. And then came that disconcerting ride." (Fitzgerald 64) After his initial good impression of Gatsby, Nick has been disappointed by what he has really turned out to be. Gatsby has failed to meet Nick's expectations and seems to be fairly normal. However, Nick's mention of "that disconcerting ride" foreshadows an important turn of events in the story. Gatsby decides to tell Nick about his background. The funny thing is that Gatsby's back ground turns out to be fairly normal and unremarkable, contrary to what the gossips say. "I don't want you to get the wrong idea of me from all these stories you here."(Fitzgerald 65) It is funny that Gatsby cares about Nick's opinion of him but doesn't care about what all of the people who come to his parties think. This suggests that he values Nick more than the others: as a friend. As a result of this friendship, the reader finally learns about the the man behind the mansion and extravagant parties. There is no longer a sense of mystery surrounding Gatsby. Of course the other characters in the book will still be unaware of the real Gatsby and could still cause problems.