I assume the compliment to which you refer is the one in chapter 8 when Nick tells Gatsby, as Nick is leaving Gatsby's house: 'They're a rotten crowd. You're worth the whole damn bunch put together." There is no reaction mentioned. We know, however, that Gatsby valued Nick's opinion of him and that Gatsby wanted Nick to think well of him. We know that because of all that Gatsby told Nick about his life. There are probably very few people who knew all about Jay's background. Based on the gossip and wild rumors about him that we hear from others earlier in the story, we know that most people didn't know him much at all. Nick, however, has been told by Jay, about Jay's life. Also, Jay asked Nick, in chapter 4, what Nick's opinion was of him. That tells us again that Jay valued Nick's opinion, and not just because he was Daisy's cousin. Nick is level-headed and as he tells us at the start of the story, one who tends to reserve judgement. Based on all of that, Jay was probably very happy to hear Nick's compliment to him. It is fitting that those were the last words Nick ever said to Jay Gatsby.
"There is no reaction mentioned."? Not exactly.
ReplyDeleteUpon hearing the compliment, Gatsby's "face broke into that radiant and understanding smile, as if we’d been in ecstatic cahoots on that fact all the time.”
In this quote, through his smile Gatsby shows us how much he appreciates the compliment and his friendship with Nick.