"Well, they say he's a nephew or a cousin of Kaiser Wilhelm's. That's where all his money comes from."
Chapter 2 · Catherine
Context
Catherine tells Nick a rumor about Gatsby's origins when she learns Nick lives next door to him at West Egg. This is one of many contradictory accounts of Gatsby's past.
Analysis
This rumor contributes to the mythology surrounding Gatsby and demonstrates how his deliberate obscurity allows others to project extraordinary origins onto him. The Kaiser Wilhelm connection suggests both foreign menace and royal lineage—reflecting both the fascination and suspicion that new wealth provokes. The absurdity of the rumor highlights how Gatsby exists more as a collective fiction than as a known individual, reinforcing the theme of self-invention and the unreliability of identity in the novel.
How to Use in Essay
Useful for essays on Gatsby's constructed identity, the role of rumor and reputation, or the mystery surrounding new wealth in 1920s America.