Nick Carraway, who very much enjoys writing, decides to pursue a more profitable profession and moves to the outskirts of New York to try to realize his American dream. Together with a pile of books on accounting, he is focused on learning the trade and living that dream. His small house is situated right next to the mansion of Mr. Gatsby. With not many friends, Nick visits his cousin, Daisy, who lives in an older neighborhood. She is a beautiful young woman married to Tom. Awkwardly, Nick learns that Tom is not faithful and soon meets his lover on a wild party in New York to which Tom himself brings Nick. However, Nick also makes acquaintances that are more amiable. One of them is Jordan, a friend of Daisy’s.
The talk of the town are the parties thrown by a mysterious Mr. Gatsby who no one has seen but the rumors about whom are wild and numerous. Nick is probably the first ever person to receive an invitation to one of these parties. At the party, he meets Mr. Gatsby who becomes somewhat of a friend. Through Jordan, Nick learns that Mr. Gatsby is actually a long lost friend of Daisy. Much more than just a friend. They were so much in love. The way he used to look at her Time and circumstances did not let them be together as Gatsby went to peruse the American dream and get enough money to be worthy of Daisy. He got lucky and learned some tricks of the trade. Nobody knows really anything about his story, but every evening he looks across the lake to the house right across – Daisy’s house.
Nick helps rekindle the love by inviting Daisy alone for tea. She has no idea about who she will see there. Even though the first moments are awkward, the two fall right back in love and a love affair begins. Gatsby stops his parties, fires most of his staff, all to conceal their meetings with Daisy. He is ready to drop everything and spend the rest of his life with Daisy. She is not so ready to do this yet herself. When Gatsby seems Daisy’s children at a lunch, he seems shocked and looks like a man withdrawn from the real world. His love for Daisy has overcome him. Nevertheless, Tom soon gets suspicious and confronts Gatsby in a hotel room they all go to together with Daisy and Jordan. Tom accuses Gatsby of being a criminal, a bootlegger and a fake. This is the time for Daisy to decide, but she chooses Tom. Gatsby is crushed but together with Daisy they drive back to her home. Top, Nick and Jordan follow in the car behind. Half the way there, they stop as there was a car accident. A young woman, Tom’s lover, is killed after being hit by an yellow expensive car. Just like the one Gatsby was driving in.
When Nick gets to Gatsby, he explains that Daisy was driving. She was too emotional and was unable to turn the car away from the woman who jumped out at them. He will be taking the blame for Daisy, but Tom already does it for him. The husband of the killed woman, who now thinks that it is with Gatsby that his wife was unfaithful to him with, shoots Gatsby by his pool. Right after, he shoots himself as well.
Thus comes of the end the American dream of Gatsby. Nick tries to organize a funeral, out of the huge number of people at his renowned parties, none could make it to the funeral. The whole atmosphere around him crushes Nick. The American dream is nothing but the pursuit of wealth and he is sickened by the morality around him. He moves away from New York with the thought that Gatsby was the only one among them who cared about something higher than money.
Sources
F. Scott Fitzgerald. “The Great Gatsby”.
