Summary and Analysis of The Great Gatsby

Based on the Book by F. Scott Fitzgerald

• Verlag: Worth Books
• Jahr: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781504043090
• Thema: Study Aids
• Thema: Study Guides

So much to read, so little time? This brief overview of The Great Gatsby tells you what you need to know—before or after you read F. Scott Fitzgerald's book. Crafted and edited with care, Worth Books set the standard for quality and give you the tools you need to be a well-informed reader. This short summary and analysis The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald includes:

• Historical context
• Chapter-by-chapter summaries
• Analysis of the main characters
• Themes and symbols
• Important quotes
• Fascinating trivia
• Supporting material to enhance your understanding of the original work

About The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Set in the Roaring Twenties—the years of excess just before the Great Depression—F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is a remarkable cautionary tale that explores the decline of morality in pursuit of the American Dream, and offerings a memorable social critique of 1920s high society. Though commercially unsuccessful when first published, this Jazz Age–novel of decadence and betrayal endures as one of the most loved works in American literature. The summary and analysis in this ebook are intended to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of fiction.

Summary

Chapter One

Nick Carraway, a young Midwesterner, has moved to New York to learn the bond business. He rents a house in West Egg, across the bay from his relative Daisy Buchanan—and her mansion—in East Egg. Nick has dinner with Daisy and her husband Tom, where he meets the fashionable sportswoman Jordan Baker. Later on, Nick sees the owner of the enormous mansion next door to his small cottage reaching out toward a green light across the bay. Nick realizes this must be the enigmatic Gatsby Jordan had mentioned at dinner.

Chapter Two

Between Long Island and New York City is a desolate stretch of land dubbed the valley of ashes. Above it all there is an eerie billboard depicting the ever-observant eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg. Nick meets Tom’s mistress Myrtle Wilson here, as well as her husband George, who runs a garage. They go into the city where Myrtle meets them and hosts a small party in the apartment Tom rents for her. The party quickly becomes sloppy and ends in violence when Tom punches Myrtle in the face after she mentions Daisy’s name.

Chapter Three

One weekend, Nick is invited to Gatsby’s party. When Nick meets the man, he is immediately taken with him. Nick finds Gatsby to be elegant, charming, and in a class separate from his guests. After his conversation with Nick, Gatsby talks to Jordan in private for a long time. He reveals something shocking to Jordan, but she doesn’t tell Nick any details.

Chapter Four

Nick goes to lunch in the city with Gatsby, who tells Nick his life story on the drive there. The tale seems absurd, but then Gatsby hands over tangible pieces of evidence—a photo from his days at Oxford and a military medal—that convince Nick of the story’s truth.

Nick meets Gatsby’s suspicious business partner, Meyer Wolfsheim, at lunch. Later, Nick has tea with Jordan who relays what Gatsby had said at his party. Daisy and Gatsby had been madly in love when they were young and Gatsby wants Nick to facilitate a meeting for them.

Chapter Five

Nick invites Daisy and Gatsby to his house for tea, which begins with palpable tension. Nick decides to give the couple some time alone, but when he tries to leave, Gatsby follows him in a panic. After years dreaming of this moment, Gatsby’s insecurities almost ruin it. It takes Nick telling him to stop acting like a child to convince Gatsby to go back in.

Nick sits in the backyard for an hour, and when he comes back, the two have reconciled. Gatsby is beaming. They take a tour of Gatsby’s mansion, during which Daisy is unstable with emotion and Gatsby is bewildered by happiness. Later, looking out onto the grounds, Nick wonders if Gatsby’s dream of Daisy might have eclipsed the real person.

Chapter Six

Though Nick says he doesn’t learn these facts until later, he reveals the truth of Gatsby’s past in this chapter. Jay Gatsby grew up in the Midwest as James Gatz, the son of poor farmers. Gatsby left home to work on Lake Superior because he was unsatisfied with his life. One day, Gatsby warned a yacht owner of an approaching storm. The yacht owner was a copper tycoon named Dan Cody, who hired Gatsby as his personal assistant. Under Cody’s guidance, the poor James Gatz transformed himself into the elegant Jay Gatsby.

Nick then describes Gatsby’s next party. Both Tom and Daisy attend, and Tom’s presence makes the whole thing unpleasant. Afterward, Gatsby tells Nick that Daisy doesn’t understand things anymore. Why, he demands, will Daisy not leave Tom when it’s Gatsby she loves?

Nick warns that the past cannot be repeated, but Gatsby disagrees; he is convinced that he will be able to recreate the love they shared when they were young.

Chapter Seven

On the hottest day of the season, Daisy invites Nick to lunch. When he arrives, he finds Gatsby is already there. The atmosphere is tense, thanks to the heat and the fact that Tom is on the phone with Myrtle. Things escalate when Tom realizes that Daisy is in love with Gatsby. Manic wi...