Overview
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s published The Great Gatsby novel in 1925. It takes place during the Prohibition era, a time of illegal gambling and jazz music, on Long Island and in New York City in the U.S. state of New York. The eponymous character, Jay Gatsby, is praised by some and derided by others in this book, which gradually reveals the reality about who he is in contrast to what the other characters believe. It is not immediately evident who he is, but there is no disputing that everything he does and says is an attempt to win back his first love.
In the book, Nick Carraway, Tom Buchanan, Daisy Buchanan, and Jay Gatsby are the four primary characters. All four of these personalities are acquainted with one another and have connections that we will examine. A lie about the passing of Myrtle Wilson, a lady with whom Tom is having an affair, also links them together.
A short summary of The Great Gatsby novel
In order to work as a bond trader in Manhattan, our narrator, Nick Carraway, relocates to the East Coast. In the affluent Long Island community of West Egg, he leases a modest home. Nick meets their friend Jordan Baker and catches up with his cousin Daisy Buchanan and her husband Tom in the neighbouring town of East Egg, where the wealthy reside.
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Nick is taken by Tom to meet Myrtle Wilson, his mistress. George Wilson, who owns a petrol station in a filthy area of Queens, is the husband of Myrtle. Myrtle organises a modest party in Manhattan for Tom, Nick, and Myrtle, which results in a punch to the face from Tom.
Nick meets Jay Gatsby, his wealthy neighbour who lives in a big estate and throws elaborate parties every weekend and who is a mystery figure about whom no one knows much.
Nick is taken out to lunch by Gatsby, who also introduces him to Meyer Wolfshiem, a gangster who is his business partner.
Jordan and Nick begin a romance. Nick learns from her that Gatsby and Daisy had a five-year romance and that he would like to see her again.
In order for Gatsby to accidentally drop by, Nick arranges for Daisy to visit him. Beginning of the affair between Daisy and Gatsby.
At one of Gatsby’s gatherings that Tom and Daisy attend, Daisy finds the extravagantly vulgar display of riches repugnant. Tomrealises at once that Gatsby’s wealth is probably the result of criminal activity.
Gatsby was revealed to have been born as James Gatz into a struggling agricultural family. He has always been very ambitious and adopted the Jay Gatsby persona to help him achieve the American Dream of becoming a wealthy self-made man.
Daisy, Tom, Gatsby, and Nick all meet for lunch. Daisy and Gatsby are preparing to break the news to Tom that she is leaving him at this lunch. Daisy suggests a trip to Manhattan when Gatsby expresses his reluctance to do it in Tom’s house.
When the five of them arrive in Manhattan, they are given a suite at the Plaza Hotel where a slew of mysteries are revealed. That Daisy is in love with Gatsby is revealed by Gatsby. It is revealed by Tom that the bootlegger Gatsby is also engaged in other illegal activities. In order to please Gatsby, Daisy must abandon Tom and declare that she never loved him. However, Daisy is unable to saywhat Gatsby wants her to say thereby, destroying Gatsby’s hopes and dreams. Daisy has made it plain that her connection with Tom is the one she wants to stick with.
Daisy takes the wheel as Gatsby and Daisy travel home in his automobile that evening. Myrtle rushes outside to the vehicle when they pass the Wilson gas station because she believes Tom is passing by. Daisy runs over her, killing her, and keeps going.
Tom, Nick and Jordan conduct an investigation into the incident. Tom informs George Wilson that Gatsby’s automobile struck Myrtle, and George concludes that Gatsby must be Myrtle’s lover.
That evening, Gatsby chooses to accept responsibility for the accident. He continues to wait for Daisy to return to him, but she and Tom leave town the following day. Nick ends his relationship with Jordan as she seems to be nonchalant about Myrtle’s death.
Gatsby continues to relate his tale to Nick. He fell in love with Daisy while serving as an army officer, but after a month he had to ship out to fight in World War One. Before he could return home two years later, she married Tom. Since he left to battle five years prior, Gatsby has been fixated on bringing Daisy back.
Gatsby is shot and killed the following day by George Wilson, who also kills himself.
The police report on the murder-suicide does not include the Buchanans and Myrtle’s affair.
All of Gatsby’s supposed friends and partygoers now refuse to attend Gatsby’s burial, even though they had previously posed as his friends. Even Wolfshiem, Gatsby’s longtime companion, is not keen on attending the funeral. Gatsby first worked for Wolfshiem after World War I, and the two have been involved in a number of illicit ventures since.
Gatsby’s father, who hails from Minnesota, makes the trip to attend the funeral. Self-improvement plans created as a child by Gatsby are shown to Nick by Gatsby’s father.
Nick decides to move back to the Midwest after spending time on the East Coast and becoming disillusioned.