"The Great Gatsby," published in 1925, is a popular novel by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. The setting is in Long
Island's North Shore and NY City, 1922.
Nick Carraway, the narrator, presents the story as a recollection...
Nick rents a cottage in the wealthy seaside community at West Egg, Long Island, next door to the mansion of Jay Gatsby. Across the water is the "old aristocracy" community at East Egg, which stands the mansion of Tom Buchanan and his wife Daisy, Nick Carraway's cousin.
Gatsby's mansion is the scene of extravagant nightly parties. Some people in attendance are not even invited nor do they know their host. Carraway, who is quite cynical at the same time curious about Gatsby, soon becomes the latter's confidant. Nick learns that Gatsby had earlier met Daisy while Gatsby was in the army during the First World War, that they had fallen in love and planned to marry.
Daisy, however, had grown impatient for Gatsby's return and decided to marry Tom, a boring but wealthy man from Yale.
Gatsby, now filthy rich, is obsessed in winning Daisy back. Initially, Gatsby comes from a humble beginning as Jimmy Gatz then who becomes wealthy through dubious business deals. Gatsby persuades Carraway to arrange a meeting between them and Daisy, which Carraway did. After initial resistance from Daisy, she becomes impressed with her former lover's newly acquired wealth.
Together, Gatsby, Tom, Daisy, Carraway and Jordan Baker (Carraway's girlfriend), spend a day in New York. Tom becomes aware of Daisy's special attention to Gatsby. Tom himself is having an affair with Myrtle Wilson, who is married to a Long Island garage owner.
Gatsby convinces Daisy to leave Tom. In turn, Tom discredits Gatsby by revealing his shady past that he has only made money by being a bootlegger. Using Tom's car, Daisy drives off with Gatsby. As the car passes by Wilson's garage, Myrtle Wilson recognizes the car as Tom's and runs out into the street. She is hit by the car and gets killed. Daisy drives on without stopping. Tom and Gatsby try to protect Daisy from Wilson's vengeance. Tom tells Wilson it was Gatsby who killed Myrtle, at the same time, Gatsby takes the blame.
The raging Wilson murders Gatsby and commits suicide.
Nick Carraway is left to arrange Gatsby's funeral, with hardly anyone attending. Meanwhile, Tom and Daisy retreat back to their world where influence of money rules beyond human compassion and care. Carraway permanently returns to the Midwest, reflecting on the life and times of Jay Gatsby.
In mind, Nick Carraway concludes that the
American dream has been corrupted by too much materialism and pursuit of money - the likes of Gatsby, Daisy and Tom - a pathetic decay of
morality.