Summary

The great gatsby is a story that takes place during the roaring twenties and is narrarated by Nick Carraway. The central character is Jay Gatsby, a wealthy New Yorker . Gatsby is mainly known for the lavish parties he throws each weekend at his mansion in West Egg. He is suspected of being involved in illegal bootlegging and other shady activities. Nick is Gatsby's neighbor in West Egg. Nick is a young man from the midwest. Educated at Yale, he has come to New York to enter the bond business. Nick for the most part stays out of everyones business and is sort of just an onlooker. Upon arriving in New York, Nick visits his cousin, Daisy and her husband, Tom. The Buchanans live in East egg; Nick, like Gatsby, resides in nearby West Egg,. West Egg is home to the extravagantly rich, people who lack established social connections, and who tend to flaunt their wealth. Like Nick Tom comes from a midwestern family and also attended yale. At the Buchanans's, Nick meets Jordan Baker, The two later become romantically involved. Jordan tells Nick that Tom has been having an affair with Myrtle Wilson who is married to George Wilson. Mr. Wilson owns a garage. After visiting Tom and Daisy, Nick goes home to West Egg; there, he sees Gatsby gazing at a mysterious green light across the bay. Gatsby stretches his arms out toward the light like he is reaching for something. Tom takes Nick into New York, and on the way they stop at the garage owned by George Wilson. Tom tells Myrtle to join them later in the city. In the city, Tom takes Nick and Myrtle to the apartment in Morningside Heights at which he maintains his affair. The more she drinks, the more aggressive Myrtle gets she starts taunting Tom about Daisy, and he reacts by punching her in the face and breaking her nose. Nick goes to a party at Gatsby's mansion, where he runs into Jordan . Most of the people at the party don't even know Gatsby, even more of them weren't even invited. Before the party, Nick himself had never met Gatsby: he is a handsome, young man who has an English accent. Gatsby asks to speak to Jordan alone after talking with Gatsby for quite a long time, she tells Nick that she has learned some remarkable news. She cannot share it with him yet. Later, Gatsby visits Nick's home and invites him to lunch. At lunch, Gatsby introduces Nick to his business associate,Meyer Wolfshiem. Wolfhsheim is a notorious criminal; many believe that he is responsible for fixing the 1919 World Series. Gatsby avoids the Buchanans. Later, Jordan explains the reason for Gatsby's anxiety he was in love with Daisy when they met in Louisville before the war. Jordan says that he is still in love with her, and she is with him. Gatsby asks Nick to arrange a meeting between him and Daisy. Gatsby planned their meeting. At the meeting he gave Daisy a tour of his mansion, and is tries to show off his money and possessions. Gatsby and Daisy rekindle there love affair. Eventually Nick learns the true story of Gatsby's past. He was born James Gatz in North Dakota, but had his name legally changed when he was seventeen. This gold baron Dan Cody served as Gatsby's mentor until he died. Gatsby did not inherit any of Cody's fortune because of Cody's mistress. Nick realizes that Gatsby wants Daisy to get rid of her husband and her marriage so that they can get back the years that they lost since they first broke up. After Daisy and Gatsby reunite Gatsby stops throwing his parties. The only reason he threw the parties in the first place was so he might be able to see Daisy. Daisy invites Gatsby, Nick and Jordan to lunch at her house. Daisy tells Gatsby that she loves him while Tom is really close by just to make him jealous and get back at him for his affair. He has the group to drive into the city, while they are there Tom and Gatsby get into a fight. Tom insults Gatsby about his pre-rich life and says that Daisy is for him and only him. Gatsby tried to get Daisy to say that she loves him and not Tom but she wouldn't.On the trip back home Gatsby lets Daisy drive so she can calm down. Passing Wilson's garage Daisy swerves to avoid another car and ends up hitting Myrtle who thought that it was Tom coming to see her, she ends up dying. Nick tells Gatsby to leave town until things settle down, but Gatsby says that he has to stay to make sure that Daisy will be safe. Wilson basically goes crazy because Myrtle died and is determined to find her killer. Tom tells him that Gatsby was driving the car and Wilson believes that he was also her lover. Wilson goes to Gatsby's house and shoots Gatsby and commits suicide himself. After they both die Tom and Daisy plan to leave down because of all the drama they caused. Nick ends up organizing Gatsby's funeral and realizes that Gatsby was not as popular as he seemed. Only Wolfsheim shows grief, and few people attend the funeral. Nick seeks out Gatsby's father, Henry Gatz, and brings him to New York for the funeral. Nick decides to move back home to the midwest. Before Nick leaves he sees Tom and Tom tries to justify what he did. Nick says how Gatsby was really great because he wanted to change his dreams into a reality.Nick also talks about how greed and dishonesty ruined the american dream.

Links

http://members.tripod.com/chicagotheroarin20s/the1920s.html

http://webtech.kennesaw.edu/jcheek3/roaring_twenties.htm

http://users.cvip.net/~jsh33/roar.html

Themes

Money can't buy you happiness.

e.g: Tom and Daisy are very wealthy people but their money can't solve there marital problems.

Choose your friends wisely.

e.g: Gatsby has lavish parties at his house but probably can't even name 10 of his guests, and none of them show up at his funeral.

You can't hide from reality no matter how much you try.

e.g: Daisy speaks very few times throughout the book about her daughter, but that does not make her disappear.

You can't hide who you are, because in the end your true colors will show.

e.g: Daisy wears white to represent her purity but in the end we see that she is a dishonest person who is not so pure.

Money can't save you.

e.g: Gatsby trys to take the fall for Daisy in the case of Myrtles hit and run but his money can't save him this time, George Wilson murders him.
Your reputation is hard to make, and easy to break.
e.g: Jordan worked hard to play golf but tainted her reputation by cheating in her first tournament.

Symbols

Green Light

mystery
wonder
hope
Daisy in Gatsby's eyes
money
envy

Daisy wears white

purity
innocence
wealth
class
elegance
loyalty
disguise

The eyes of Dr. Eckleburg

Nick watches over everything yet never does anything about it.
God the all seeing eye.
Your always being watched.
You can't hide

East Egg

Old money.
Been in family for a long time.
Classy not flashy
West Egg:
New money.
Extravagant
Sumptuous
Flashy not classy

Jay Gatsby

• main character of "The Great Gatsby"
• born James Gatz, shhh!
• wonderfully wealthy man living in West Egg
• Used to have a relationship with Daisy
• Moves in the area to be closer to the lovely lady
• ahhh! what a creeper!
• Even though Daisy is married, he goes out of his way for her attention
• Gatsby throws bangin parties every Saturday hoping she will show up
• he embraces the green light at the end of her dock with open arms....
• creepy right?
• Even when Daisy committed vehicular manslaughter, he had her back!
• is it love??
• No one knows where he came from or how he got his money but they party with him anyway!!

Daisy Buchanan

• Toms wife
• Nicks cousin
• Jordans friend
• Gatsby's love, tease, fetish....whatever you wanna call her!
• she has a kid...thats all we really know about the little rascale
• she looks at people for what she can get out of them
• thats the basis of her realationship with Tom: wealth and securtiy
• she promised to wait for Gasby after the war but married Tom
• but yea, he still wants her BAD!
• she wears white to hide her true self
• she wants others to think she is as pure as a daisy...mm hmm a white daisy
• she is a very selfish, often untruthful, self centered, careless wITCH!
• wow, that was pretty harsh...
• she denies her daughter love, cheats on her husband, lies about it, and hit Myrtle with a car!

Tom Buchanan

• Friend of Nick
• Husband of Daisy
• Myrtle's love affair
• wonderfully wealthy such as Gatsby
• is an egotistical hypocrit!!
• he cheats on his wife with a women who's married....
• then smacks her in the face for mentioning his wifes name
• mmm hmmm! its Daisy!
• he did it out of guilt and belief that his wife knows about his affair
• obviously he should check himself into an anger managment program right?
• he prejudges and talks a lot of SMACK!
• he assumes that Gatsby made his money from bootlegging...
• and like a little school girl he spread the rumor around
• faster than you can say PANCAKES!!!

Jordan Baker

• Daisy's "friend"
• Nick's lover
• beautiful on the outside, but not so much on the inside
• she plays golf...
• fun right?
• but lies in her first tournament to win...
• not so fun anymore!
• she often "bends" the truth
• self centered just like her little friend Daisy
• she doesn't really have much to say about Gatsby and Daisy's "realationship"
• friends dont let friends cheat on their husbands!!

Myrtle Wilson

• Tom's lover
• George's wife
• gets hit in the face by her "lover" for mentioning his wifes name...
• classy girl right?
• gets hit by Tom's car while Daisy is driving...
• Daisy just keeps it moving and Myrtle dies
• Gatsby takes the blame..
• Crazy guy!
• she's dishonest
• she brings her lover into her husbands garage to "hang out"
• WHILE HER HUSBAND IS THERE!!!!

George Wilson

• Myrtles husband
• clueless to the affair
• he has no idea his big beautiful wife is creeping
• when she dies, he goes crazy...litterally
• he's pretty gullable
• he believes everything she tells him
• he also believes Tom when he says that Gatsby hit Myrtle
• he shoots Gatsby to seek revenge for his cheating wife's death!!!
• mmm hmmm!