"Perhaps his presence gave the evening its peculiar quality of oppressiveness - it stands out in my memory from Gatsby's other parties that summer" (Fitzgerald 104).
Nick suspects that Tom's presence at Gatsby's party is causing the party to be less enjoyable. Every thing else about the party remained relatively the same, so Tom was to blame for the "unpleasantness" at the party (104). There must have been some tension between Tom and Gatsby that led to the unusual atmosphere. Tom must have been able to sense that Daisy only enjoyed the party when she was Gatsby. Also, both Tom and Daisy felt a little uncomfortable at the party because they only knew Gatsby and Nick.
Katie-You remark on an interesting dimension of this party-the way in which it is just a little off compared to earlier versions of the same event. How might that whole dynamic of desire that we've talked about in class play into this transformation?
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