The Great Gatsby is set in the summer of 1922 on Long Island, New York, and is narrated by Nick Carraway, a young man from Minnesota who has come to New York to work in banking. Nick rents a small house in West Egg, a wealthy area populated by people who have recently made their fortunes. He becomes acquainted with his mysterious and wealthy neighbor, Jay Gatsby, who throws lavish parties at his mansion every weekend.
Gatsby is a self-made millionaire who is known for his extravagant lifestyle, but his past and the source of his wealth remain shrouded in mystery. It is soon revealed that Gatsby’s wealth and opulence are all part of his obsessive desire to win back Daisy Buchanan, Nick’s cousin, whom he had fallen in love with five years earlier. Daisy, however, is married to Tom Buchanan, a wealthy and arrogant man from old money.
Nick learns more about Gatsby’s obsession with Daisy when Gatsby asks him to help arrange a meeting. The two rekindle their romance, and Gatsby believes that if he can relive the past and win Daisy’s love, he can erase the years of separation. Gatsby’s dream of rekindling his idealized version of the past, however, proves to be unattainable.
Tom becomes increasingly suspicious of Daisy’s relationship with Gatsby, and in a confrontational scene in New York City, Tom exposes Gatsby’s shady business dealings to Daisy. Despite Gatsby’s hopeful belief that Daisy will leave Tom and choose him, Daisy ultimately decides to stay with her husband, choosing the security and status that Tom offers over Gatsby’s dreams.
The novel’s tragic climax occurs when Myrtle Wilson, Tom’s mistress, is killed by a car accident. Gatsby’s car, which Daisy was driving, is the one that hits Myrtle, but Gatsby takes the blame, protecting Daisy. Tom, aware that Gatsby is the one who owns the car, tells George Wilson, Myrtle’s husband, that Gatsby is the one who killed her. George, in his grief and rage, tracks Gatsby down and kills him before taking his own life.
The novel ends with Nick reflecting on the futility of Gatsby’s dream and the hollowness of the American Dream itself. Gatsby’s death goes largely unnoticed by the world, as none of the people who attended his parties or admired his wealth come to his funeral. Nick, disillusioned by the events, returns to the Midwest, contemplating the emptiness of the pursuit of wealth and status.
The Great Gatsby explores themes of the American Dream, social class, and the illusion of love and success. Through the character of Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald critiques the idea that wealth and materialism can lead to happiness or fulfillment. The novel is a poignant commentary on the corruption of ideals in the pursuit of the American Dream and the consequences of living in a world where appearances often mask the deeper truths of human existence.