The Great Gatsby

A Masterpiece of the Jazz Age

Published on April 10, 1925, by Charles Scribner's Sons, The Great Gatsby is a tragedy novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set on Long Island and in New York City during the 1920s, it is widely regarded as the definitive literary expression of the Jazz Age, a term Fitzgerald himself popularized. The novel examines the glittering, reckless world of the newly rich, and its central concerns are love, money, class, and the corruption of the American Dream. Although it received mixed reviews and modest sales during the author's lifetime, it later became one of the most celebrated and studied American novels of the twentieth century, ranking high on lists such as the Modern Library's 100 Best Novels.

Plot Summary

The story is narrated by Nick Carraway, a young man from the Midwest who moves to New York to learn the bond business. He rents a small house in West Egg, next door to the mansion of the enigmatic millionaire Jay Gatsby. Every weekend, Gatsby throws lavish parties attended by hundreds of strangers, yet he himself remains elusive. Nick learns that Gatsby, born James Gatz, was once a poor young officer who fell in love with Nick's cousin, Daisy Buchanan. After World War I separated them, Daisy married the wealthy, arrogant Tom Buchanan, who now has a mistress. Gatsby, convinced that wealth can win Daisy back, has built his fortune—largely through dubious means—and positioned his mansion across the bay from hers, where a green light glows at the end of her dock. With Nick's help, Gatsby and Daisy reunite. Their affair rekindles, but Daisy is no longer the girl Gatsby remembers. Tension escalates during a hot day in New York, and on the drive home, Daisy, at the wheel of Gatsby's car, accidentally kills Tom's mistress, Myrtle Wilson. Gatsby takes the blame to protect her. Tom then tells Myrtle's grieving husband where to find Gatsby, and Gatsby is shot dead in his pool. Nick organizes his funeral, but the people who flooded his parties stay away; even Daisy and Tom have vanished. The novel ends with Nick's reflection on Gatsby's doomed dream and the haunting image of striving toward a future that recedes like the green light.

Themes, Composition, and Legacy

The Great Gatsby explores the hollowness of the upper class, the unattainability of the past, and the destructive power of obsession. Fitzgerald began sketching the novel after attending parties on Long Island's North Shore, and he worked on it slowly, writing in a letter of wanting something "extraordinary, beautiful, simple and intricately patterned." He completed a draft in 1924 while living in the south of France, then rewrote extensively. His editor Maxwell Perkins urged him to clarify the early chapters, and the first edition featured cover art by Francis Cugat. The novel's prose is celebrated for its lyrical precision and symbolic density, especially the recurring image of the green light. Today, The Great Gatsby is a classroom staple, frequently adapted for film and stage, and it remains a powerful critique of the American Dream and a timeless portrait of an era defined by excess and ennui.

About the Author

F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Life of F. Scott Fitzgerald

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, into a family that had seen better days. His father, Edward Fitzgerald, was a failed furniture businessman, and young Scott grew up conscious of social status and money. He was named after Francis Scott Key, the composer of "The Star-Spangled Banner." Thanks to a relative's support, he enrolled at Princeton University in 1913. He neglected formal studies, devoting himself instead to social life, literary clubs, and theater productions, and he contributed to campus publications. He left without a degree, partly due to poor health. In 1917, he joined the army but never saw combat overseas.

Rise and Fall

After the war, he worked as an advertising copywriter while revising a manuscript. In 1920, his first novel, This Side of Paradise, became an immediate sensation, making him the chronicler of the Jazz Age; it also enabled his marriage to Zelda Sayre, a vivacious Southerner who would become his lifelong muse and burden. The couple's extravagant lifestyle, fueled by magazine short stories, kept them in debt and constant motion—New York, Paris, and the Riviera—where he befriended other expatriate writers such as Ernest Hemingway. His second novel, The Beautiful and Damned, appeared in 1922. In 1925 came The Great Gatsby, his third novel, on which he had worked painstakingly while living in the south of France. It was not an immediate bestseller, and its mixed reception deepened Fitzgerald's disappointment. His wife's mental health collapsed in the early 1930s, and she spent years in clinics. Fitzgerald battled alcoholism and financial strain, turning to Hollywood screenwriting for income. In 1934 he published Tender Is the Night, a novel about the decline of an American expatriate couple, but the Depression-era public had little patience for Jazz Age themes. His health deteriorated; he developed tuberculosis in 1936 and died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on December 21, 1940, at forty-four, leaving his final novel, The Last Tycoon, unfinished (published in 1941).

Posthumous Reputation

At his death, many critics dismissed Fitzgerald as a spent talent. Within a few years, however, The Great Gatsby was recognized as a masterwork, and he is now regarded as one of the greatest American novelists of the twentieth century, a leading voice of the Lost Generation and the poet laureate of the Jazz Age.

StoryFlow

Gatsby's Dream of Daisy

Traces Jay Gatsby's obsessive pursuit of Daisy Buchanan, from his youthful romance to the purchase of a mansion across the bay.

The Rekindled Romance

Focuses on the brief but intense revival of Gatsby and Daisy's love affair, from the tea party to the moment of crisis.

The Love Triangle Conflict

Tracks the escalating rivalry between Gatsby and Tom for Daisy's affection, culminating in the Plaza Hotel showdown.

Knowledge Graph

Nick Carraway Jay Gatsby Daisy Buchanan Tom Buchanan Jordan Baker Myrtle Wilson George Wilson Meyer Wolfsheim Dan Cody Owl Eyes Catherine Chester McKee Mrs. McKee Henry C. Gatz Michaelis Pammy Buchanan Ella Kaye

Knowledge Graph

Storylines

Spring 1922

Nick Carraway decides to go East

After returning from World War I, Nick Carraway feels restless in the Middle West and decides to go East to learn the bond business. His father agrees to finance him for a year, and Nick moves to New York, renting a small house in West Egg, Long Island, next to the mysterious Jay Gatsby's enormous mansion. This decision sets the entire story in motion, as Nick becomes the narrator and central observer of the summer's events.

early summer 1922

Nick dines with the Buchanans

Nick drives to East Egg to have dinner with his cousin Daisy Buchanan and her husband Tom. At their elegant mansion, he meets Jordan Baker, a professional golfer. The dinner reveals tensions in the Buchanan marriage: Tom receives a phone call from his mistress, and Daisy's voice carries a restless, magnetic quality. Tom expounds on racist theories from a book, and Daisy expresses cynical views about life. The evening ends with Nick learning from Jordan that Tom has a woman in New York.

early summer 1922, after dinner at the Buchanans'

Nick sees Gatsby reaching for the green light

Returning home late at night, Nick sees Gatsby standing on his lawn, stretching his arms toward the dark water. Nick looks seaward and sees only a single green light at the end of a dock, minute and far away. When he looks again, Gatsby has vanished. This moment introduces the green light as a symbol of Gatsby's longing and his connection to Daisy, whose dock across the bay holds that light.

a few days before the Fourth of July, 1922

Tom Buchanan introduces Nick to his mistress Myrtle

On a train to New York, Tom Buchanan forces Nick to get off at the Valley of Ashes, a desolate industrial wasteland. He takes Nick to George Wilson's garage, where Tom's mistress Myrtle Wilson lives with her husband. Tom and Myrtle arrange to meet in New York, and Nick accompanies them. The Valley of Ashes, with the looming eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, becomes a key symbolic landscape.

afternoon and evening of the same day

Party at Myrtle's Apartment

Tom, Nick, and Myrtle go to a small apartment in New York that Tom keeps for their affair. Myrtle buys a dog and changes into an elaborate dress, becoming haughty and affected. Her sister Catherine and neighbors the McKees arrive. The party becomes drunken and chaotic; Myrtle boasts about her affair, and Tom breaks her nose when she repeatedly shouts Daisy's name. Nick, drunk, later finds himself in the Pennsylvania Station waiting for a train.

a Saturday night in midsummer 1922

Gatsby's First Party

Nick receives a formal invitation to one of Gatsby's legendary parties. He attends and finds a lavish, chaotic scene with hundreds of guests, an orchestra, and endless champagne. He meets Jordan Baker again, and they hear rumors about Gatsby—that he killed a man, was a German spy, or attended Oxford. Nick finally meets Gatsby himself, who introduces himself with a disarming smile and calls him 'old sport.' Gatsby is called away to a phone call from Chicago.

late that same night

Car Accident After Gatsby's Party

As Nick leaves Gatsby's party, he witnesses a car accident: a new coupe has lost a wheel in a ditch. The driver, Owl Eyes, is bewildered and explains he wasn't driving—another man is in the car. A drunken passenger emerges from the wreck, and a crowd gathers. Nick walks home, glancing back to see Gatsby standing alone on his porch, his hand raised in farewell. The scene underscores the recklessness and emptiness behind Gatsby's glamour.

late July 1922

Gatsby tells Nick his background story

Gatsby invites Nick to lunch in New York, driving his cream-colored car. On the way, Gatsby nervously tells Nick about his past: he claims to be the son of wealthy Midwesterners, educated at Oxford, and a war hero who received decorations from every Allied government, including Montenegro. He shows Nick a medal and a photograph from Oxford. Though Nick is skeptical, the evidence seems authentic. Gatsby hints that he needs Nick's help with a personal matter.

later that same day

Gatsby introduces Nick to Meyer Wolfsheim

At lunch in a Forty-second Street cellar, Gatsby introduces Nick to Meyer Wolfsheim, a small, flat-nosed man with cuff buttons made of human molars. Wolfsheim reminisces about the shooting of Rosy Rosenthal at the old Metropole. After Wolfsheim leaves, Gatsby reveals that he fixed the 1919 World's Series. Nick is staggered by the implication that one man could manipulate the faith of millions. The meeting reveals Gatsby's connection to organized crime.

later that afternoon, at the Plaza Hotel

Gatsby asks Jordan Baker to arrange a meeting with Daisy

Jordan Baker tells Nick the story of Daisy and Gatsby's past romance in Louisville in 1917. Daisy was a popular young debutante, and Gatsby, a lieutenant, fell deeply in love with her. After Gatsby went to war, Daisy married Tom Buchanan, though she nearly called off the wedding after receiving a letter from Gatsby. Jordan reveals that Gatsby bought his mansion in West Egg specifically to be across the bay from Daisy, and he wants Nick to invite Daisy to tea so he can see her again.

a few days later

Gatsby asks Nick to invite Daisy to tea

Nick agrees to invite Daisy to tea at his house, allowing Gatsby to 'accidentally' drop by. Gatsby is nervous and offers Nick a business opportunity, which Nick declines. The plan is set for the day after tomorrow. Nick calls Daisy and invites her, warning her not to bring Tom. The stage is set for the reunion that Gatsby has been planning for five years.

a rainy afternoon, a few days later

Gatsby and Daisy's Reunion

On the appointed day, it rains heavily. Gatsby sends a gardener to cut Nick's grass and fills the house with flowers. He arrives, pale and nervous. When Daisy arrives, Gatsby disappears, then reappears, and the initial meeting is awkward. Nick leaves them alone for half an hour. When he returns, Gatsby is glowing with happiness, and Daisy has tears on her face. The rain stops, and Gatsby insists on showing Daisy his mansion.

later that same afternoon

Gatsby shows Daisy his mansion

Gatsby gives Daisy a tour of his opulent house, including a Marie Antoinette music room, a Merton College Library, and his own bedroom with a gold toilet set. He throws piles of shirts before her—linen, silk, and flannel—and Daisy cries, overwhelmed by their beauty. They look out at the rain and the green light on her dock. Gatsby shows her clippings about her that he has collected. The afternoon ends with Klipspringer playing the piano while Gatsby and Daisy sit together, lost in each other.

age 17, around 1907

James Gatz changes his name to Jay Gatsby

Nick reveals Gatsby's true origins: he was born James Gatz to shiftless farm parents in North Dakota. At seventeen, he changed his name to Jay Gatsby, a Platonic conception of himself as a son of God. The name change occurred at the moment he saw Dan Cody's yacht drop anchor on Lake Superior. Gatsby rowed out to warn Cody of a storm, and Cody took him on as a protégé, beginning Gatsby's transformation.

age 17, around 1907

Gatsby rows out to Dan Cody's yacht

Gatsby, then James Gatz, sees Dan Cody's yacht anchored on Lake Superior. He borrows a rowboat and informs Cody that a wind might break up his boat. Impressed by Gatsby's ambition and quickness, Cody takes him on as a personal assistant. Gatsby serves Cody for five years as steward, mate, skipper, and secretary, learning the ways of wealth and adventure. Cody's death leaves Gatsby with a legacy of $25,000, which he never receives due to legal machinations by Ella Kaye.

1917-1918

Gatsby serves in World War I

Gatsby serves in the American army during World War I. He becomes a captain before going to the front, and after the Argonne battles, he is promoted to major and given command of the divisional machine-guns. He earns decorations from several Allied governments. His war service is a key part of his self-invention, providing him with a heroic past and a uniform that allows him to enter Daisy's world.

1919

Gatsby studies at Oxford after the war

After the Armistice, Gatsby is sent to Oxford University for five months as part of a program for officers. This experience gives him the veneer of an Oxford education, which he later uses to bolster his persona. While at Oxford, he receives Daisy's letter announcing her marriage to Tom Buchanan, a devastating blow that fuels his determination to win her back.

a Saturday night in August 1922

Tom and Daisy attend Gatsby's party

Tom Buchanan, suspicious of Daisy's activities, accompanies her to one of Gatsby's parties. Daisy is fascinated by the celebrities and the glamour, but Tom is contemptuous and dismissive. Gatsby dances with Daisy, and they sit alone on Nick's steps. Tom's presence casts a shadow over the evening, and Daisy is ultimately appalled by the raw, vulgar energy of West Egg. After the party, Gatsby is depressed, feeling that Daisy didn't enjoy herself.

a broiling hot day, late summer 1922

Gatsby confronts Tom Buchanan at the Plaza Hotel

On the hottest day of the summer, Daisy, Tom, Gatsby, Nick, and Jordan go to the Plaza Hotel in New York. In a suite, Gatsby forces a confrontation, telling Tom that Daisy never loved him and that she loves Gatsby. Daisy admits she loved both, but Gatsby insists she never loved Tom. Tom exposes Gatsby's criminal background as a bootlegger and associate of Meyer Wolfsheim. Daisy recoils, and Gatsby's dream begins to shatter. Tom, triumphant, sends Daisy home with Gatsby.

later that same afternoon

Daisy hits and kills Myrtle Wilson with Gatsby's car

Driving Gatsby's yellow car back to East Egg, Daisy, who is at the wheel, accidentally hits and kills Myrtle Wilson, who had run into the road. Gatsby takes the blame, telling Nick that he will say he was driving. The car does not stop. Myrtle's husband, George Wilson, is devastated and becomes obsessed with finding the owner of the yellow car. The accident sets in motion the tragic climax of the novel.

that evening

Gatsby takes the blame for Myrtle's death

After the accident, Gatsby waits outside the Buchanan mansion, watching over Daisy. He tells Nick that Daisy was driving but that he will claim responsibility. He is determined to protect Daisy, even at the cost of his own life. Nick urges Gatsby to leave town, but Gatsby refuses, clinging to the hope that Daisy will leave Tom for him. Gatsby's vigil is a poignant symbol of his unwavering devotion and his tragic blindness to Daisy's true nature.

the next day, early afternoon

George Wilson shoots and kills Jay Gatsby

George Wilson, believing Gatsby killed Myrtle, traces the yellow car to Gatsby's mansion. He finds Gatsby floating on a pneumatic mattress in the swimming pool. Wilson shoots Gatsby dead, then turns the gun on himself. The murder-suicide is discovered by Nick, the chauffeur, the butler, and the gardener. Gatsby's death marks the end of his dream and the culmination of the novel's tragedy.

the days following Gatsby's death

Nick Carraway arranges Gatsby's funeral

Nick takes responsibility for Gatsby's funeral. He tries to contact Daisy, but she and Tom have left without an address. Meyer Wolfsheim refuses to attend, citing his rule of non-involvement. Klipspringer, the boarder, calls not to offer condolences but to ask for his tennis shoes. Gatsby's father, Henry C. Gatz, arrives from Minnesota, proud of his son's achievements. The funeral is sparsely attended; only Nick, Mr. Gatz, the minister, a few servants, and the owl-eyed man are present.

late October 1922

Nick Carraway confronts Tom Buchanan about Wilson's visit

Months after Gatsby's death, Nick encounters Tom Buchanan on Fifth Avenue. Nick confronts Tom, who admits he told George Wilson that Gatsby owned the yellow car, effectively sending Wilson to kill Gatsby. Tom shows no remorse, claiming Gatsby got what he deserved. Nick realizes that Tom and Daisy are careless people who smash things and retreat into their money. This confrontation solidifies Nick's disillusionment with the East.

autumn 1922

Jordan Baker and Nick Carraway break up

Before leaving the East, Nick meets Jordan Baker to end their relationship. Jordan accuses Nick of throwing her over on the telephone, and Nick admits he is too old to lie to himself. They part with a sense of mutual disappointment. The breakup marks Nick's final severance from the world of the Buchanans and Gatsby, and his return to the moral clarity of the Midwest.

autumn 1922

Nick Carraway decides to return to the Midwest

After Gatsby's death, the East becomes haunted for Nick. He decides to return to the Midwest, feeling that the story of Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, and Jordan is ultimately a story of the West. On his last night, he visits Gatsby's empty mansion and walks to the beach. He reflects on Gatsby's dream and the green light, concluding that we all beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. This final meditation gives the novel its enduring philosophical resonance.