Hello and welcome to the Discourse. The Great Gatsby is considered the best novel by Scott Fitzgerald that was published in 1925. Like his other novels, this novel was also inspired by the incidences of his own life and was based on his own youthful romance with socialite Ginevra King. The story depicts the moral deterioration of the Jazz Age and is set on Long Island near New York City. The novel tells the tragic story of Jay Gatsby, a self-made millionaire, and his pursuit of Daisy Buchanan, a wealthy young married woman whom he loved in his youth. The novel is written as a first-person narrative and depicts the interactions of enigmatic millionaire Jay Gatsby with Nick Carraway (the narrator). Fitzgerald himself was enamored by Ginevra but failed to marry her because of the differences between their economic class. The same class clash is depicted in this novel too. In 1998, the Modern Library selected The Great Gatsby as the 2nd best English language novel of the 20th century.
Characters:
Nick Carraway is the first-person narrator of the novel. He is a World War I veteran belonging to a rich Minnesota family. He is a Harvard graduate who visits New York City to learn more about Bond Business. He is the cousin of Daisy Buchanan. Jay Gatsby is the titular protagonist of the novel. His real name is James Gatz; he was born in North Dakota to an impoverished farming family. While serving in the Army in World War I, Gatsby met Daisy Fay (now Daisy Buchanan) and fell passionately in love with her. However, he could not marry her because she belonged to a well-to-do family while he was poor. He worked his way out to high society through hard work and some mysterious works with the help of a millionaire. Gradually, he became acquainted with the people of high society but lost Daisy as she married someone else. Daisy Buchanan, formerly known as Daisy Fay is Nick’s cousin. She is married to Tom Buchanan. She loved Jay Gatsby and had promised to wait for him until the end of the war, but after meeting Tom Buchanan and comparing his extreme wealth to Gatsby's poverty, she broke her promise. Tom Buchanan is a brutal strong man belonging to a highly rich family. He is sexist and racist. He is a vicious bully, physically menacing both his wife and his mistress. Jordon Baker is Daisy’s long-time friend. She is a golfer who cheated to win her first tournament. George B. Wilson is a listless poor man whose only passion is his love for his cheating wife. Myrtle Wilson is George’s wife. She is an earthy, vital, and voluptuous woman who seeks improvement in her life. She is in an extramarital affair with Tom Buchanan and is jealous of his wife. Meyer Wolfsheim is a notorious underworld criminal figure involved in bootlegging and betting. He is a business associate of Jay Gatsby. He is a jew. He is the only one who feels real grief after the murder of Jay Gatsby.
Summary
The novel begins with Nick Carraway’s monologue
“In my younger and more vulnerable years, my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.
‘Whenever you feel like criticizing any one, he told me, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.'”
Nick is the first-person narrator who is a World War I veteran. Nick was educated at Yale and he belongs to a rich family. Nick is thinking back on his life events that happened in the summer of 1922. Throughout the story he tells, he remains a passive observer offering his perspective about the other characters and events. Nick was from Minnesota and visits his cousin Daisy Buchanan in New York to learn about the bond business. Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan and they live in the posh Long Island District of East Egg. Nick decides to have accommodation in West Egg which is a less fashionable area. People living in East Egg do not consider it a good place to live. There is a certain class clash as even though people living in West Egg are also very rich and successful, they have recently made their money and they lack the usual established social contacts in high society. Tom is also a Yale alumnus who was a football player during his college days. He is a brutal bully who is too much sensitive about class and race. Nick’s cousin Daisy, on the other hand, is a calm lady who appears to be listless as if she is not happy. At Daisy’s home, Nick meets Jordon Baker, a professional golfer who is very cold and cynical by nature. Nick learns that she is the one who cheated in her first tournament. Nick and Jordon make a friendly relationship that soon turns out to be romantic.
Jordon tells Nick that Tom is not loyal to Daisy as he is having an affair with Myrtle Wilson, a woman living in the Valley of Ashes which is an industrial wasteland outside of New York City. Nick then returns to his home at West Egg. He sees Jay Gatsy, his neighbor, gazing at a mysterious green light across the bay. Jay extends his hand towards the light as if he will touch it.
Tom Buchanan takes Nick to New York City to have some fun. On their way, they stop at a garage owned by George Wilson. They meet Wilson and his wife Myrtle in the garage. Nick remembers what Jordon told about Myrtle. Tom tells Myrtle to join them later in the city and then they move out of the garage.
In the city, Tom takes Nick and Myrtle to Morningside Heights. Tom expressively shows that Myrtle is his mistress. Myrtle’s sister Catherine also visits there along with a couple named McKee. All the five enjoy their evening with a lurid party. Nick listens to their gossip. Catherine talks about the mysterious Gatsby living in West Egg. She says that Gatsby has some underworld connections and he is in some relationship with Kaiser Wilheim who was the leader of Germany during the First World War. As Myrtle drinks alcohol, she loses control and becomes aggressive. She starts showing how jealous she is of Daisy and starts taunting Tom about her. Tom also shows a temper and breaks her nose and thus the party comes to an end.
At home, Nick observes that his neighbor Gatsby is fond of throwing extravagant parties. Nick gets an invitation to one such party by Gatsby and he decides to attend it. At the party, Nick meets Jordan Baker who was also invited. Nick sees that while many prominent people attended the party, most of them didn't know who Gatsby was. He had never seen Gatsby before from close. He observes that Gatsby is a handsome young man with an English accent. While Nick and Jordan were talking, Gatsby approaches them and introduces himself. He then asks to speak to Jordan Baker alone. Jay and Jordan talk for quite a long time and then Jordan returns back to Nick. She says that she has learned remarkable news but she cannot share the details with Tom at this time.
A few days later, Jay visits Nick’s house and invites him to lunch. At lunch, he says that he belongs to a rich family in San Francisco and he attended Oxford thus he has an English accent. He tells him that like Nick, he joined the army during World War I. While Jay speaks with confidence, Nick feels that something is fishy about all this. Gatsby introduces Nick to his business associate Meyer Wolfsheim who is an underworld criminal with possible links to the 1919 World Series Fixing case.
Nick observes that while Gatsby continues to arrange parties, he mysteriously avoids inviting Buchanans. Later on, Nick learns the reason for this from Jordan Baker. Jordan tells him that Gatsby had been in love with Daisy Buchanan when they met in Louisville before the war. Jordan subtly intimates that he is still in love with her, and she is with him.
Gatsby asks Nick to arrange a meeting between him and Daisy. As Nick agrees, Gatsbycarefully plans his meeting with Daisy and rehearses for it. When Daisy arrives, he attentively welcomes her and offers a tour of his mansion. He flaunts his huge property and wealth. Despite his cold behavior, the love between Daisy and Gatsby reignites and they begin an affair.
Nick continues to know more about Gatsby and he learns that he was born James Gatz in North Dakota, but had his name legally changed at the age of seventeen. Nick learns that James Gatz was a poor farmer. Jay fell in love with Daisy who belonged to a rich family. Daisy’s family opposed their relationship because of the class difference between them. Daisy promised to wait for him till he returns from the war but when Daisy met Tom as a suitor, she broke her promise as she had little hope that Jay could ever earn such a huge fortune and decided to marry Tom. After failing in his love life, Jay began a mission to become highly rich and successful and he got the able direction of gold baron Dan Cody who introduced him to the world of wealth, power, and privilege.
One day, Tom accidentally reaches Jay’s mansion while riding his horse and sees Nick and Jay together. He immediately feels a dislike towards Jay as for him, Gatsby belongs to the newly rich group and hence, is a threat to the old order that Tom considers important. Gatsby invites Daisy and Tom to his next party together and Tom and Daisy attend the party. At the party, Tom behaves exceedingly rudely toward Gatsby. Nick learns that Gatsby wants Daisy to leave her husband and reunite with him. Nick feels that Gatsby has a great many qualities, but his worship-like obsessive love for Daisy is his flaw. Nick observes that Gatsby is unable to see Daisy's flaws. He believes that he can undo the past, and forgets that Daisy's essentially small-minded and cowardly nature was what initially caused their separation.
As Daisy shows an inclination to come back to Gatsby, he stops throwing extravagant parties. Nick learns that the only reason Gatsby threw such parties was the chance that Daisy (or someone who knew her) might attend. On the other hand, Daisy feels cheated as she comes to know about Myrtle and Tom’s affair. She invites Gatsby, Jordan, and Nick to her home for lunch. To make Tom feel jealous, she openly shows her affection toward Gatsby. Then she tells Gatsby that she loves him while Tom is in earshot.
Tom himself is having an extramarital affair but he is not able to accept that his wife is in love with someone else. He gets angry and forces the group to drive to the city. During the drive, they stop at Plaza Hotel where Tom and Gatsby argue bitterly. Tom abuses Gatsby and denounces him for his lower birth. He reveals to Daisy that all the huge fortune that Gatsby has earned is a result of illegal activities such as betting and bootlegging. Gatsby begs Daisy to leave Tom and accompany him but Daisy says that her real allegiance is towards her husband and refuses him. Gatsby accepts her decision and asks to drive them back home. Tom says that he will come later and allows Gatsby to drive Daisy back to East Egg. In a way, he shows contempt for Gatsby and expresses his confidence in his wife.
During the drive to East Egg, Gatsby allows Daisy to drive so that she may feel better after his bitter argument with Tom. As they pass through Wilson’s garage, Daisy tries to avoid a collision with another car coming from the opposite side and accidentally ends up hitting Myrtle. Myrtle is fatally wounded and she immediately dies. Gatsby takes the blame for the accident to save Daisy. Nick advises Gatsby to go away from the city to avoid jail. However, Gatsby refuses to go away to ensure tDaisy's safety. Meanwhile, Wilson is too sad after his wife’s death and wishes to avenge her death. Tom meets him and reveals that Gatsby was the driver of the fatal car accident that killed Myrtle. Wilson knew that Myrtle had an affair but he was unaware that she was Tom’s mistress. Wilson believes that the car driver who killed Myrtle must have been her lover. He shoots Gatsby and then commits suicide.
After the murder of Gatsby, the Buchanan family leaves the city to distance themselves from the violence they caused. Jordan Baker also breaks up with Nick and Nick remains alone to arrange for the funeral of Jay Gatsby. He observes that while many people attended the extravagant parties thrown by him, only a few really cared for him. Only Meyer Wolfsheim shows genuine grief. Nick decides to find out about Gatsby’s father Henry Gatz and brings him to the funeral. Henry Gatz reveals a lot and Nick learns about the greatness of Gatsby.
Nick is thoroughly disgusted by life in New York and decides to return to Minnesota. Before returning, he meets Tom Buchanan who tries to justify his actions. Nick says that of all the people he met in New York, only Gatsby was the one who tried hard to change his dreams into reality and that makes him great. He further says that Gatsby’s greatness has no value in current times as greed and dishonesty have irrevocably corrupted both the American Dream and the dreams of individual Americans.
So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the history of American literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards.
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