The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A classic American novel set in the Jazz Age, exploring themes of wealth, love, and the American Dream through the eyes of narrator Nick Carraway and his mysterious neighbor Jay Gatsby.
About This Book
Complete Plot Summary
Comprehensive overview of the entire story from beginning to end
Set in the summer of 1922, The Great Gatsby follows Nick Carraway, a young bond salesman who moves to West Egg, Long Island. He becomes neighbors with the mysterious and wealthy Jay Gatsby, who throws lavish parties at his mansion in hopes of attracting his lost love, Daisy Buchanan.
Nick, who is Daisy's cousin, lives across the bay in the more fashionable East Egg with her husband, Tom Buchanan. As Nick becomes drawn into their world of wealth and privilege, he discovers the dark underbelly of the American Dream and witnesses the tragic consequences of Gatsby's obsessive pursuit of the past.
The novel explores themes of social class, the corruption of the American Dream, and the impossibility of recapturing the past. Through the eyes of Nick Carraway, Fitzgerald paints a portrait of the Jazz Age that is both glittering and deeply disillusioning.
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The story builds to a tragic climax involving a car accident, mistaken identity, and murder, ultimately revealing the moral bankruptcy of the wealthy elite and the futility of Gatsby's dream. The novel ends with Nick's famous reflection on being "borne back ceaselessly into the past," capturing the central theme of the impossibility of escaping history.
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What You'll Learn
- The complete plot structure and major events
- Character motivations and relationships
- Key themes and their development throughout the story
- Historical and social context of the story
- Symbolic elements and their meanings