The Great Gatsby

what is the tone of nick's meetings with jordan baker and with tom buchanan? what causes the difference in attitude seen? how does fitzgerald use diction to help convey those differences?

chapter 9

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THe tone is cryptic, hard and cynical.After this little vision, Nick decides to go back home. He’s had enough of this East business. But before he goes, he meets up with Jordan, who accuses him of being "dishonest" after all. She says she trusted him, but it turned out he was as "careless" a driver as she is. Nick’s cryptic response? "I’m thirty. I’m five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor." He then remarks that he’s "half in love with her" and "tremendously sorry" when he leaves.

Some time later (it seems he’s taking it slow with the moving back home bit), Nick runs into Tom Buchanan.Tom reveals that he is the one who told Mr. Wilson that the car belonged to Gatsby.Nick can’t bring himself to utter the truth – that Daisy was the one driving. He doesn’t even know anymore whom to believe.

Source(s)

http://www.shmoop.com/great-gatsby/chapter-9-summary.html