It is actually only in Chapter Three that Nick meets
Gatsby for the first time. This momentous event occurs at one of Gatsby's party, where
Nick mentions that he was one of the few people who actually received an invitation to
go. Nick is sitting at a table with Jordan Baker and another man who is with "a rowdy
little girl". During a brief quiet moment, the man begins to start a conversation with
Nick and they discuss their similar backgrounds, focussing on their involvement in the
war and their experiences in France. The man then tells Nick about the hydroplane he has
just bought and asks if Nick would like to try it out with him the next day. It is only
when Nick reveals to his new friend that he has never met Gatsby that the man reveals
himself to be Gatsby:
"This is an unusual party for me. I haven't even
seen the host. I live over there -" I waved my hand at the invisible hedge in the
distance, "and this man Gatsby sent over his chauffeur with an
invitation."
For a moment he looked at me as if he failed
to understand.
"I'm Gatsby," he said
suddenly.
It is in this way
that Nick meets and discovers the identity of Gatsby in Chatper
3.
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