SPOILER ALERT!

JARED: I went ahead and finished the book. The fourth chapter was only about seven pages long. And the last chapter 23. So obviously don't read this if you haven't finished yet. Also, I think I'll keep this post more focused on the last two chapters themselves, rather than on the entire book. Perhaps after you finish we can write a post or two about our overall impressions of the book.

So. Atlantic City makes an appearance! Not a particularly meritorious appearance, but at least back then young people went to the city, so there's that.

I had to look up the Mann Act, even though Fitzgerald kind of explains it later in the chapter. The short fourth chapter is mostly about Amory's sacrifice, taking the fall for Alec. It's interesting how Fitzgerald frames Amory's choice as not so much being a selfless act, as being an act to solidify the end of their friendship. Which probably is something that had to happen, sad as that may be. And thereafter we see the rest of Amory's world come crashing down in quick succession, as his name is besmirched in the newspapers, he learns of Rosalind's engagement, finds out he's got no more money (unless he sells the mansion), and finds out his last parent figure is dead. Or maybe REAL PARENT?! If that's the case, I guess we'll never know.

It seems Amory's sacrifice in the hotel is in many ways one final renunciation of his former life and former priorities. On a surface level, it represents him giving up; admitting that his repuation isn't worth saving. But on a deeper level, I think it also serves as the way in which he lets go of his previous thoughts about class and the social ladder and replaces it with his newer way of thinking. That newer way of thinking, though, isn't fully formed. It's more about what he doesn't believe in than what he does believe in.

And then in the last chapter we get Amory trying socialism on for size. I found the discussion really interesting, especially the part about whether the rich, barred from getting richer, would still work hard and/or would work hard if they worked for government-owned enterprises.

It's certainly an interesting last chapter, though. Not much actually happens, it's that one conversation, a mention of the funeral, and then really just a long internal monologue as Amory thinks his life through.

Here's my question: Does Amory become a priest after all? He certainly doesn't seem to embrace religion or Catholicism in the text itself, but he does make a quite curious comment during the discussion of the funeral: 

"He found something that he wanted, had always wanted and always would want -- not to be admired, as he had feared; not to be loved, as he had made himself believe; but to be necessary to people, to be indispensible; he remembered the sense of security he had found in Burne."

That could mean a lot of things. Maybe it just means being a family man -- Rosalind, of course, didn't find him indispensible -- or maybe to be a key player at some future job. But it could also mean to become a priest. Indeed, perhaps this was the same realization Darcy came to himself as a youngster.

As I alluded to above, it's kind of an interesting ending in that the resolution is almost entirely internal. We don't find out which girl he ends up with, though we get some closure seeing Rosalind's engagement announcement. We don't find out where Amory will live, but instead get a laundry list of places he thinks would be good places to live. We don't find out about his job, though perhaps we get a strong hint. In short, the resolution we get is merely the first hunts at what the reborn Amory will be. He was at the top, worked to push himself higher, slipped a little and then a lot, and eventually lost just about everything. But in the end perhaps finds himself more hopeful, at least for meaningful things, than ever before.