PlotOverview
TheGreatGatsbytookplaceinthe20s
wherethestoryistoldfromNick.Nickhadjust
movedtoNewYorktolearnmoreabout
business.Hegetsahousewhichislocatedin
LongIslandandithappenstobebenexttoJay
Gatsbyshouse,itwasabighouse.Jayloveda
girlnamedDaisywhichhappenedtobeNicks
cousin.DaisywasmarriedtoTomwhohad
beencheatingonDaisy.Nickfoundsoutabout
Tomandhislover,Myrtle,becauseofhis
relationshipwithJordan.AstimegoesonNick
getsinvitedtoGatsbyspartieswhichhappen
everySaturdayevening,whatNickdoesnot
knowisthatthepurposeofthispartyisfor
Daisytonoticethemandgetcuriousaboutthem
sothatwayshewillbeattractedtoGatsby.Nick
planstoinviteDaisyovertohishousetohave
teaandtohaveJaysurprisethemthatwayJay
andDaisycouldbetogether.Aftertheyhavetea
theynoticetheybothhavefeelingsforeach
otherandtheybegintohaveanaffair.Later
theybothagreetotellTombutsomething
happensintheprocessandDaisyishaving
secondthoughts.Alltheseeventswillleadto
DaisyandJaybeingtogetherliketheywantto
orgobacktotheirnormallives.
AbouttheAuthor
NovelNotes
TheGreatGatsbywaswrittenbyFScott
Fitzgerald.Hewasbornin1896andwhilehe
wasgrowinguphewasareallyspoiled.Ashe
F.ScottFitzgerald
wasgrowinguphehadanimageofgoingto
PrincetonUniversitybuthefailedatit.The
GreatGatsbywaswrittenwhenhewasliving
LeslyCruz
inEurope,inParis.LaterhimandZelda,who
happenedtobehiswife,startedtohave
5/17/16
problems.Hebecameanalcoholicbecauseof
thecurrentsituationwithhiswife.Alotofhis
moneywasforhospitalswherehiswifewould
stay.Laterhiswifewasputintoamental
EssentialQuotes
hospitalafterherschizophreniastarted.In1940
hesufferedofaheartattackanddied,hehad
Gatsby,hishandsstillinhispockets,was
admittedthathewasafailedmanandbroken
recliningagainstthemantelpieceinastrained
man.
counterfeitofperfectease,evenofboredom
(Fitzgerald91)
Iwasntactuallyinlove,butIfeltasortof
tendercuriosity(62)
HistoricalContext
The20smostknownastheroaringtwenties
wasaneraofsocialchangeandverydramatic
changesaswell.Mostamericanslivedinfarms
butaftertheeconomygrewabittheystartedto
becomemorefamiliarwiththesamemusic,
"F.ScottFitzgerald."
Bio.com
.A&ENetworks
dancesandtheystartedtheirownslang.The
Television,n.d.Web.19May2016.
womanstartedtodressdifferentwithshorter
dressesaswellasshorterhaircuts.Theyalso
PBS
.PBS,n.d.Web.19May2016.
startedtosmokeanddrinkwhichbackthenwas
consideredunladylike
TheGreatGatsby
CharacterAnalysis
Themes
MotifsandSymbols
Jay
JayGatsbywasawealthymanwhowas
deeplyinlovewithDaisy.Hedidanythingto
catchherattention,buyahouseinfrontofhers,
throwpartieseverysaturdayandwaswillingto
doanythingforhisbelovedDaisy.Hewas
consideredmysteriousbecausenobodyknew
whathehaddonebeforetheyjustknewhe
threwparties.
Daisy
DaisywasmarriedtoTombutinsideshe
stilllovedGatsby.HerandJayhadhada
romancebeforeshewasmarried,whenJay
camebackhefoundoutshewasalready
married.WhentheymetatNicksteagathering
theybothfelltheconnection.
Tom
TomwasmarriedtoDaisy,althoughhe
didlovehershewasnottheonlyonehelove.
HehadanaffairwithMyrtlewholivedinabad
andtrashypartofNewYork
Nick
ThestorycomesfromNicksperspective
andhehasarelationshipwithJordan.Nickis
theneighborofJay,hehasrecentlymovedinto
thecitytostudybusiness.HehelpsJayand
Daisygettogetheraftersolongandheisthe
onlyonewhoknowsabouttheaffairbetween
TomandMyrtleandtheaffairofJayandDaisy.
Myrtle
MyrtleisthegirlthatTomwashaving
anaffairwith.Shealsolivesinthebadpartof
NewYork,itistrashy,adump.
Love
AlthoughDaisyandTomareinlove
therearelotsofaffairssurroundingtheir
relationshipbecauseofTomandMyrtleand
DaisyandJay
Money
peoplealwayssaythatmoneycant
buyhappinessandthisthemebacksupthat
sayingbecauseJaythrewsomanygreatand
expensiveparties,healsoboughtabigmansion
andevenwithallthewealthybelongingsDaisy
didnotnoticehimuntilNickintroducedthem
Loyalty
Thecharactersfromthisnoelarenot
veryloyal,theyaremarriedbutbothofthem
cheatsoitreflectsonhowtheyarejusthurting
eachother,justlikemostofthepeoplein
todaystime
Worth
MyrtleshusbanddidnotknowMyrtle
wascheatingonhimjustlikeDaisydidnot
knowTomwascheatingonherandTomdid
notknowDaisywascheatingonhim.Ifall3of
thesecharactershadknowntheywouldhaveset
theirloveasidetonotbeplayed.
Motifs:
TheGreenLight
Thegreenlightisamotiffor
Gatsbyshopesanddreams.Whenhereaches
forthelightinChapter1itislikehe'sreaching
forhisgoal,inthiscaseDaisy.Anotherthingis
whenNickcomparesittoAmericaandsincehe
hadjustmoveditrepresentsnewsettlersand
rising.
TheEyesofDoctorT.J.Eckleburg
Theseare
apairofeyewithspectacleslocatedoverValley
ofAshes,theyarepaintedonanoldadvertising
billboardsign.Thisrepresentsthatsomeoneis
alwayswatchingorjustasareminderthatyou
shouldwatchwhatyoudobeforeitgetsbackto
you(likekarma)
Symbols:
Rain:
WhendaisandJaymeetupagainwhen
Nickinvitesthemtohaveeta,theweather
happenstoberainwhichrepresentshowa
stormisstartingtoapproachbetweentheirlives
Heat:
WhenJayconfrontsTomtheweatheris
reallyhotwhichrepresentsthetensionisthe
roomandhowJayishotintheheadan
