The+Great+Gatsby

-Nick Carraway moves from Minnesota to New York’s West Egg district of Long Island. -Nick goes to the East Egg to have dinner with his cousin, Daisy Buchanan, and her husband, Tom. He is introduced to Jordan who is his romantic interest in the novel. -Nick learns that Tom has a lover in the city, Myrtle, and he also learns of his great capacity for anger when Tom breaks Myrtle’s nose. -Nick is invited to Gatsby, his neighbor’s party, there he meets Gatsby. He finds out that Gatsby is in love with daisy and that his entire life style is an attempt to woo Daisy back to him. -Nick sets invites both Daisy and Gatsby over for tea, and the two of them reunite. -Tom grows suspicious of Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship - Tom confronts Gatsby about his involvement with Daisy and an argument ensues, Daisy chooses Tom over Gatsby - On the way home from the city, Myrtle is struck and killed by Gatsby’s car, driven by Daisy - Gatsby takes the fall for Daisy, Myrtle’s husband, George, assumes that the killer of Myrtle was also her lover. Based on this assumption he goes over to Gatsby’s house shooting Gatsby and himself. -Nick is one of the few to attend Gatsby’s funeral. He decides to leave the city back to the Midwest and breaks up with Jordan.
 * Plot Events **:


 * Characters **:
 * Nick Carraway - the narrator, graduated from New Haven 1915, served in the Great War, moved from the Midwest to the East in 1922 to learn the bond business, lives on West Egg (part of Long Island). As a narrator, Nick partakes less in the action and more in the telling of the story.
 * Jay Gatsby - protagonist and tragic hero, lives in mansion next to Nick, is incredibly wealthy, hosts extraordinary parties that bring in huge crowds (of people both invited and who just show up). Gatsby is a very mysterious character because no one knows how he got rich; some rumors say he was a bootlegger, a German spy in the war, and that he killed a man. Gatsby is in love with Daisy Buchanan and has acquired all his wealth in order to win her back.
 * Tom Buchanan - lives on East Egg, wealthy, 30 years old, has arrogant eyes and a gruff voice. Having an affair with Myrtle Wilson in New York.
 * Daisy Buchanan - Tom's husband and Nick's second cousin once removed. She has a sad face, bright eyes and mouth, and a low thrilling voice. She fell in love with Gatsby but married Tom when Gatsby went off to war. Has an affair with Gatsby.
 * Jordan Baker - staying with Tom and Daisy, is an athlete. Nick starts dating her, but remembers that she cheated in a golf tournament.
 * Myrtle Wilson - Tom's mistress in New York, married to George Wilson
 * George Wilson - Myrt's wife, owns an auto shop, a regular guy who is not very astonishing. He kills Gatsby and then himself

New York City, Long Island (West Egg and East Egg), 1920s, during the summer West Egg- The west side of Long Island where Jay and Gatsby live. It is a wealthy area, but still less fashionable and more "new money." East Egg- Across from West Egg where Daisy and Tom Buchanan live. It is more distinguished and upscale.
 * Setting **:


 * Symbols **:
 * the green light - Gatsby looks out across the sea to East Egg and reaches towards the green light on the Buchanan's dock. ... The green light represents Daisy, and Gatsby's love for her. Also, as the color green also stands for envy and wealth, it can be seen as a symbol of Gatsby's envy towards Tom, since he was the one to marry Daisy because Tom was wealthy when Gatsby was not.
 * the ash heap- represents the moral and social decay as cause by greed & wealth and it also symbolizes the plight of the poor
 * Doctor T.J. Eckleberg- his eyes represent God staring down upon society and judging it as a moral wasteland
 * Color: White as a symbol of purity while yellow represents corruption, maybe greed. Ironically the character Daisy, who though beautiful is morally corrupt, is named after a flower that is white on the outside with a yellow core.


 * Images **:

The ash heap- It is a sandy wasteland between Long Island and the city where there is only a train stop and three buildings, one of which is George Wilson's gas station.

Doctor T.J. Eckleberg- This is a billboard advertisement with a huge pair of bespectacled eyes staring across the ash heap. Wilson points to it and says, "God sees everything," before the murders.

The American Dream – The “Great” Gatsby puts on his parties in the vain attempt to attract Daisy’s attention. This pursuit of Daisy represents the American Dream, where by a man’s hard work he can achieve his goals. The portrayal of Gatsby also helps to establish the idea of the American Dream, as Nick (and the reader) learns about Gatsby and his wealth far before ever meeting him. The inflection of wealth and power onto Gatsby, a man who had to lie about his family to convince Daisy that he was worthy of her, contributes to the aura of American perseverance that embodies the “Great” man and speaks about the American Dream.
 * Themes **:

The pursuit of the American Dream often leads in one's demise.

Social Class structure: West Egg and East Egg represent the old and new "money" of America. West Egg, portrayed as tasteless and vulgar, symbolize the new upper class. East Egg represents the old aristocracy, which is portrayed as elegant and having taste, but also heartless, inconsiderate, and arrogant. The actions of the East and West Eggers reflect these qualities. Gatsby, for example, gained his wealth illegally, but he was loyal and sincere, which lead to his death in the end.

Racism: Tom, through his dinnertime comments, is found to be a white supremicist. However, this contributes to the Buchanon's moral corruption as sensed by the reader.

The Weather constantly corresponds with the mood of the novel. It rains during Gatsby and Daisy's reunion; the sun shines when they begin to love each other again; Gatsby and Tom fight on the hottest day when the sun is bright.
 * Structural Elements **: