Chapter 8, The Great Gatsby Summary

When he gets home and is unable to sleep, Nick goes to Gatsby's, where he finds the latter also still awake. They settle down and talk, "because 'Jay Gatsby' had broken up like glass against Tom's hard malice". It's at this point, Nick comments, that Gatsby told the story of his involvement with Dan Cody (see Chapter 6), and then went on to talk about how Gatsby had been drawn to first Daisy's beauty (just like so many other soldiers of the time) and then to her way of living. Gatsby also describes how he "took her", how afterwards they became even closer and more intimate, how they continued their relationship while Gatsby was at war, how Daisy became increasingly desperate to make a decision about her life, and how the appearance of Tom Buchanan eased that decision...