I read this sentence from The Great Gatsby:
“Plenty of gas,” said Tom boisterously. He looked at the gauge. “And if it runs out I can stop at a drug-store. You can buy anything at a drug-store nowadays.”
A pause followed this apparently pointless remark. Daisy looked at Tom frowning, and an indefinable expression, at once definitely unfamiliar and vaguely recognizable, as if I had only heard it described in words, passed over Gatsby’s face.
Which one of the following interpretations is correct?
- Daisy looked at Tom. At the same time, she was frowning.
- Daisy looked at Tom, and Tom was frowning.
If 1. is correct, what do I say to mean 2?
Best Answer
From the sentence alone, it could mean either #1 or #2; there is no way to tell without context. #1 would be the more common meaning of this construction, but #2 is perfectly proper.
In this case, the previous paragraph makes it clear that Tom was happy (the term "boisterously" is used), and that Daisy and Gatsby were not. Therefore, #1 was intended.
Strictly speaking, this should have a comma:
But that is a detail often omitted, and cannot be relied on to indicate the meaning. If the comma is present, #2 is pretty much ruled out.
To make #2 clear, the sentence could be recast:
Or context could be added in a nearby sentence.