The Great Gatsby — Summary, Analysis, and Themes
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Overview
The Great Gatsby (1925) by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a critique of the American Dream set in the Roaring Twenties. The novel follows Jay Gatsby’s obsessive pursuit of Daisy Buchanan through the eyes of narrator Nick Carraway.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Author | F. Scott Fitzgerald |
| Published | 1925 |
| Setting | Long Island and New York City, 1922 |
| Narrator | Nick Carraway |
| Genre | Modernist, tragedy |
Characters
- Jay Gatsby — A mysterious self-made millionaire who throws lavish parties hoping to reunite with his lost love, Daisy.
- Daisy Buchanan — Beautiful, wealthy, and ultimately shallow. Gatsby’s obsession.
- Tom Buchanan — Daisy’s husband. Arrogant, racist, and unfaithful.
- Nick Carraway — The narrator. Daisy’s cousin and Gatsby’s neighbor. The moral center of the novel.
- Jordan Baker — Daisy’s friend, a professional golfer. Nick’s romantic interest.
- Myrtle Wilson — Tom’s mistress, trapped in a poor marriage.
- George Wilson — Myrtle’s husband, a struggling garage owner.
Chapter Summaries
Chapter 1
Nick Carraway moves to West Egg, Long Island. He visits his cousin Daisy and her husband Tom in East Egg. Nick learns Tom has a mistress. Returning home, he sees his mysterious neighbor Gatsby standing on his dock, reaching toward a green light.
Chapter 2
Nick meets Tom’s mistress Myrtle in the Valley of Ashes. They go to an apartment in New York for a party. The gathering turns violent when Tom breaks Myrtle’s nose for mentioning Daisy’s name.
Chapter 3
Gatsby throws one of his legendary parties. Nick attends and finally meets Gatsby, who is surprisingly warm. Jordan tells Nick that Gatsby is in love with Daisy and bought his mansion specifically to be near her.
Chapter 4
Gatsby takes Nick to lunch in New York. Gatsby tells an elaborate (and suspicious) story about his past. Through Jordan, Nick learns Gatsby and Daisy met before the war and were deeply in love, but Daisy married Tom while Gatsby was away.
Chapters 5-9
Gatsby and Daisy reunite at Nick’s house. They begin an affair. Tom discovers it and confronts Gatsby in a hotel room. Daisy drives Gatsby’s car home and accidentally kills Myrtle. Gatsby takes the blame. George Wilson, believing Gatsby killed Myrtle, shoots Gatsby and then himself. Nick organizes Gatsby’s funeral — almost no one attends. Disillusioned, Nick moves back to the Midwest.
Major Themes
The American Dream — Gatsby achieves enormous wealth but cannot buy his way into the old-money elite or win Daisy’s lasting love. The dream is revealed as hollow.
Class and social stratification — East Egg (old money) vs. West Egg (new money). The Buchanans represent an impenetrable upper class. Gatsby’s wealth cannot bridge this gap.
The past — Gatsby believes he can repeat the past. His entire life is organized around recreating a single moment with Daisy.
Appearance vs. reality — Every character presents a facade. Gatsby’s entire identity is a fabrication.
Symbols
- The green light — Gatsby’s hopes and dreams for Daisy. The unreachable future.
- The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg — A billboard in the Valley of Ashes. A decaying symbol of God’s moral judgment.
- East Egg vs. West Egg — Old money vs. new money. Inherited wealth vs. earned wealth.
- Gatsby’s mansion and parties — The emptiness of material excess.
Notable Quotes
“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us.”
“They were careless people, Tom and Daisy — they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.”
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