What is the main message of The Great Gatsby?

The main message of The Great Gatsby is the allure and emptiness of the American Dream.

Who is the author of The Great Gatsby?

The author of The Great Gatsby is F. Scott Fitzgerald.

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The Great Gatsby Book Summary - The Great Gatsby Book explained in key points

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The Great Gatsby summary

Name: The Great Gatsby
Rating: 4.6 (152 reviews)
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald

A Classic Novel on the American Dream of the Roaring Twenties

4.6 (152 ratings)

20 mins

Brief summary

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a classic novel set in the 1920s. It tells the story of the wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the married Daisy Buchanan, exploring themes of wealth, love, and the corruption of the American dream.

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The Great Gatsby
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What’s in it for me? Catch up with the decisive work of 1920s America.

One of the many interesting things about The Great Gatsby is that we can see much of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s life mirrored within the two central characters of Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway. Like Gatsby, Fitzgerald was serving in the military when he met and fell in love with a young debutant from a wealthy family. He also felt like he needed to be more successful before they could get married. Fortunately, Fitzgerald did become a successful writer – and he and his fiancée, Zelda, got married.

In the early 1920s, the newlyweds relocated to Long Island, New York. But, like Nick Carraway, Fitzgerald was born to a midwestern family of modest means. He didn’t particularly enjoy Long Island’s gaudy, exclusive estates and extravagant parties.

The Great Gatsby uses these two characters to take an early critical look at the mythologies surrounding the American Dream and its belief in manifest destiny. It also acknowledges the many class issues that have been creating divisions in the country since its foundation. In this Blink, we’ll follow the same format – as well as offer a brief analysis of some of the story’s most salient points.

A date with Jay Gatsby

It’s spring of 1922 when Nick Carraway moves into a bungalow on Long Island, in the neighborhood of West Egg. Nick works as a bondsman in New York City. He is a veteran of World War I, and an alumnus of Yale University. During the day, he works his desk job and rides the commuter train back and forth. At night, he finds himself gazing toward the massive home of his neighbor, Jay Gatsby.

Not far from Nick, just on the other side of the bay in East Egg, lives Daisy Buchanan, who is his distant cousin. Daisy is now married to Tom Buchanan, though it’s not what you’d call a happy marriage. Shortly after moving in, Nick goes to visit Daisy – and the tensions are obvious. Tom’s mistress is known to call the house frequently. It’s an open secret that no one talks about.

At Daisy’s palatial home, Nick also meets Miss Jordan Baker. She’s a friend of Daisy’s and is a successful amateur golfer. Thanks to Jordan, Nick gains some insights into Daisy’s rocky marriage and hears the first rumors about his neighbor, the enigmatic Jay Gatsby.

Is he a bootlegger? Did he kill someone? Is he a descendant of European aristocracy? This is some of the popular gossip that’s circling around Gatsby. The only thing everyone is certain about is that Gatsby throws the best, most glamorous parties. However, when Nick returns home the night after visiting the Buchanans for the first time, he sees Gatsby standing alone on the beach. He senses a deep longing as his neighbor stands there – looking across the bay, trembling, with his arms stretched out before him. It seems like Gatsby is focusing on a single green light that marks the end of a dock over in East Egg.

Not long afterward, Nick is taken to a party by Tom Buchanan. Accompanying them that night is Tom’s mistress, Myrtle Wilson, and her sister, Catherine. Catherine tells Nick more about Gatsby – like the rumor that he’s a nephew or cousin to Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm. Nick also learns that Myrtle is in an unhappy marriage of her own, to George Wilson, who runs a gas station on Long Island.

Nick’s curiosity about Gatsby begins to grow. He’s been watching the parade of people coming and going from the enigmatic man’s house. He’s seen the lights, the music, the mountains of citrus rinds that pile up as the night’s festivities continue and countless cocktails flow. Then, one day, Gatsby's chauffeur finally knocks on Nick’s door and hand-delivers a signed card inviting him to that night’s “little party.”

Even though Nick is wearing his best white flannel attire for the party, he immediately feels out of place. There are a lot of young Englishmen milling about. He gets the sense that most of them are salesmen who are practically drooling over the money on display – and the promise of future sales. When he tries to ask the guests where the host might be, the responses are so barbed that Nick slinks away to the cocktail bar with embarrassment.

Fortunately, Nick then spots a lifeline in the form of Jordan Baker, who is calmly attending to a couple of young female fans. Nick practically throws himself at her, and the conversation once again ends up on Gatsby and the many swirling rumors. Is he a German spy? A killer?

No one knows where the host is, however, and so Nick and Jordan mix and mingle. Nick is finally beginning to loosen up and enjoy himself. At some point, they sit down at a table with a man who appears to be in his early thirties. The gentleman asks Nick, “Weren’t you in the Third Division during the war?” Nick confirms that he was, while the man explains that he was in the Seventh Infantry. Nick tells him it’s a strange party – that he lives next door but still hasn’t met the host.

Now, as you might have guessed, that man who was in the Seventh Infantry is Jay Gatsby. Nick is taken aback, and Gatsby apologizes for not being a very good host, “old sport.” From their very first meeting, that’s what Gatsby likes to call Nick.

Now that he’s finally face to face with Gatsby, the first thing Nick notices is his smile. It’s reassuring – the kind of smile you only come across a few times in life. It gives him confidence and makes him feel understood. Once the smile vanishes, however, things get fuzzier. Nick sees Gatsby as an elegant roughneck who chooses his words quite carefully. Questions and doubts persist.

Gatsby arranges to meet Nick in the morning, so they can go for a ride in his hydroplane. He then gets up to take a phone call from Chicago, leaving Nick and Jordan to once again speculate about their mysterious host. Jordan has heard a rumor that he went to Oxford, but she still finds it hard to believe.

As spring turns to summer, Nick and Jordan begin dating and spending more time together. Nick hasn’t seen much of Gatsby – until one late July morning, when he pulls up to Nick’s house in his beautiful Rolls-Royce automobile.

That day, Gatsby opens up to him. He explains that he’s from San Francisco, and that his parents had died and left him a fortune. After that, he traveled around Europe, attending Oxford for a while, went hunting, collected rubies, painted, and then became a decorated soldier during the war. Some, if not all of these details, sound suspect to Nick. The way Gatsby chokes on the word “Oxford.” The way every detail sounds so generic. But then Gatsby produces a ribboned medal of valor with his name inscribed upon it, and a photo of him and two other men taken at Oxford. Maybe it is all true.

After this meeting, things slowly begin to get clearer. Gatsby says he’s aware that Nick is going to have tea with Jordan later that day – and that he’s allowed Miss Baker to reveal what she knows about himself and Daisy.

You see, five years ago, Jordan visited Daisy while she was living with her family in Louisville, Kentucky. That day, there was a uniformed officer with Daisy. This man wasn’t just there for polite conversation. The way he looked at her, it was obvious he adored her. And yes, that officer was Gatsby. Later, when Jordan met Gatsby in Long Island, she didn’t recognize him at first. But then, at a party, Gatsby pulled Jordan aside – and all the pieces snapped into place. Daisy and Gatsby were in love. But when he went to war something happened. Daisy was miserable, and she married Tom and had a child. Upon his return, Gatsby – still in love – bought a mansion on Long Island where he could stare across the bay at the Buchanans’ home.

Now, Gatsby wants to know if Nick can arrange a date. He knows Daisy is a relative, so he hopes that Nick will invite her to his bungalow for tea – thereby setting up the possibility for Gatsby to stop by. Nick agrees to help.

Analysis

Let’s take a moment to briefly interrupt the narrative and have a look at what’s happened so far.

The early chapters of the book offer a lot of world-building. Through Nick’s eyes, we see what life was like in and around New York City and Long Island in the early 1920s. We have the very wealthy clique, who are the Buchanans and Gatsby. We have Nick sitting in the white-collar middle class. And then we have the Wilsons, who live and work at their gas station, as representatives of the working class. Everyone, no matter their station in life, seems to long for the distraction that booze, music, and partying can provide.

We also see how these different classes interact – often through romances, affairs, and what they covet. Tom is having an affair with Myrtle Wilson and basically takes advantage of her desire to be away from her husband and the gas station. Tom feels entitled, and the way he takes Daisy for granted is rather reprehensible.

Meanwhile, just as Myrtle Wilson longs to be with Tom, Gatsby longs to be with Daisy. One of the strongest themes in the book is jealousy, which is often signified by the color green – jealousy is the green-eyed monster. Most significantly, there’s the green light that marks the dock behind Daisy's house. It represents that thing we all long for but can’t have.

At this point, Gatsby is still something of a mystery, even though we’ve learned about his previous relationship with Daisy. Gatsby and Daisy were in love, but something kept them apart – what was it? In the next section, we’ll find out.

A funeral for James Gatz

The meeting between Gatsby and Daisy has gotten off to a rocky start. Gatsby is nervous and fumbling – panicky even. No one is really at ease. But eventually, Nick leaves the two of them alone and stands outside. With nothing else to do, he stares at Gatsby’s huge estate for half an hour, watching the servants prepare for another big night.

When Nick walks back into his bungalow, the air of nervous embarrassment is gone. Daisy looks like she’s been crying, but the two of them seem close and once again connected.

They all walk over to Gatsby’s house and are given a more personal tour. He shows off everything: his closet full of clothes, the impressive library, the swimming pool. He obviously wants to impress Daisy – and, for the most part, it seems to work. The two of them can’t take their eyes off each other, which makes Nick feel like an uncomfortable third wheel.

When the tour reaches Gatsby’s bedroom, there are two interesting photographs. The first is of a man by the name of Dan Cody, who’s wearing a yachting outfit. The second is of an 18-year-old Gatsby, who’s also decked out in yachting apparel. Gatsby only mentions that Dan Cody passed away some time ago. This, Nick will soon find out, is only the beginning of the story. Cody was the man who changed Gatsby’s life. Without him, there literally wouldn’t be a Jay Gatsby.

But first, Gatsby invites both Daisy and Tom to one of his parties. Tom can see that there’s something going on between Gatsby and his wife, and he makes a point of getting to the bottom of Gatsby’s fortune. He suspects that he comes from new money, as opposed to inherited wealth. But it’s Nick, not Tom, who sees Daisy and Gatsby kiss as the party winds to a close. In his eyes, when their lips meet, it’s like a mystical incantation made complete.

It also becomes apparent that Gatsby has only been throwing the lavish parties for one reason: to summon Daisy. It takes some time before she arrives, but once she does, the parties come to an end.

Before the summer is over, Nick, Jordan, Gatsby, Daisy, and Tom get together. It’s a brutally hot day. They sit drinking for a little while, until the idea of driving into the city comes up. Why not get a hotel room, open all the windows, and have some fun and relief from the heat? So they pack up and drive out – Daisy and Gatsby in one car, Tom, Jordan, and Nick in another.

But when they get to the hotel, things only become more heated. The weather and the alcohol pushes the situation to its boiling point. Gatsby announces that he and Daisy are in love – that they have been for five years. Tom is naturally appalled, even though he’s been having an affair of his own. Finally, Tom reveals that he’s dug into Gatsby’s past and has found that he works with a high-level criminal in New York City – and that his money is dirty.

The argument reaches an impasse, and everyone agrees to drive back home. And this is when tragedy strikes. Daisy and Gatsby are driving ahead of the other car. As they pass the gas station, Myrtle Wilson runs into the road to try and flag them down, thinking Tom is driving. Unable to stop or swerve out the way, the car hits – and kills – Myrtle.

But the car doesn’t stop. Daisy is driving, and in a panic, she just keeps going. Not long afterward, the other car with Nick, Tom, and Jordan arrive on the scene. Quickly, Tom realizes that his mistress has been killed. Then Myrtle’s husband, George, describes the color of the car that sped by, leading Tom to believe that Gatsby was the driver.

Nick immediately goes to see Gatsby, who explains that Daisy was the one behind the wheel. But he also says he’ll take the blame.

This is when Nick finally hears the full story about Gatsby’s past. He learns that Gatsby’s family was from North Dakota – and far from rich. In fact, Gatsby isn’t even his real name. He was born James Gatz, and he spent much of his adolescence working odd jobs for meager pay – until, one day, he met Dan Cody. Cody had made a fortune in mining copper. He took a liking to young Gatz and hired him to help on his yacht. Gatz worked his way up from steward to skipper and eventually became Cody’s trusted second hand. After five years at sea, Cody died and left Gatz $25,000. It was then that Jay Gatsby was born.

Still, Gatsby knew that this money wasn’t enough to win Daisy. That was the problem. Daisy came from such a well-off family that Gatsby knew he needed to be rich before he could marry the love of his life. It took him five years to build that fortune, but that’s what he did – and he did it all for Daisy.

After Gatsby explains all this to Nick, George Wilson appears at Gatsby’s estate, gun in hand. He shoots Gatsby, sending his body splashing into the pool. He then walks away and shoots himself on the front lawn.

It’s a sudden and violent mess. As quickly as everyone flocked to Gatsby’s parties, they now seem to have disappeared; no one wants anything to do with him. Gatsby is tarnished by the false accusation of killing Myrtle Wilson. People used to whisper rumors that he’d killed someone – and yet no one had a problem accepting his party invitations. Now, without the lure of glamour, no one is willing to accept Nick’s invitations to attend Gatsby’s funeral.

Even Daisy doesn’t so much as send a note. Only a few servants and Gatsby’s father, Henry Gatz, show up for the funeral. At least his father is proud of him. He tells Nick about how Jimmy always knew that success and greatness awaited him. In a way, he was right. But what a cost he had to pay.

This is where the story ends, with Nick deciding to head back West – back home.

Analysis

Before leaving, Nick stares across the bay at the green light, trying to make sense of this tragic tale. In doing so, we get a pretty good summation of what the book is all about.

Nick thinks about the green light as something uniquely American. You can see it as the new world calling from across the water. You can also see it as the American Dream – a promise of fulfillment that always stays just out of reach.

The Americans went as far west as they could, and then they started going back to cities in the East, looking for fame and riches. But what does money really buy? To Nick, it doesn’t seem at all like happiness or anything of lasting value. He recognizes how hollow it can be – and how quickly people can turn on you. It makes Nick long for the humble comforts of his midwestern upbringing. He sees that, in some ways, you can’t escape your past. He could buy the biggest mansion and throw the biggest parties, but he’d still be Jimmy Gatz from North Dakota. Or, as Nick puts it, “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

Final Summary

The Great Gatsby takes place in a very upscale area of Long Island, New York. Jay Gatsby has purchased a mansion that is situated directly across the bay from his lost love, Daisy, who is now married to Tom Buchanan. Gatsby wasn’t rich enough to marry Daisy five years ago, but now he tries to win her back with his riches. Daisy has never stopped loving Gatsby, but after an argument with her husband, Daisy accidentally kills Tom’s mistress in a driving accident. Gatsby takes the blame, and the mistress’s husband kills Gatsby and himself. Only a few people attend Gatsby’s funeral – underlying the message that for all the effort we spend chasing money and the immediate pleasures it provides, it can’t buy us meaningful friendships or love.

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What is The Great Gatsby about?

The Great Gatsby (1925) tells the tale of a tragic romance set against a Roaring Twenties backdrop of hedonism and excess. It's considered a defining work of America’s Jazz Age and the time leading up to the Great Depression. With sales surpassing 30 million copies worldwide, it’s among the twentieth century’s most enduring novels.

The Great Gatsby Review

The Great Gatsby (1925) by F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the decadence and disillusionment of the Roaring Twenties. Here's why this book is worth a read:

Immerse yourself in the lavish jazz age parties and the opulent lifestyle of the rich, as Fitzgerald vividly portrays the excesses of the time.
Through the mysterious and enigmatic character of Jay Gatsby, the novel delves into the themes of love, obsession, and the American Dream.
Fitzgerald's masterful storytelling and prose capture the essence of the era and transport readers to a world of glamour, ambition, and tragedy.

Who should read The Great Gatsby?

Lovers of classic literature
Fans of 1920s glitz and glamour
Anyone interested in the mythology of the American Dream

About the Author

F. Scott Fitzgerald was an influential novelist and short story writer. His writing’s popularity declined during his lifetime, but there was a resurgence of interest following his death in 1940. Since then, his work has been widely celebrated by readers and critics alike. His other novels include This Side of Paradise and Tender is the Night.

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