The Great Gatsby

Characters

Nick Carraway (narrator)

  • Reserves judgement

  • Hopes in the good of people

  • Deemed as trustworthy

  • Hates new york

  • Came from the great war

  • Lives in west egg (next to gatsby)

  • understands inequality

  • rich

  • came from yale

Gatsby

  • Exempt from new york yet represented it

  • Optimistic

  • emotional

  • American dream

Tom

  • Profound football player

  • extremely wealthy

  • hard mouth

  • arrogant

  • physically massive (“cruel body”)

  • husky voice

  • restless

  • racist

Daisy

  • Nick’s second cousin

  • exaggerates everything

  • Angelic voice (“the kind of voice that the ear follows”)

  • Bright eyes

  • passionate mouth

  • Cynical

Jordan Baker

  • looks as if balancing something on her chin

  • professional golfer

  • compulsive liar

Themes

Chapter 1

Summary

the book opens with Nick (the narrator) speaking of his dad telling him to not judge people, he then proceeds to talk about the inequalities of life and mentions gatsby who the book is named after and gives him a vague description. He speaks of his participation in the war and his arrival in new york to become a stock man and found a bungalow for 80$ a month in west egg and he speaks of the “sinister contrast” between west and east egg and mentions gatsby’s castle then he meets his “old friends whom he scarcely knew” (Daisy, Tom and Jordan) they have dinner and nick learns of Tom’s mistress and his racist white supremist beliefs. Daisy believes the best a girl can be is dumb and beautiful. Nick figures out jordan baker is the professional golfer he leaves and has his first interaction with gatsby which is very odd

Quotes

  • Just remember people in this world haven’t had the same advantages you’ve had → Nicks dad

  • Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction - Gatsby who represented everything for which i have an unaffected scorn → nick

  • It’s up to us, who are the Dominant race → Tom

  • the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool → Daisy

Chapter 2

Summary

There is a place between new york and the eggs called the valley of ashes which a sad industrial area where myrtle and her husband live (ms and mr wilson) it also has the blue gigantic eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleburg an optometrist. Tom takes nick to meet his girl here (myrtle) and they find her in her garage where Tom is “trying to get a car from” but is seeing myrtle. Myrtle is the opposite of Daisy. Wilson believes his wife sees her sister in new york but is having an affair with tom. Myrtle then buys a dog for to much money and they go to their apartment. Myrtle seems to think she owns everything. at the apartment they meet catherine (myrtle’s sister) and the Mckees. they get drunk (nick’s 2nd time) and chat. they think gatsby is kaiser wilhelms cousin and they say that both parties of the affair hate their spouses. myrtle shares that she met tom on a train and then after myrtle disobeys Tom by mentioning daisy name he breaks her nose

Quotes

  • “Simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life” - Nick