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.