This is a story about a man named Nick who
is living in America in the 1920s.
He moves to New York to become a bond trader
and finds that he lives next to a large mansion
occupied by a mysterious man named Gatsby.
Gatsby has wild parties every night with lots
of women and alcohol and when Nick is invited,
he learns that Gatsby had also been in the
army.
However, no one really knows how Gatsby got
rich.
Nick reunites with his cousin, Daisy, a flirtatious
young woman who is married to Tom, a rich
businessman.
However, Tom is having an affair with a mechanic's
wife, Myrtle.
Nick meets Daisy's friend, Jordan, a young
professional golfer, and they form a romantic
relationship.
Meanwhile, Nick and Gatsby become friends
and Gatsby shares how he inherited his wealth
from a yacht owner.
It's also revealed that Gatsby had known Daisy
when they were younger and he is still in
love with her.
In fact, Gatsby secretly watches Daisy from
across the lake, as Daisy lives there with
Tom and her daughter.
Gatsby and Daisy finally meet and a flood
of emotions come back.
They admit their love for each other.
To escape the heat, they all drive into town.
Tom finds out Daisy wants to leave him and
gets upset, telling Daisy and Gatsby to drive
back home where they will discuss it.
However, Daisy, driving Gatsby's yellow car,
runs over Myrtle by accident.
Tom then tells the mechanic that it was Gatsby
who ran over Myrtle.
As Gatsby is swimming at home, the mechanic
shows up and shoots him.
Sadly, no one shows up to Gatsby's funeral
and Nick, confused and saddened, sells everything
and moves back to the Midwest.
First of all, this story presents a historical
snapshot of the 1920s, an interesting time
in American history.
We get the vividness of the time, with the
lights and glamour that saturated the people.
Drinking, parties, and sex were to be celebrated,
not condemned.
And it should be noted that to express this
energy and culture through writing is a difficult
task.
It's simply not just saying that there were
bright lights and cocktails, but emerging
a reader in this world with subtle reminders
of the culture.
Identity is also an important theme, as characters,
as with real people, have complex identities
that often involve deceit.
People are not who they say they are: Tom
and Myrtle having an affair and the ambiguous
history of Gatsby, as Gatsby's name isn't
even his real name.
And we, as readers, are reminded of this when
his father shows up and corrects Nick, saying
that his name was "James Gatz."
There are several explanations given to us
as to how Gatsby became wealthy.
Readers learn early on how he had gained his
wealth, but are still left wondering how that
wealth had been maintained over the years.
Ambiguous phone calls seem to be coming to
the house, even after Gatsby's death, which
hints at illegal gambling as a source of income
for Gatsby.
Nick makes an interesting observation about
parties that could be still true today.
That while they happen every weekend, there
is a certain emptiness experienced at parties.
This emptiness derives from how fake and replaceable
people are.
That if you attend enough parties, they all
tend to be the same.
Furthermore, Gatsby wishes he could go back
to when he had first met Daisy.
And any character that wishes the present
were the past, that things were the way they
used to be, is doomed.
This is a strong literary device and several
of the best stories incorporate in their tragic
characters.
So be forewarned, living in the past is dangerous.
