Zachary “RatKing” Ratzker
Avraham “GiraffeKing” Gitlitz
Chapter One






The narrator of The Great Gatsby is a young man from Minnesota
named Nick Carraway.
Nick had just arrived in New York, where he moved to work in the
bond business, and rented a house on a part of Long Island called
West Egg.
West Egg is home to the New Rich, while the east egg is home to
the pompous and gaudy Old Rich.
One night, Nick drives out to East Egg to have dinner with his
cousin Daisy and her husband, Tom Buchanan, a former member
of Nick’s social club at Yale.
Tom leaves the room to take a phone call. Daisy follows him
hurriedly, and Jordan (Daisy’s golf playing friend)tells Nick that
the call is from Tom’s lover in New York.
Nick arrives home, and sees Gatsby for the first time standing on
the lawn with his arms reaching out toward the dark water. Nick
looks out at the water, but all he can see is a distant green light
that might mark the end of a dock.
Chapter Two






Nick and Tom are riding the train into the city through the
Valley of Ashes (desolate, gray valley where NYC ashes are
dumped)
Tom makes Nick go off of train with him to George Wilson’s
garage, and we meet Myrtle Wilson, the women who Tom
is having an affair with.
Tom takes Nick and Myrtle to an apartment he owns in the
city and throws a party.
Nick does not like this party, and claims it is his second
time drunk, but he is amazed by what he sees and does
not leave.
Myrtle mentions Daisy, Tom’s wife, and Tom tells her to
stop. She doesn’t, and Tom punches her in the face,
breaking her nose.
Nick leaves with another partygoer (Mr. McKee) at 4 AM.
Chapter Three






Gatsby throws lavish parties that attract many NYC guests, and Nick is
invited to one of these parties.
People have silly theories on how Gatsby obtained his wealth – the party
is incredibly luxurious.
Nick brought Jordan with him to the party, and while dining at a table
together, a handsome man approaches and claims that he is Gatsby. They
also discover that Nick and Gatsby served in the same division during the
war.
Gatsby is very intriguing to Nick…Gatsby does not drink and remains
distant from the rest of the partygoers.
Gatsby then sends a messenger to bring Jordan to him later in the
evening. When Jordan returns, she says that she heard something
incredible.
Nick also begins dating Jordan, though she knows that she is
dishonest and cheats at golf.
Chapter Four








Nick goes to lunch with Gatsby. Gatsby tells Nick some of his
history, but Nick does not believe much of it.
Gatsby claims that he is from San Francisco, was educated at
Oxford, collected jewels in the capitals of Europe, has hunted big
game, and has been awarded medals in World War I by multiple
European countries. Seeing Nick’s skepticism, Gatsby produces a
medal from Montenegro and a picture of himself playing cricket at
Oxford.
Gatsby introduces Nick to Meyer Wolfshiem, who, he claims, was
responsible for fixing the 1919 World Series. Wolfshiem is a shady
character and gives Nick the impression that the source of Gatsby’s
wealth might be illegitimate business.
After the lunch, Nick sees Jordan Baker, who tells him that Gatsby
told her at the party that he is in love with Daisy Buchanan.
Gatsby and Daisy during the war fell in love with each other, but
Gatsby left for the war and Daisy chose to marry Tom – though she
did drink herself into numbness the night before.
We also learn that the sole reason Gatsby owns the West Egg
mansion is to be near Daisy.
Here, Nick realizes that the green light Gatsby was staring at is the
light at the end of Daisy's dock.
Gatsby wants Nick to set up a tea meeting with Daisy to rekindle
their relationship.
Chapter Five





Nick tells Gatsby that he will follow through with the plan and
arrange a meeting.
Gatsby is very happy but very nervous. He sends a gardener to
mow Nicks lawn and a man with flowers to place in Nick’s house.
The meeting is at first terribly awkward. Gatsby is very nervous
and he leaves, but comes back. Then Nick leaves, and upon his
return, he sees both Daisy and Gatsby extremely happy.
Nick wonders whether Daisy can possibly live up to Gatsby’s
vision of her. Gatsby seems to have idealized Daisy in his mind to
the extent that the real Daisy, charming as she is, will almost
certainly fail to live up to his expectations.
Nick quickly realizes that both Daisy and Gatsby have forgotten
that he is there, and he quietly leaves the room.
Chapter Six






Rumors began to circulate of Gatsby’s illegal activity
Tom Buchanan gives a visit to the Gatsby Mansion to
find out the reason Daisy secretly comes alone
Gatsby invites Tom to stay for dinner but he refuses
showing his insincerity towards Gatsby and has not
yet found out the true love between Daisy and Jay
Both Tom and Daisy go to Gatsby’s party, where Tom
reveals to Daisy that Gatsby’s fortune comes from
bootlegging but Daisy angrily replies that his fortune
comes from the drugstores he owns
Nick tell Gatsby that he can’t bring back the past
even though jay believes that his money will entice
her (Daisy) to live with her
Nick knows that Daisy and Jay’s relationship will
never be as close as it was when they lived in
Louisville
Chapter Seven








Jay firmly announces that his parties will be cancelled
Nick is stunned to find out that Tom and Daisy have a baby
and Daisy invites Jay to lunch in the city
Tom rebukes this meeting and declares that everyone will
go with them to the city (Tom figures out their relationship)
Tom criticizes Jay’s habit of calling people “old sport” and
says that he lied about attending oxford
Gatsby tells Tom that Daisy loves her but Tom responds by
saying that Daisy has a special relationship with him that
no one can comprehend
Nick, Tom, and Jordan all witness a car crash in the valley
of ashes; mIchaelis tells them that Myrtle was the victim
Nick and Tom both know that it was most probably Daisy
and Jay’s yellow car that instigated the crash
Gatsby is hiding in a bush and tells Nick that he didn’t
crash the car, but is willing to take the blame for it and is
waiting outside to make sure that Tom won’t hurt Daisy
Chapter Eight







Gatsby waited until four o’ clock in the morning (outside of
the Buchannan residence) and told Nick that nothing
happened at Daisy’s house
Gatsby won’t leave Daisy behind and continues to tell Nick
that he lied to Daisy so he could be worthy of her
Gatsby idolizes the relationship that they once had and
says that Daisy promised to marry him after he returned
from the war
Nick struggles to think at his work place and refuses to
meet up with Jordan baker
Wilson believes that whoever killed Myrtle was her secret
lover
Wilson knows Tom didn’t kill her, and displays revenge
when he kills Gatsby who was floating in his pool
Nick mourns the death of Gatsby and realizes that he was
completely empty without the love of Daisy
Chapter Nine

Reporters and journalists all come to the mansion to discover the rumors of
Gatsby and the involvement he had with the relationship of Myrtle and Wilson

Nick holds a funeral but the only individuals who attend are owl eyes, and
Gatsby’s father

Nick wants to leave New York and discloses his relationship with Jordan Baker

Tom reveals to Nick that he told Wilson that Gatsby killed Myrtle in his yellow
automobile

Nick responds by telling Tom that he is uncaring and his wealth will deflect any
negative consequence that is deserved upon him

The last day spent in West Egg, Nick visits Gatsby’s mansion and imagines that
America was full of exploration and discovery just like Daisy was for Gatsby

Finally, Nick understood Gatsby’s failure of the American dream with his
emptiness and hollowness that he really lived within
Character List
Nick Carraway:
- Narrator of novel, the entire story is told
through his eyes.
- He facilitates the rekindling of the
romance between Daisy (his cousin) and
Gatsby.
- Honest, tolerant, and inclined to reserve
judgment, Nick often serves as a
confidant for those with troubling secrets.
Character List Continued:
Jay Gatsby :
 the novel's title character and its protagonist.
 a mysterious, fantastically wealthy young
man.
 born in North Dakota to an impoverished
farming family.
 He worked briefly for a millionaire, and
became acquainted with the people and
customs of high society. This, coupled with
his love of Daisy, inspired Gatsby to devote
his life to the acquisition of wealth.
Character List Continued:
Daisy Buchanan - Daisy is Nick's cousin, Tom's wife, and
the woman that Gatsby loves. She had promised to wait for
Jay Gatsby until the end of the war, but after meeting Tom
Buchanan and comparing his extreme wealth to Gatsby's
poverty, she broke her promise.
Tom Buchanan - A brutal, hulking man, Tom Buchanan is a
former Yale football player who, like Daisy, comes from an
immensely wealthy Midwestern family. He is immensely
racist and sexist.
Jordan Baker - professional golfer who cheated in order to
win her first tournament. Jordan is extremely cynical, with
a masculine, icy demeanor that Nick initially finds
compelling.
Character List Continued:
Myrtle Wilson - An earthy, vital, and voluptuous woman,
Myrtle is desperate to improve her life. She shares a loveless
marriage with George Wilson, a man who runs a shabby
garage. She has been having a long-term affair with Tom
Buchanan, and is very jealous of his wife, Daisy. After a fight
with her husband, she runs out into the street and is hit and
killed by Gatsby's car.
George B. Wilson - George is a listless, impoverished man
whose only passion is his love for his wife, Myrtle. He is
devastated by Myrtle's affair with Tom. After her death, the
magnitude of his grief drives Wilson to murder Jay Gatsby
before committing suicide himself.
Dan Cody Dan is a somewhat coarse man who became
immensely wealthy during the Gold Rush. He mentored
Gatsby when he was a young man and gave him a taste of
elite society. Though he left Gatsby a sum of money after his
death, it was later seized by his ex-wife.
Character List Continued:
Henry Gatz - Gatsby's father; his son's help is the only thing
that saves him from poverty. Gatz tells Nick about his son's
extravagant plans and dreams of self-improvement.
Meyer Wolfsheim - A notorious underworld figure,
Wolfsheim is a business associate of Gatsby. He is deeply
involved in organized crime, and even claims credit for
fixing the 1919 World Series. He is a curious mix of
barbarism and refinement (his cuff links are made from
human molars).
Michaelis - Wilson's neighbor; he attempts to console
Wilson after Myrtle's death.
Catherine - Myrtle Wilson's sister. Tom, Myrtle, and Nick
visit her and her neighbors, the McKees, in New York City.
Character List Continued:
The McKees - Catherine's neighbors. The couple is shallow
and gossipy and concern themselves only with status and
fashion.
Ewing Klipspringer - A shiftless freeloader who almost lives
at Gatsby's mansion. Though he takes advantage of
Gatsby's wealth and generosity, Klipspringer fails to attend
his funeral.
Owl Eyes - An eccentric, bespectacled man whom Nick
meets at one of Gatsby's parties. He is one of the few
people to attend Gatsby's funeral.
Possible Essays:
1. Describe how F. Scott Fitzgerald utilizes
the American dream in the novel?
Evaluate how jay Gatsby failed to reach
the American dream?
 2. Describe the differences between West
Egg and East Egg. How do these places
connect to the character traits of the
individuals who live in these places?
