The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was published in 1925 by Charles Scribner's Sons. Set during the Jazz Age in New York, it follows the story of Jay Gatsby, a self-made millionaire, and his relentless pursuit of Daisy Buchanan, a wealthy young woman he had loved in his youth.
The Plot in Short
In the summer of 1922, a young man named Nick Carraway moves from the Midwest to West Egg, Long Island, a place inhabited by newly rich people. Nick, a bond salesman, finds himself next to the extravagant mansion of a mysterious millionaire named Jay Gatsby.
Across the bay is East Egg, the domain of old money and where Nick's second cousin, Daisy Buchanan, lives with her wealthy, athletic, and brutish husband, Tom. Nick visits the Buchanans and meets Jordan Baker, a cynical and beautiful professional golfer. During the visit, Nick learns of Tom’s affair with a woman in New York.
Nick also encounters the valley of ashes, a desolate industrial area between West Egg and New York City. Here, George Wilson runs a garage with his wife Myrtle, who is also Tom's mistress. Tom takes Nick and Myrtle to a scandalous party in a New York apartment. Myrtle, intoxicated, speaks of Gatsby, whom she believes is related to Kaiser Wilhelm.
Intrigued, Nick attends one of Gatsby's lavish parties. Unlike other guests who come without invitation, Nick is formally invited. The parties are spectacles of wealth and excess, filled with people who treat Gatsby’s mansion like an amusement park. At the party, Nick meets Gatsby, and is surprised at his youthful and charismatic demeanor. Nick finds him to be a man who chooses his words carefully. Nick is intrigued by the mystery surrounding Gatsby's wealth.
Nick and Jordan later discuss Gatsby and Jordan reveals that she was invited to speak with Gatsby alone. They discover that Gatsby is rumored to be a bootlegger and that he may have killed a man. One day, Gatsby takes Nick on a drive to New York, showing him a medal from Montenegro and a photo from Oxford, and even gets out of a speeding ticket by showing a card to the police. During lunch with Gatsby and a shady character named Meyer Wolfshiem, Nick learns that Wolfshiem has cufflinks made from human molars. Later, they encounter Tom, and Nick notices Gatsby’s embarrassment.
Jordan tells Nick about Daisy and Gatsby's past relationship. They were lovers in Louisville before Gatsby went off to war. Jordan reveals that Gatsby bought his mansion just to be across the bay from Daisy. Gatsby asks Nick to arrange a tea at his house with Daisy. Nick invites Daisy over, and after an awkward start, Gatsby and Daisy are reunited. Gatsby shows her his mansion, displaying his wealth and the things he acquired in an effort to win her back. They spend an afternoon together, and Nick observes Gatsby's wonder at having finally achieved his goal.
Gatsby's life story comes out gradually: he was born James Gatz to poor farmers, but he re-invented himself as Jay Gatsby, a wealthy man. He worked for Dan Cody, a wealthy man, and inherited money from him, although he never received it. Gatsby’s wealth comes from shady dealings.
Gatsby seeks to relive the past with Daisy, but she is unable to fully reciprocate his feelings and is overwhelmed by his desires. At one of Gatsby’s parties, Tom is present and suspects something between Daisy and Gatsby. Tom becomes increasingly aware of Gatsby’s feelings for Daisy, so he confronts him at the Plaza Hotel in New York. The confrontation takes place in front of Nick, Jordan and Daisy, who are all present.
In a heated confrontation, Gatsby tells Tom that Daisy has never loved him, which Daisy confirms, but she cannot say she never loved him. Tom exposes Gatsby's illegal activities as a bootlegger. The confrontation is emotional for everyone, and Daisy is torn between her love for Gatsby and her comfort in her marriage to Tom.
Following the argument, Daisy and Gatsby leave in Gatsby's car. On the way, Daisy is driving when they pass through the valley of ashes and Myrtle runs out in front of the car. Daisy accidentally hits her and kills her, and then flees the scene. Gatsby is aware of this and takes the blame for it to protect Daisy.
Myrtle's husband, George Wilson, fueled by grief and the idea that her killer was her lover, is led to Gatsby, whom he shoots and kills in Gatsby's pool before taking his own life.
Following Gatsby's death, Nick tries to arrange a funeral but is met with apathy and disinterest from the wealthy acquaintances of Gatsby. Daisy and Tom leave town without a trace. Gatsby’s father arrives for the funeral. Only Nick, Gatsby’s father, a minister, and the man with owl-eyed glasses attend the funeral.
Nick is disgusted by the carelessness and moral emptiness of the wealthy East Coast society, and ultimately returns to the Midwest. The novel concludes with Nick reflecting on Gatsby's dream and the allure of the green light, which was both his ambition and his downfall. He reflects that Gatsby's dream was not to be fulfilled and that they are all borne back ceaselessly into the past.
Critical Analysis
The Great Gatsby explores themes of wealth, class, love, and the American Dream through the eyes of narrator Nick Carraway.
Wealth and Class:
- The novel contrasts the established wealth of East Egg with the nouveau riche of West Egg. East Egg, where Tom and Daisy Buchanan live, represents old money and social status. West Egg, where Gatsby resides, is home to those who have recently acquired their fortunes and are seen as less refined.
- Gatsby's extravagant parties highlight the excesses of the wealthy, portraying them as careless, superficial, and often reckless. Guests at Gatsby's parties come and go without even meeting their host, and they treat his mansion as an amusement park.
- The valley of ashes serves as a stark contrast to the opulent lifestyles of both East and West Egg, symbolizing the moral decay and social disparity that underlies the glittering facade of the Roaring Twenties. This area is home to the less fortunate like George and Myrtle Wilson.
- Tom Buchanan's racism and snobbery underscore the prejudices of the old-money class, who feel threatened by the rise of the newly rich. Tom expresses his racist views and his belief that the white race is being submerged.
- Gatsby's desire to be accepted into Daisy's world reveals the power of class distinctions and the difficulty of bridging the gap between old and new money.
Love and Relationships:
- Gatsby's love for Daisy is portrayed as an obsessive and idealized pursuit of the past. He believes he can recreate their past relationship, but he fails to account for how time and experience have changed Daisy.
- Daisy is depicted as a woman who is both alluring and shallow, ultimately choosing the security of her marriage to Tom over the passionate but uncertain future offered by Gatsby. She is portrayed as someone who is drawn to wealth and status.
- Tom and Daisy's relationship is characterized by infidelity and discontent. Tom is openly unfaithful, and his callous behavior towards both Daisy and Myrtle highlights his lack of empathy. Daisy's unhappiness is evident, but she remains within the constraints of her marriage.
- Nick's relationship with Jordan Baker is a casual and cynical affair, reflecting his disillusionment with the superficiality of the wealthy elite. Jordan is described as a "clean, hard, limited person, who dealt in universal scepticism".
The American Dream:
- Gatsby's life embodies both the promise and the corruption of the American Dream. He rises from poverty to wealth through determination and hard work, but his success is based on dishonest and illegal activities.
- Gatsby's pursuit of wealth is not for its own sake, but as a means to win back Daisy, which shows the corrupting influence of the desire for the past. His dream is tied to an idealized version of Daisy and his past with her.
- The novel questions the attainability of the American Dream, suggesting that it is often a hollow and unattainable ideal. Gatsby's tragic end symbolizes the failure of the American Dream and the impossibility of recapturing the past.
Morality and Illusion:
- The characters often hide behind illusions and facades. Gatsby creates a persona for himself, while Daisy and Tom live in a world of wealth and privilege that masks their inner unhappiness.
- The novel explores the moral decay of the wealthy class. Characters engage in reckless behavior, infidelity, and disregard for the consequences of their actions.
- Nick's moral perspective shifts throughout the story. Initially, he is drawn to the glamour of the wealthy, but he ultimately becomes disillusioned with their carelessness and dishonesty. He declares himself "one of the few honest people that I have ever known".
- The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock represents Gatsby’s dream and his pursuit of the past. As the story progresses, the green light is stripped of its symbolic power and becomes "a green light on a dock".
Additional Points:
- The narrator, Nick Carraway, serves as an observer and commentator on the events. He provides insight into the characters' motivations and the social dynamics of the era.
- The novel's use of symbolism, such as the green light, the valley of ashes, and the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, enhances its thematic depth.
- The tragic ending underscores the destructive nature of obsession, the impossibility of recapturing the past, and the moral bankruptcy of the wealthy elite. Gatsby's death reveals the emptiness of his dream.
- The novel has a critical perspective on the Roaring Twenties, exposing the shallowness, materialism, and moral corruption beneath the surface of the Jazz Age.
In summary, The Great Gatsby serves as a critique of the American Dream, highlighting the destructive nature of wealth, class, and obsession with the past. The novel’s critical analysis reveals a society where moral decay and the pursuit of illusion lead to tragic consequences.