The Great Gatsby: A Summary and Analysis
Chapter 1: The Green Light
The reader is introduced to the main characters and their traits: the uninhibited Jordan Baker, the unpolarized Nick Carraway, the sassy Daisy Buchanan, the aggressive Tom Buchanan, and the enigmatic Jay Gatsby.
Chapter 2: The Ashy Side Chick
Tom Buchanan’s infidelity is revealed. Nick accompanies Tom to the Valley of Ashes to meet Tom’s mistress, Myrtle. Myrtle hosts a small party, and Tom breaks her nose after she repeatedly mentions Daisy’s name.
Chapter 3: An Invitation
Read MoreSymbols and Class Divisions in The Great Gatsby
The Eyes of God
The eyes of God represent the idea that “Somebody is always watching.” The billboard is described as a pair of eyes looking through yellow spectacles. There is no face. The eyes symbolize someone always watching, the yellow rims represent the corruption of society and characters, and the lack of a face represents the hollowness of some characters.
The Green Light
First discovered by Nick when he watches Gatsby standing on his lawn, gazing at a green light emanating from the dock. The
Read MoreGatsby’s World: A Chapter-by-Chapter Synopsis
Chapter 1: The Green Light
In the first chapter, the reader gets an introduction to the characters and their character traits:
- Jordan Baker: Uninhibited
- Nick Carraway: Unpolarized
- Daisy Buchanan: Sassy
- Tom Buchanan: Aggressive
- Jay Gatsby: Mysterious
Chapter 2: The Valley of Ashes
In chapter two, the reader learns that Tom Buchanan is unfaithful. Nick, being observant, rides with Tom on the train to the valley of ashes to see Tom’s mistress, Myrtle. Myrtle tells her husband that she’s going to visit her
Read MoreF. Scott Fitzgerald: Life, Works, and The Great Gatsby
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896, in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was one of the most important writers in the USA and a social historian who gave the Jazz Age its name.
Jazz became very popular in the 1920s with great musicians such as Louis Armstrong and Benny Goodman, and with the invention of the phonograph record.
Fitzgerald’s fiction is a rich, detailed, and realistic account of American life in the 1920s. Most of his life was a struggle between
Read MoreF. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby: Themes, Characters, and Analysis
F. Scott Fitzgerald: Biographical Data
F. Scott Fitzgerald (St. Paul, Minnesota, 1896 – Los Angeles, 1940) was an American novelist. Born into a wealthy family of Irish descent, he began his literary career in 1920 with This Side of Paradise, an autobiographical work in which his own pessimism was a faithful reflection of the American post-war mentality. This novel brought him considerable fame and popularity, establishing him as one of the most important writers of his time.
As his career as a