The Great Gatsby, third novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, published in 1925 by Charles Scribner’s Sons. Set in Jazz Age New York, the novel tells the tragic story of Gatsby, a self-made millionaire, and his pursuit of Daisy Buchanan, a wealthy young woman whom he loved in his youth. Unsuccessful upon publication, the book is now considered a classic of American fiction and has often been called the Great American Novel.
Summary
This is the story of a man named Nick who lives in America in the 1920s. He moved to New York to work as a bond trader and discovers that he lives next to a large mansion occupied by a mysterious man named Gatsby.
Gatsby throws huge parties every night, along with loads of women and alcohol, and when Nick is invited, he learns that Gatsby served in the army as well. However, no one knows how Gatsby became so rich.
Nick reunites with his cousin, Daisy, a flirty young woman who is married to Tom, a wealthy businessman. Tom, on the other hand, is having an affair with Myrtle, the wife of a mechanic.
Nick meets Daisy’s friend Jordan, a young professional golfer, and the two fall in love. In the meantime, Nick and Gatsby become friends, and Gatsby tells Nick about how he inherited his wealth from a yacht owner.
Gatsby also reveals that he knew Daisy when they were younger and that he is still in love with her. In fact, Gatsby secretly watches Daisy from across the lake, where she lives with Tom and her daughter.
When Gatsby and Daisy finally reunite, a flood of emotions returns. They acknowledge their love for each other. To escape the heat, they all drive into town. When Tom finds that Daisy wants to leave him, he gets upset and tells Daisy and Gatsby to drive back home and talk about it. However, Daisy, driving Gatsby’s yellow car, accidentally runs over Myrtle.
Tom then tells the mechanic that it was Gatsby who ran over Myrtle. The mechanic shows up and shoots Gatsby when he is swimming at home. Unfortunately, no one attends Gatsby’s funeral, and Nick, confused and saddened, sells everything and returns to the Midwest.
Analysis
First of all, this novel provides a historical perspective on the 1920s, a fascinating period in American history. We get the vividness of the time, with the lights and glitz that saturated the people. Drinking and parties were to be encouraged rather than discouraged.
It should also be highlighted that expressing this energy and culture through writing is a difficult task. It’s not only saying that there were bright lights and cocktails, but also engaging the reader in a world with subtle reminders of the culture.
Identity is another major theme, as the characters, like real people, have complicated identities that frequently involve deceit. People aren’t who they say they are, as seen by Tom and Myrtle’s affair and Gatsby’s ambiguous history, as Gatsby’s name isn’t even his real name. And as readers, we are reminded of this when Gatsby’s father shows up and corrects Nick, saying his name was “James Gatz.”
There are various theories of how Gatsby became wealthy. Readers learn early on how he had gained his wealth , but are still wondering how he kept it over the years. Even after Gatsby’s death, ambiguous phone calls seem to be coming to the house, which hints at illegal gambling as a source of income for Gatsby.
Nick makes an interesting point regarding parties that may still be relevant today. That, despite the fact that parties happen every weekend, there is a sense of emptiness experienced at parties. This emptiness stems from how easily people may be replaced. That if you go to enough parties, they all start to look the same.
Gatsby also wishes he could travel back in time to when he first met Daisy. And any character who wishes the present were the past, that things were the way they used to be, is doomed. This is a strong literary strategy that many of the best stories use in their tragic characters. So be forewarned, living in the past is dangerous.
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