Summary of The Great Gatsby
Chapter 1
The novel opens as Nick Carraway tells the reader about growing up in the midwest, going east to college, serving in World War One, and then returning to New York to study the bond business. Although he works in the city, Nick lives on Long Island, in the unfashionable village of West Egg. His cousin, Daisy, and her husband, Tom Buchanan, live across the bay in East Egg. They invite him to dinner one evening, where he meets Jordan Baker, a professional golfer. Tom, a burly former football player, was classmates with Nick at Yale. At dinner Tom reveals himself to be a racist by endorsing a book he has recently read about the coming dominance of “the colored empire.” We also learn that Tom has a mistress, who phones him at dinner, eliciting an emotional reaction from Daisy. Later, Jordan asks Nick if she knows his neighbor, Gatsby. Daisy is flustered and surprised when the name “Gatsby” comes up. After dinner Nick tries to engage Daisy by asking her about her little girl, but all Daisy can offer in return is her hope that the child will grow up to be a happy “fool” -- a presumed reference to Daisy’s being cheated on by Tom. When Nick goes home that evening, he goes outside and sees his neighbor across the way. Nick starts to call to him, but then decides not to. Gatsby seems lost in thought, looking at a green light on a dock across the bay, and seemingly “content to be alone.”
Chapter 2
Tom takes Nick with him to New York. On the way they stop at the Valley of Ashes, a dusty dumping ground halfway between Long Island and the city. Here lives George Wilson, a garage mechanic, who is interested in buying a car that Tom owns. Here also we meet Wilson’s wife, Myrtle, who is Tom’s mistress. Tom arranges for Myrtle to leave after they do and meet up further down the road. Nick, Tom, and Myrtle, then ride into the city together on the train, although Myrtle sits in a separate car. On the way to the apartment that Tom keeps for Myrtle in Manhattan, they stop and buy a dog. Arriving at the apartment, Myrtle then telephones some friends to come over for a party. The first to arrive is her sister, Catherine, and then next the McKees, who live downstairs. The conversation eventually turns to the subject of class and social status, and Myrtle tells everyone that she married George out of pity for him – that he was “beneath” her socially. The party ends in drunkenness. Nick eventually finds himself downstairs in the McKees’ bedroom, looking at Mr. McKee’s portfolio of photographs. He later ends up on the lower level of Penn Station, waiting for the 4 a.m. train.