The Great Gatsby
Timeline
Created by Ms. Bortz/’08
1892
*James Gatz is born in North Dakota.
1910
*Gatz attends St. Olaf College for two weeks.
*Gatz acquires work on the yacht of his future idol Dan Cody.
*James Gatz changes his name to Jay Gatsby.
*Gatsby sails with Cody to the West Indies and Barbary Coast.
*Cody dies and his mistress Ella Kaye uses legal devices to take Gatsby's part of the
inheritance.
*Gatsby is penniless but educated.
1915
*Nick Carraway graduates from New Haven (Yale University) and fights in World War I.
*Nick returns to the Midwest to begin a career.
1917
*Jay Gatsby and Daisy Fay fall in love in Louisville, but Gatsby leaves for battle.
*Gatsby receives medals in Europe for his service in the war.
*He also attends Oxford for five months.
1919
*Daisy Fay marries Tom Buchanan.
*Tom has an affair with the chambermaid.
*The Buchanans move to Chicago, then to East Egg on Long Island, New York.
1922
*Nick Carraway moves to West Egg on Long Island, New York, to learn the bond
business. He rents a house which is next to Gatsby's mansion.
*Nick visits Daisy (his cousin) and Tom Buchanan at their home in East Egg, where he
meets Jordan Baker, a controversial professional golfer.
*Nick and Tom take Myrtle, Tom's mistress, to Morningside Heights, an apartment in
New York.
*They have a small party consisting of Nick, Tom, Myrtle, Myrtle's sister Catherine, and
the McKee couple. Tom Buchanan slaps Myrtle for disobeying his orders.
*Nick has a short affair with a girl from Jersey City.
*Nick becomes involved with Jordan Baker.
*Gatsby throws another party and invites Nick.
*Nick meets Jordan Baker at the party and, in pursuit of Gatsby, they encounter Owl
Eyes.
*Nick finally meets Gatsby, a "young roughneck."
*Gatsby drives Nick to New York for lunch where Gatsby reveals his past to Nick.
*Meyer Wolfshiem, a con-artist, is introduced as Gatsby's partner, which leads one to
suspect Gatsby's finances are derived by illegal means.
*Jordan Baker reveals the romantic history of Daisy and Gatsby to Nick.
*Gatsby asks Nick indirectly through Jordan to arrange a meeting for himself and Daisy.
Nick agrees.
*Gatsby and Daisy are reunited at Nick's house.
*Tom Buchanan and Gatsby finally meet at Gatsby's house while Tom is riding with the
Sloanes.
*Tom and Daisy attend one of Gatsby's parties. They argue and Tom accuses Gatsby of
being a bootlegger.
*Gatsby has Daisy for his own and calls off all the parties and dismisses all his servants.
*George Wilson finds out about Myrtle's affair. Wilson wants to take Myrtle out West.
*It is Nick's 30th birthday.
*Gatsby, Nick, and Jordan visit the Buchanans for lunch.
*The Buchanan daughter, Pammy, is introduced.
*Tom witnesses the passion between Daisy and Gatsby.
*They go to New York for the afternoon. Myrtle sees Tom drive by in the yellow Rolls
Royce.
*They rent a suite at the Plaza Hotel at 4 o'clock in the afternoon.
*Tom confronts Gatsby with the knowledge of his affair with Daisy.
*Daisy returns to her husband and crushes Gatsby's dreams.
*Daisy and Gatsby return home in Gatsby's yellow Rolls Royce.
*Daisy hits Myrtle, instantly killing her, but keeps on driving.
*Tom discovers the accident upon his return home and tells George it was Gatsby's car.
*Daisy and Tom reconcile and leave Gatsby by himself.
Fall 1922
*Nick breaks up with Jordan Baker.
*Gatsby is shot by George Wilson while lying in his pool. George then kills himself.
Late Fall 1922
*Nick tries to find Gatsby's friends to attend his funeral, but they have all conveniently
disappeared.
*Henry C. Gatz, Gatsby's father, arrives for the funeral as well as Nick, Owl Eyes, and
some servants.
*Nick returns to the Midwest