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The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
In the summer of 1922, Nick Carraway, a young man from Minnesota, moves to New York to learn about the bond business. He rents a modest house in West Egg, a village on Long Island, where the newly rich reside. Nick’s neighbor is the mysterious Jay Gatsby, who lives in a grand mansion and throws extravagant parties every weekend, attracting people from all over New York.
Nick is unlike his wealthy neighbors. He is a World War I veteran and a Yale graduate from a respectable, well-to-do family. He describes himself as open-minded, tolerant, and a good listener, traits that make people feel comfortable confiding in him.
Across the bay from West Egg is East Egg, where the old-money aristocrats live. Nick’s cousin, Daisy Buchanan, and her husband, Tom, live there in a luxurious mansion. Daisy is a beautiful and charming woman, while Tom is a wealthy, arrogant, and aggressive man. Despite their opulent lifestyle, their marriage is troubled. Tom has a mistress, Myrtle Wilson, who lives in the valley of ashes, an industrial wasteland between West Egg and New York City.
One day, Nick visits Tom and Daisy for dinner. There, he meets Jordan Baker, a professional golfer and Daisy’s friend. Jordan is attractive but cynical, with a tendency to bend the truth. During dinner, Tom receives a call from Myrtle, revealing his affair to Nick. Daisy seems to know about the affair but pretends everything is fine.
Nick becomes friends with Jordan, who tells him about Gatsby’s mysterious past. Gatsby is rumored to be a German spy, a murderer, or the nephew of Kaiser Wilhelm. Despite these rumors, Nick is fascinated by Gatsby’s charisma and his lavish parties, which are attended by people who barely know him.
One day, Gatsby’s chauffeur delivers an invitation to Nick to attend one of Gatsby’s parties. Nick, curious about his neighbor, decides to go. He feels out of place among the glamorous guests but soon meets Gatsby, who is surprisingly young and handsome. Gatsby speaks with a peculiar formalness and calls everyone “old sport.”
Gatsby takes a special interest in Nick and later confides in him about his love for Daisy. Gatsby and Daisy were in love before the war, but he was too poor to marry her. While Gatsby was away, Daisy married Tom. Gatsby amassed his fortune through dubious means, driven by his desire to win Daisy back. He bought his mansion in West Egg to be close to her, hoping she would wander into one of his parties.
Gatsby asks Nick to arrange a meeting between him and Daisy. Nick agrees and invites Daisy to his house for tea, without telling her that Gatsby will be there. When Daisy arrives and sees Gatsby, she is shocked but happy. The initial awkwardness between them soon melts away, and their romance is rekindled.
Gatsby shows Daisy his mansion, flaunting his wealth to impress her. Daisy is overwhelmed by the opulence, and they begin an affair. Nick, witnessing their reunion, realizes that Gatsby’s love for Daisy is based on an idealized version of her, not the real woman.
As Gatsby and Daisy grow closer, Tom becomes suspicious. One hot summer day, Tom invites Nick, Gatsby, and Jordan to his house. Tensions rise, and Tom insists they all drive to New York City. At the Plaza Hotel, Tom confronts Gatsby, accusing him of lying about his background and making his fortune through illegal activities. Gatsby tries to defend himself, but Tom exposes him, and Daisy wavers in her loyalty. Tom sends Daisy back to East Egg with Gatsby, asserting his dominance.
On the way home, tragedy strikes. Myrtle Wilson, Tom’s mistress, is hit and killed by Gatsby’s car. Daisy was driving, but Gatsby takes the blame to protect her. Tom tells George Wilson, Myrtle’s husband, that Gatsby was driving the car. George, distraught and seeking revenge, shoots Gatsby and then himself.
Nick is left to arrange Gatsby’s funeral. Despite Gatsby’s many acquaintances, few people attend. Daisy and Tom leave town without leaving a forwarding address, abandoning Gatsby in death as they did in life. Nick realizes the emptiness and moral decay of the wealthy elite.
Disillusioned by his experiences, Nick decides to return to the Midwest. Before leaving, he reflects on the story of Gatsby and the American Dream. Gatsby’s dream of recapturing the past with Daisy was doomed from the start, a futile pursuit of an illusion.
In his final contemplation, Nick remembers Gatsby standing on the shore, reaching out towards the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. The green light symbolizes Gatsby’s hopes and dreams for the future, which ultimately remain out of reach. Nick concludes that Gatsby was a man driven by his dreams, but those dreams were tainted by the corrupt values of his time.
Nick’s return to the Midwest marks his rejection of the East’s moral corruption. He realizes that the pursuit of the American Dream can lead to one’s downfall if it is based on greed and deceit. Gatsby’s tragic end serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of living in the past and the emptiness of wealth without integrity.
Despite Gatsby's tragic end, Nick reflects on the few moments of true happiness Gatsby experienced, moments filled with hope and love. Gatsby's dream, although flawed and ultimately unattainable, represented the capacity for idealism and the relentless pursuit of a better future, however misguided it may have been.
Nick's own journey through the glittering world of the East Egg elite leaves him with a profound understanding of human nature and the destructive power of illusion. The Great Gatsby is a story about the American Dream and the way it can be distorted by wealth and social status, but also about the enduring human spirit and the desire to find meaning and connection in a complex world.
As Nick prepares to leave New York, he spends one last night in Gatsby’s mansion, contemplating the events that have transpired. He reflects on the beauty of the house, now empty and silent, and on Gatsby’s relentless hope. Despite the tragedy, Gatsby’s story is a reminder of the power of dreams and the human need to strive for something greater.
Nick’s final thoughts are of the green light and what it symbolizes. He realizes that we are all like boats against the current, constantly striving to reach our dreams, even as they recede into the past. The Great Gatsby ends on this poignant note, a testament to the enduring power of hope and the human spirit’s unyielding quest for a better tomorrow.