The Great Gatsby Summary: Plot, Characters and Key Facts
The Great Gatsby is narrated by Nick Carraway, who watches his mysterious neighbor Jay Gatsby chase a lost love, Daisy Buchanan, in the glittering Jazz Age.
The novel was published in 1925 and ends in tragedy.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Author | F. Scott Fitzgerald |
| Published | 1925 |
| Genre | Classic American novel, tragedy |
| Setting | West Egg and East Egg on Long Island, and New York |
| Narrator | Nick Carraway, in the first person |
| Main theme | The American Dream and its limits |
What is The Great Gatsby about?
Nick Carraway comes from Minnesota and moves to Long Island after World War I to sell bonds. He rents a small house in West Egg, the area of new money. Next door is the mansion of Jay Gatsby, who throws extravagant parties and about whom wild rumors circulate.
Across the bay in East Egg, home of old money, live Nick's cousin Daisy and her husband Tom Buchanan. Nick also meets Jordan Baker, a professional golfer and a friend of Daisy's, and Myrtle Wilson, who is Tom's mistress and the wife of the garage owner George Wilson. Nick learns that Gatsby once loved Daisy, and everything he has built is meant to win her back.
↑ Back to the topWhere and when is it set?
The book is set on Long Island and in New York City in the 1920s. West Egg and East Egg are fictional. Between them and the city lies the valley of ashes, a gray industrial wasteland where the Wilsons live.
↑ Back to the topWho are the main characters?
Nick Carraway is the narrator. Jay Gatsby is the wealthy host. Daisy Buchanan is the woman he loves, and Tom Buchanan is her husband. Jordan Baker is a golfer who becomes involved with Nick. Myrtle and George Wilson are the couple from the valley of ashes.
↑ Back to the topHow does The Great Gatsby end?
Gatsby and Daisy start their affair again. At a hotel in New York, the Plaza, the group confronts one another. Daisy tells Tom she loves Gatsby, and Tom reveals that Gatsby's fortune comes from crime. On the drive home Gatsby's car hits and kills Myrtle Wilson. Daisy was driving, but Gatsby is blamed.
Tom tells George Wilson that the car was Gatsby's. Wilson goes to Gatsby's house and kills him, and then kills himself. Almost none of the people who came to Gatsby's parties attend the funeral. His father travels from the Midwest to come. Disillusioned, Nick breaks things off with Jordan and goes back home to the Midwest.
↑ Back to the topKey facts about the book
The Great Gatsby sold no more than 25,000 copies in Fitzgerald's lifetime, and has sold more than 25 million since. He considered other titles, including Trimalchio in West Egg.
↑ Back to the topMore about The Great Gatsby
This guide covers the book only. Events in film or TV versions differ in places.