I
Inmyyounger
y
andmorevulnerableyearsmypadre
fathergavemesomeadvicethatI’vebeenturningoverinmymente
mindeversince.“Wheneveryoufeellikecriticizinganyone,”he
dijo
toldme,“justrememberthattodas
allthepeopleinthismundo
worldhaven’thadtheadvantagesthatyou’vehad.”Hedidn’t
dijo
sayanymore,butwe’vesiempre
alwaysbeenunusuallycommunicativeinuna
areservedway,andIentendí
understoodthathemeantagreatdealmás
morethanthat.Inconsequence,I’minclinedtoreserve
todos
alljudgements,ahabitthatha
hasopenedupmanycuriousnaturestomey
andalsomademethevictimofnotun
afewveteranbores.Theabnormal
mente
mindisquicktodetecty
andattachitselftothisqualitycuando
whenitappearsinanormalpersona
person,andsoitcameaboutthatincollegeIwasunjustlyaccusedofbeingapolitician,porque
becauseIwasprivytothesecretgriefsofwild,unknownmen.Mayoría
Mostoftheconfidenceswereunsought—frequentlyIhe
havefeignedsleep,preoccupation,orahostilelevitycuando
whenIrealizedbysomeunmistakablesigno
signthatanintimaterevelationwasquiveringonthehorizon;fortheintimaterevelationsof
jóvenes
youngmen,oratleastthetermsinwhichtheyexpressthem,areusuallyplagiaristicy
andmarredbyobvioussuppressions.Reservingjudgementsis
una
amatterofinfinitehope.Iam
todavía
stillalittleafraidofperder
missingsomethingifIforgetthat,asmypadre
fathersnobbishlysuggested,andIsnobbishlyrepeat,un
asenseofthefundamentaldecenciesisparcelledoutunequallyatbirth.Y
And,afterboastingthiswayofmytolerance,Illego
cometotheadmissionthatittiene
hasalimit.Conductmaybefoundedonthehardrock
o
orthewetmarshes,butafterun
acertainpointIdon’timporta
carewhatit’sfoundedon.Cuando
WhenIcamebackfromel
theEastlastautumnIsentí
feltthatIwantedthemundo
worldtobeinuniformy
andatasortofmoralattentionforever;I
quería
wantednomoreriotousexcursionscon
withprivilegedglimpsesintothehumano
humanheart.OnlyGatsby,the
hombre
manwhogiveshisnametoeste
thisbook,wasexemptfrommyreaction—Gatsby,whorepresentedtodo
everythingforwhichIhaveun
anunaffectedscorn.Ifpersonalityisanunbrokenseriesofsuccessfulgestures,thentherewas
algo
somethinggorgeousabouthim,someheightenedsensitivitytothepromisesofvida
life,asifhewererelatedtooneofthoseintricatemachinesthatregisterearthquakesdiez
tenthousandmilesaway.Thisresponsivenesshad
nada
nothingtodowiththatflabbyimpressionabilitywhichisdignifiedbajo
underthenameofthe“creativetemperament”—itwasanextraordinarygiftforesperanza
hope,aromanticreadinesssuchasIhavenunca
neverfoundinanyotherpersona
personandwhichitisnotlikelyIshalleverencontrar
findagain.No—Gatsbyturnedoutall
bien
rightattheend;itiswhatpreyedonGatsby,whatfouldustfloatedinthe
estela
wakeofhisdreamsthattemporarilycerró
closedoutmyinterestintheabortivesorrowsy
andshort-windedelationsofmen.My
familia
familyhavebeenprominent,well-to-dogente
peopleinthisMiddleWesternciudad
cityforthreegenerations.TheCarrawaysaresomethingofaclan,
y
andwehaveatraditionthatwe’redescendedfromtheDukesofBuccleuch,pero
buttheactualfounderofmylínea
linewasmygrandfather’sbrother,whovino
camehereinfifty-one,sentasubstitutetotheCivilGuerra
War,andstartedthewholesalehardwarenegocio
businessthatmyfathercarriesonhoy
today.Ineversawthisgreat-uncle,
pero
butI’msupposedtolooklikehim—withespecial
specialreferencetotheratherhard-boiledpaintingthatcuelga
hangsinfather’soffice.IgraduatedfromNewHavenin1915,
justo
justaquarterofacenturyaftermypadre
father,andalittlelaterIparticipatedinesa
thatdelayedTeutonicmigrationknownasla
theGreatWar.Ienjoyed
el
thecounter-raidsothoroughlythatIcamebackrestless.Insteadofbeing
el
thewarmcentreofthemundo
world,theMiddleWestnowseemedlikeel
theraggededgeoftheuniverse—soIdecidedtoir
goEastandlearnthebondnegocio
business.EverybodyIknewwasinthebond
negocio
business,soIsupposeditpodría
couldsupportonemoresinglehombre
man.Allmyauntsanduncles
hablaron
talkeditoverasiftheywerechoosinguna
aprepschoolforme,y
andfinallysaid,“Why—ye-es,”withmuy
verygrave,hesitantfaces.Fatheragreedtofinancemefor
un
ayear,andaftervariousdelaysIvine
cameEast,permanently,Ithought,inla
thespringoftwenty-two.Thepracticalthingwasto
encontrar
findroomsinthecity,pero
butitwasawarmseason,y
andIhadjustleftapaís
countryofwidelawnsandfriendlytrees,socuando
whenayoungmanatla
theofficesuggestedthatwetomáramos
takeahousetogetherinacommutingtown,itsonaba
soundedlikeagreatidea.He
encontró
foundthehouse,aweather-beatencardboardbungalowateightyun
amonth,butattheúltimo
lastminutethefirmorderedhimtoWashington,y
andIwentouttothecampo
countryalone.Ihadadog—at
menos
leastIhadhimforafewdayshasta que
untilheranaway—andanviejo
oldDodgeandaFinnishmujer
woman,whomademybedy
andcookedbreakfastandmutteredFinnishwisdomtoherselfsobre
overtheelectricstove.Itwaslonelyfora
día
dayorsountilonemañana
morningsomeman,morerecentlyarrivedthanI,detuvo
stoppedmeontheroad.“Howdoyou
llegas
gettoWestEggvillage?”he
preguntó
askedhelplessly.Itoldhim.
Y
AndasIwalkedonIwaslonelyno
nolonger.Iwasaguide,apathfinder,anoriginalsettler.
He
había
hadcasuallyconferredonmela
thefreedomoftheneighbourhood.Y
Andsowiththesunshiney
andthegreatburstsofleavesgrowingonthetrees,justasthingsgrowinfastmovies,Ituve
hadthatfamiliarconvictionthatvida
lifewasbeginningoveragaincon
withthesummer.Therewasso
tanto
muchtoread,foronething,y
andsomuchfinehealthtobepulleddownoutofthejoven
youngbreath-givingair.Ibought
una
adozenvolumesonbankingy
andcreditandinvestmentsecurities,y
andtheystoodonmyshelfinrojo
redandgoldlikenewdinero
moneyfromthemint,promisingtounfoldtheshiningsecretsthatsólo
onlyMidasandMorganandMaecenasconocían
knew.AndIhadthehighintentionof
leer
readingmanyotherbooksbesides.Iwasratherliteraryincollege—one
año
yearIwroteaseriesofmuy
verysolemnandobviouseditorialsfortheYaleNews—andahora
nowIwasgoingtotraer
bringbackallsuchthingsintomyvida
lifeandbecomeagainthatmás
mostlimitedofallspecialists,the“well-roundedman.”Esto
Thisisn’tjustanepigram—lifeismuchmás
moresuccessfullylookedatfromasinglewindow,aftertodo
all.Itwasamatterof
azar
chancethatIshouldhaverentedacasa
houseinoneofthestrangestcommunitiesinNorthAmerica.Itwason
esa
thatslenderriotousislandwhichextendsitselfdueeastofNewYork—anddonde
wherethereare,amongothernaturalcuriosities,dos
twounusualformationsofland.Twentymilesfromthe
ciudad
cityapairofenormouseggs,identicalincontoury
andseparatedonlybyacourtesybay,jutoutintothemás
mostdomesticatedbodyofsaltwaterintheWesternhemisphere,thegran
greatwetbarnyardofLongIslandSound.Theyarenotperfectovals—liketheeggintheColumbus
historia
story,theyarebothcrushedflatatthecontactend—buttheirphysicalresemblancedebe
mustbeasourceofperpetualwondertothegullsthatflyoverhead.To
los
thewinglessamoreinterestingphenomenonistheirdissimilarityintodos
everyparticularexceptshapeandsize.I
vivía
livedatWestEgg,the—well,thelessfashionableofthedos
two,thoughthisisamostsuperficialtagtoexpressthebizarrey
andnotalittlesinistercontrastentre
betweenthem.Myhousewasat
la
theverytipoftheegg,sólo
onlyfiftyyardsfromtheSound,y
andsqueezedbetweentwohugeplacesthatrentedfortwelveo
orfifteenthousandaseason.El
Theoneonmyrightwasacolossalaffairbycualquier
anystandard—itwasafactualimitationofsomeHôteldeVilleinNormandy,con
withatowerononelado
side,spankingnewunderathinbeardofrawivy,y
andamarbleswimmingpool,y
andmorethanfortyacresoflawny
andgarden.ItwasGatsby’smansion.
O
Or,rather,asIdidn’tconocía
knowMr.Gatsby,itwasamansioninhabitedbyagentlemanofese
thatname.Myownhousewasaneyesore,
pero
butitwasasmalleyesore,y
andithadbeenoverlooked,soIhadaviewofla
thewater,apartialviewofmyneighbour’slawn,y
andtheconsolingproximityofmillionaires—allforeightydollarsamonth.AcrossthecourtesybaythewhitepalacesoffashionableEastEggglittered
a lo largo
alongthewater,andthehistoryofthesummerrealmente
reallybeginsontheeveningIconduje
droveovertheretohavecenar
dinnerwiththeTomBuchanans.Daisywasmy
segunda
secondcousinonceremoved,andI’dconocido
knownTomincollege.And
justo
justafterthewarIspentdos
twodayswiththeminChicago.Her
marido
husband,amongvariousphysicalaccomplishments,había
hadbeenoneofthemás
mostpowerfulendsthateverjugaron
playedfootballatNewHaven—anationalfigureinaway,oneofesos
thosemenwhoreachsuchanacutelimitedexcellenceattwenty-onethattodo
everythingafterwardsavoursofanticlimax.His
familia
familywereenormouslywealthy—evenincollegehisfreedomcon
withmoneywasamatterforreproach—butahora
nowhe’dleftChicagoandvenido
comeEastinafashionthatrathertookyourbreathaway:forinstance,he’d
traído
broughtdownastringofpoloponiesfromLakeForest.Itwas
difícil
hardtorealizethatahombre
maninmyowngenerationwaswealthylo suficientemente
enoughtodothat.Whythey
vinieron
cameEastIdon’tknow.They
habían
hadspentayearinFrancefornoparticularrazón
reason,andthendriftedherey
andthereunrestfullywhereverpeoplejugaba
playedpoloandwererichjuntos
together.Thiswasapermanent
movimiento
move,saidDaisyoverthetelephone,pero
butIdidn’tbelieveit—Itenía
hadnosightintoDaisy’scorazón
heart,butIfeltthatTomwoulddriftonforeverseeking,un
alittlewistfully,forthedramaticturbulenceofsomeirrecoverablefootballjuego
game.Andsoithappenedthaton
una
awarmwindyeveningIconduje
droveovertoEastEggtover
seetwooldfriendswhomIscarcelyconocía
knewatall.Theirhousewaseven
más
moreelaboratethanIexpected,una
acheerfulred-and-whiteGeorgianColonialmansion,overlookingla
thebay.Thelawnstartedatthebeach
y
andrantowardsthefrontpuerta
doorforaquarterofun
amile,jumpingoversundialsy
andbrickwalksandburninggardens—finallycuando
whenitreachedthehousedriftingupthelado
sideinbrightvinesasthoughfromthemomentumofitscorría
run.Thefrontwasbrokenby
una
alineofFrenchwindows,glowingahora
nowwithreflectedgoldandwideopentothewarmwindyafternoon,y
andTomBuchananinridingclotheswasstandingcon
withhislegsapartonthefrontporch.He
había
hadchangedsincehisNewHavenyears.Ahora
Nowhewasasturdystraw-hairedhombre
manofthirty,witharatherhardmouthy
andasuperciliousmanner.Twoshiningarroganteyes
habían
hadestablisheddominanceoverhisrostro
faceandgavehimtheappearanceofsiempre
alwaysleaningaggressivelyforward.Not
siquiera
eventheeffeminateswankofhisridingclothescouldhidetheenormouspoder
powerofthatbody—heseemedtofillthoseglisteningbootshasta que
untilhestrainedthetoplacing,y
andyoucouldseeagran
greatpackofmuscleshiftingcuando
whenhisshouldermovedunderhisthincoat.Itwasa
cuerpo
bodycapableofenormousleverage—acruelcuerpo
body.Hisspeakingvoice,agruffhuskytenor,addedto
la
theimpressionoffractiousnessheconveyed.Therewas
un
atouchofpaternalcontemptinit,incluso
eventowardpeopleheliked—andthereweremenatNewHavenwhohadodiado
hatedhisguts.“Now,don’tthinkmyopinionon
estos
thesemattersisfinal,”heseemedtodecir
say,“justbecauseI’mstrongery
andmoreofamanthanyouare.”Wewerein
la
thesameseniorsociety,andwhilewewerenunca
neverintimateIalwayshadla
theimpressionthatheapprovedofmey
andwantedmetolikehimcon
withsomeharsh,defiantwistfulnessofhistuve
own.Wetalkedforafewminuteson
el
thesunnyporch.“I’vegot
un
aniceplacehere,”hedijo
said,hiseyesflashingaboutrestlessly.Turningmearoundbyonearm,he
movió
movedabroadflathandalongla
thefrontvista,includinginitssweepasunkenItaliangarden,amedio
halfacreofdeep,pungentroses,y
andasnub-nosedmotorboatthatbumpedla
thetideoffshore.“ItbelongedtoDemaine,
el
theoilman.”Heturnedmearound
de nuevo
again,politelyandabruptly.“We’ll
vamos
goinside.”Wewalkedthrough
un
ahighhallwayintoabrightrosy-colouredspace,fragilelyboundintola
thehousebyFrenchwindowsateitherend.Thewindowswereajar
y
andgleamingwhiteagainstthefreshgrassafuera
outsidethatseemedtogrowun
alittlewayintothecasa
house.Abreezeblewthroughthe
habitación
room,blewcurtainsinatoneextremo
endandouttheotherlikepaleflags,twistingthemuptowardthefrostedwedding-cakeoftheceiling,y
andthenrippledoverthewine-colouredrug,makingashadowonitaswinddoesonthesea.Theonlycompletelystationaryobjectinthe
habitación
roomwasanenormouscouchonwhichdos
twoyoungwomenwerebuoyedupasthoughuponun
ananchoredballoon.Theywere
ambos
bothinwhite,andtheirdresseswereripplingy
andflutteringasiftheyhadjustbeenblownbackinafterun
ashortflightaroundthecasa
house.Imusthavestoodfor
un
afewmomentslisteningtothewhipy
andsnapofthecurtainsy
andthegroanofapictureonthewall.Thentherewas
un
aboomasTomBuchanancerró
shuttherearwindowsandtheatrapado
caughtwinddiedoutaboutthehabitación
room,andthecurtainsandtherugsy
andthetwoyoungwomenballoonedslowlytothefloor.Theyoungerofthe
dos
twowasastrangertomí
me.Shewasextendedfulllengthather
extremo
endofthedivan,completelymotionless,y
andwithherchinraisedun
alittle,asifshewerebalancingalgo
somethingonitwhichwasquitelikelytocaiga
fall.Ifshesawmeoutofthecornerofhereyesshe
daba
gavenohintofit—indeed,Iwascasi
almostsurprisedintomurmuringanapologyforhavingdisturbedherbycomingin.La
Theothergirl,Daisy,madeanattempttorise—sheleanedslightlyforwardcon
withaconscientiousexpression—thenshelaughed,anabsurd,charminglittlelaugh,y
andIlaughedtooandcameforwardintola
theroom.“I’mp-paralysedwithhappiness.”
Shelaughed
de nuevo
again,asifshesaidalgo
somethingverywitty,andheldmymano
handforamoment,lookingupintomycara
face,promisingthattherewasno
nooneintheworldshesotanto
muchwantedtosee.Thatwas
una
awayshehad.Shehintedin
un
amurmurthatthesurnameofthebalancingchica
girlwasBaker.(I’veheardit
decir
saidthatDaisy’smurmurwassólo
onlytomakepeopleleantowardella
her;anirrelevantcriticismthat
hizo
madeitnolesscharming.)At
cualquier
anyrate,MissBaker’slipsfluttered,shenoddedatmecasi
almostimperceptibly,andthenquicklytippedhercabeza
headbackagain—theobjectshewasbalancinghabía
hadobviouslytotteredalittley
andgivenhersomethingofun
afright.Againasortofapologyarosetomylips.
Casi
Almostanyexhibitionofcompleteself-sufficiencydrawsun
astunnedtributefromme.I
miré
lookedbackatmycousin,whobegantopreguntas
askmequestionsinherlow,thrillingvoice.Itwas
el
thekindofvoicethatel
theearfollowsupandabajo
down,asifeachspeechisun
anarrangementofnotesthatwillnunca
neverbeplayedagain.Her
rostro
facewassadandlovelycon
withbrightthingsinit,brighteyesy
andabrightpassionatemouth,pero
buttherewasanexcitementinhervoicethatmenwhohadcaredforherencontraron
founddifficulttoforget:a
cantar
singingcompulsion,awhispered“Listen,”apromesa
promisethatshehaddonegay,excitingthingsjustawhilesincey
andthatthereweregay,excitingthingshoveringinla
thenexthour.Itoldher
cómo
howIhadstoppedoffinChicagoforadía
dayonmywayEast,y
andhowadozenpeoplehadenviado
senttheirlovethroughme.“Dothey
extrañan
missme?”shecriedecstatically.
“Thewhole
ciudad
townisdesolate.Allthecarshavetheleftrearwheelpainted
negro
blackasamourningwreath,y
andthere’sapersistentwailallnoche
nightalongthenorthshore.”“Howgorgeous!
Let’s
vamos
goback,Tom.Tomorrow!”
Thensheaddedirrelevantly:
“Yououghtto
ver
seethebaby.”“I’dliketo.”
“She’sasleep.
She’s
tres
threeyearsold.Haven’tyouever
visto
seenher?”“Never.”
“Well,yououghttoseeher.
She’s—”.
TomBuchanan,who
había
hadbeenhoveringrestlesslyaboutla
theroom,stoppedandrestedhismano
handonmyshoulder.“Whatyou
haciendo
doing,Nick?”“I’mabondman.”
“Whowith?”
I
dije
toldhim.“Neverheardofthem,”heremarkeddecisively.
Esto
Thisannoyedme.“Youwill,”I
respondí
answeredshortly.“Youwillifyou
quedas
stayintheEast.”“Oh,I’ll
quedaré
stayintheEast,don’tyouworry,”hedijo
said,glancingatDaisyandthenbackatme,assi
ifhewerealertforalgo
somethingmore.“I’dbeaGoddamnedfoolto
vivir
liveanywhereelse.”Atthis
punto
pointMissBakersaid:“Absolutely!”
withsuchsuddennessthatIstarted—itwas
la
thefirstwordshehaduttereddesde
sinceIcameintothehabitación
room.Evidentlyitsurprisedheras
tanto
muchasitdidme,forsheyawnedy
andwithaseriesofrapid,deftmovementsstoodupintola
theroom.“I’mstiff,”shecomplained,“I’vebeenlyingon
ese
thatsofaforaslongasIpuedo
canremember.”“Don’tlookatme,”Daisyretorted,“I’vebeen
tratando
tryingtogetyoutoNewYorktoda
allafternoon.”“No,thanks,”said
Srta
MissBakertothefourcocktailsjustinfromthepantry.“I’mabsolutelyintraining.”
Herhost
miró
lookedatherincredulously.“Youare!”
He
tomó
tookdownhisdrinkassi
ifitwereadropinel
thebottomofaglass.“Howyoueverget
algo
anythingdoneisbeyondme.”I
miré
lookedatMissBaker,wonderingwhatitwasshe“gotdone.”Ienjoyedlookingather.
Shewasaslender,small-breasted
niña
girl,withanerectcarriage,whichsheaccentuatedbythrowinghercuerpo
bodybackwardattheshoulderscomo
likeayoungcadet.Hergreysun-strainedeyes
miraron
lookedbackatmewithpolitereciprocalcuriosityoutofun
awan,charming,discontentedface.Itoccurredtome
ahora
nowthatIhadseenella
her,orapictureofella
her,somewherebefore.“YouliveinWestEgg,”sheremarkedcontemptuously.
“I
conozco
knowsomebodythere.”“Idon’t
conozco
knowasingle—”.“Youmust
conocer
knowGatsby.”“Gatsby?”
demandedDaisy.
“WhatGatsby?”
BeforeI
pudiera
couldreplythathewasmyneighbourcena
dinnerwasannounced;wedginghistensearmimperatively
bajo
undermine,TomBuchanancompelledmefromthehabitación
roomasthoughheweremoviendo
movingacheckertoanothersquare.Slenderly,languidly,theirhandssetlightlyontheirhips,the
dos
twoyoungwomenprecededusoutontoun
arosy-colouredporch,opentowardthesunset,donde
wherefourcandlesflickeredonthetableinthediminishedwind.“Whycandles?”
objectedDaisy,frowning.
Shesnappedthemout
con
withherfingers.“Intwoweeksit’llbe
el
thelongestdayintheyear.”She
miró
lookedatusallradiantly.“Doyou
siempre
alwayswatchforthelongestdía
dayoftheyearandthenpierdes
missit?Ialwayswatchfor
el
thelongestdayintheaño
yearandthenmissit.”“Weoughtto
planear
plansomething,”yawnedMissBaker,sentándose
sittingdownatthetableassi
ifsheweregettingintocama
bed.“Allright,”saidDaisy.
“What’llweplan?”
Sheturnedtomehelplessly:
“Whatdo
gente
peopleplan?”BeforeIcould
responder
answerhereyesfastenedwithuna
anawedexpressiononherlittlefinger.“Look!”
shecomplained;
“I
lastimé
hurtit.”Wealllooked—theknucklewas
negro
blackandblue.“Youdidit,Tom,”she
dijo
saidaccusingly.“Iknowyoudidn’tmeanto,
pero
butyoudiddoit.That’swhatI
obtengo
getformarryingabruteofun
aman,agreat,big,hulkingphysicalspecimenofa—”.“Ihate
esa
thatword‘hulking,’ ”objectedTomcrossly,“eveninkidding.”“Hulking,”insistedDaisy.
Sometimesshe
y
andMissBakertalkedatonce,unobtrusivelyy
andwithabanteringinconsequencethatwasnunca
neverquitechatter,thatwasasfresco
coolastheirwhitedressesy
andtheirimpersonaleyesinla
theabsenceofalldesire.Theywere
aquí
here,andtheyacceptedTomy
andme,makingonlyapolitepleasantefforttoentertaino
ortobeentertained.They
sabían
knewthatpresentlydinnerwouldbeovery
andalittlelatertheeveningtambién
toowouldbeoverandcasuallypondría
putaway.Itwassharply
diferente
differentfromtheWest,whereaneveningwasapresuraba
hurriedfromphasetophasetowardsitsclose,inacontinuallydisappointedanticipationo
orelseinsheernervousdreadofthemomentitself.“You
haces
makemefeeluncivilized,Daisy,”Iconfessedonmysegundo
secondglassofcorkybutratherimpressiveclaret.“Can’tyou
hablar
talkaboutcropsorsomething?”I
decir
meantnothinginparticularbyeste
thisremark,butitwastomado
takenupinanunexpectedmanera
way.“Civilization’sgoingtopieces,”brokeoutTomviolently.
“I’vegottentobe
un
aterriblepessimistaboutthings.Has
HaveyoureadTheRiseoftheColouredEmpiresbyeste
thismanGoddard?”“Why,no,”I
respondí
answered,rathersurprisedbyhistone.“Well,it’s
un
afinebook,andeverybodyoughttoreadit.La
Theideaisifwedon’tlookoutla
thewhiteracewillbe—willbeutterlysubmerged.It’s
todo
allscientificstuff;it’sbeenproved.”