The Great Gatsby

A train wreck about characters who make bad decisions surrounded by the delusion that wealth alone would save them or that the American Dream is attainable in spite of problematic behaviors.

The party always comes to an end, and the louder it is the more volatile the ending will be.

Nick Carraway is shown in a sanatorium for alcoholism, insomnia, anxiety and fits of rage. He tells his therapist he is disgusted with New York and everyone except for Gatsby.

He recounts to his therapist that the stock market had reached its peak, there were crazy big parties, taller buildings, cheaper alcohol due to Prohibition backfiring, and loose morals. He was a “young and ambitious“ Wall Street guy and rents a “forgotten groundskeeper cottage” 20 miles outside of NYC on Long Island in West Egg. He graduated from Yale & originally wanted to be a writer but gave that up.

His neighbor Gatsby lives in a castle-like home but has never met him.

His cousin Daisy lives in an old-money estate across the bay on East Egg and is married to Tom Buchanan, wealthy American heir who Nick went to Yale with. Tom was a star athlete at Yale.

One day, Nick goes to visit Daisy whom he hadn’t seen in a few years.

“Is that you my lovely?”

“Do they miss me in Chicago?”

Daisy introduces Nick to her “pretty, intimidating friend“ Jordan Baker, who is a famous golfer and who knows Gatsby.

Daisy is shocked by the name Gatsby and says “Gatsby? What Gatsby?” And blushes

During dinner, Tom goes on a racist rant and is interrupted a few times by his mistress from New York ringing for him.

After dinner, Daisy confesses to Nick outside that she is unhappy. When he inquires about her daughter Pammy she said that Tom was nowhere to be found when she was born and she was happy that she was a girl and hopes she will be a “beautiful little fool”.

Nick is encouraged by his therapist to write after he becomes frustrated and no longer wants to talk about his experiences.

He writes about driving through The Valley of Ashes with Tom, and unwillingly meeting Tom’s married mistress, Myrtle Wilson. Her and Tom encourage Nick to get with her sister Katherine, to his disinterest. Tom scolds him and takes him to his secret apartment in New York City where all the debauchery takes place.

Afternoon in the apartment laced with drugs and alcohol.

Nick observes the "inexhaustible variety of life” from the balcony.

Tom slaps Myrtle for speaking ill of Daisy.

Nick said Gatsby was always watching him and Nick received an invitation to one of his parties- no one ever received one. No one at his party knows who he is or what he does. He sees Jordan there and themselves and an older gentlemen they meet in Gatsby’s library wonder about his identity, and if he even exists.

"Then what is this all for?" “That is the question.”

"Look around you. Rich girls don’t marry poor boys. She’s mine."

“Having a good time old sport?"

"You see- I’m Gatsby."

Gatsby announces he wants to speak alone with Miss Baker.

The party comes to an end and the lows are overpowering the highs of the last of the very drunk guests. Over the Love song is sang and played on the piano. Suddenly a very flabbergasted Jordan approaches Nick hysterically.

“Nick- nick-nick- I just heard the most shocking thing!"

"I promised I wouldn’t tell.”

Gatsby takes Nick on his hydroplane the next day, and Nick attends two more of his parties. Still knows nothing about Gatsby.

Gatsby picks him up for lunch randomly one day in his yellow sportscar. He anxiously reiterates to Nick (in a very bullshitty way) that the rumors of him attending Oxford and having a royal bloodline are all true. In his mind, Nick is totally not buying it until Gatsby shows him a photo of himself and others at Oxford and a cop lets him go for speeding as he shows him his business card.

As they cross over the Queensboro Bridge, Nick concludes that “anything can happen”.

Speakeasy w/ Gatsby and his friend Meyer Wolfsheim- “gambler”.

Tom shows up and Gatsby vanishes after instructing Nick to have tea with Miss Baker.

Jordan tells Nick everything after he demands what game herself and Gatsby are playing with the mysterious meeting. She tells him she saw Daisy and Gatsby together in a car in Louisville 5 years ago as she was practicing golf and they were very much in love.

Young and Beautiful LDR <3

Gatsby did not return after the war. A year later Tom from Chicago swooped Daisy off her feet and gave her a string of pearls worth $350,000. The day of the wedding Daisy received a letter and destroyed her pearls and wept saying tell them Daisy has changed her mind. The letter was from Gatsby but at the time Jordan did not know what it said or who it was from.

"Darling Daisy, the truth is…”

Her mother made her pull herself together and they were married that day.

Jordan saw Daisy happily in love with Tom after their honeymoon in Santa Barbara, but 1 week later he was discovered to be having an affair with the chambermaid from the Santa Barbara hotel after a car accident was made public.

Jordan said it’s no coincidence Gatsby’s house is across from hers.. he wanted her to show up to one of his parties.

That evening when Nick returns home, he finds Gatsby incredibly anxious by his house rambling about random things nonstop. Nick tells Gatsby he is "Happy to do it” and will invite Daisy over for tea. Gatsby acts surprised and immediately points out that he must have his grass cut before Daisy arrives.

Gatsby has a crew of people cut his grass and fix his landscape. He arrives to Nick’s house in a flamboyant white suit with a whole entourage, crazy florals and a tall cake. Daisy arrives assuming Nick is in love with her since she was told to come alone.

Gatsby disappears and rings the doorbell, pretending to arrive after Daisy.

“I’m certainly glad to see you again." Awkwardness ensues.

Nick leaves them alone But Gatsby runs to him and exclaims he is very mortified and nervous but Nick assures him that Daisy is also embarrassed, to his surprise.

When Nick comes back and finds them immersed in their own conversation, he thinks to himself that this was the second time that summer he is hiding other peoples’ secrets, and that he is always “within and without”.

Gatsby insists on taking them to his house so Daisy can see it and they visit several more times throughout the summer. Gatsby shows off all his clothes.

“Nicky he’s a madman!”

The Daisy starts to cry and says “It makes me sad.” .. “Cause I’ve never seen so many beautiful shirts before.”

This quote is very significant to me because no one is pointing out the very obvious hard truths about their situation. Daisy is clearly not upset- or at least should not be- upset over the overwhelming nice shirts. She should acknowledge that she is devastated over their lost time, that maybe she had made a mistake marrying Tom and having his child, or that maybe she feels guilty having an affair. But no one during this time is willing to have a conversation about where things go from here.

As Gatsby is laying with Daisy, he points out that they can’t see the green light because of the mist, and he seems disturbed by this. It is foreshadowing to the viewer that this affair will also not last.

Gatsby then shows Nick and Daisy his collection of her letters, photos, and newspaper clips. Then takes a mysterious heated phone call, which is not the first.

Nick then recounts Gatsby’s past, which he shared with him at some point. It turns out, he was a phony all along. He was born James Gats, and his parents were dirt poor farmers from North Dakota. He ran away at 16 to pursue his destiny. He saved a millionaire alcoholic Dan Cody during a storm at sea and for 5 years they sailed the world. He taught him everything he needed to know, and Gatsby even picked up ”old sport” from Cody’s own vernacular. His inheritance went to his family only because they cheated Gatsby’s portion of it. Not long after his death, Gatsby grazed all the newspapers about his wealth, and the New York society wondered how did he make his money?

Tom becomes suspicious of Gatsby after attending one of his parties, and tells Daisy he will make a point to investigate him. Tom becomes offended after Gatsby introduces him as a polo player, and tells Tom he knows Daisy. Then he asks her to dance with him in front of Tom and they disappear.

When they are alone, Daisy tells Gatsby she wishes they could run away. Gatsby shoots down her idea saying it would not be right and she needs to tell Tom about their romance.

Nick appears to inform the couple that Tom is looking for her and Gatsby gets a call from a “Mr. Slagle“ again and needs to leave them. Nick brings Daisy to Tom and they leave.

Gatsby tells Nick that Daisy didn’t like the party, which Nick refutes.

He tells Nick she needs to tell Tom she never loved him and they can go meet her “lovely” parents in Louisville and get married there. Nick tells him not to ask too much of her.

"Jay- you can’t repeat the past.”

Gatsby recalls his first time meeting Daisy at a party at her parents’ estate. Nick thought "He knew his mind would never again be free to romp like the mind of God." "That falling in love would change his destiny forever.”

Gatsby said he never wanted love to get in the way of his destiny, but he fell so hard for Daisy and felt married to her. "And then I just let myself go.”

Gatsby no longer hosts anymore parties but Daisy still visits.

Gatsby fires most of his staff. Wants to avoid tabloid gossip.

Gatsby calls Nick to tell him Daisy is ready to tell Tom and he requests that himself and Jordan are there for support at the Buchanan estate. Daisy freaks out and loses it before Gatsby can admit to their affair and complains of the heat and says she wants to go to town after complimenting Gatsby on his clothes. Tom aggressively insists everyone to go to town even though Daisy changed her mind and rent a room in the Plaza hotel and drink

Tom oddly demands that he drive Jay’s car and that Jay drives Tom’s. Daisy chooses to go with Gatsby.

Tom tries to stop at Myrtle’s for gas but leaves as soon as he hears from Mr. Wilson that they are planning on moving out West.

When everyone is in the hotel room, Tom and Jay confront each other. Tom exposes that Jay and Windlesheim sold bootleg alcohol at their drug stores and committed bond scams that Walter Chase (Nick’s boss) fell victim to. Tom tells Gatsby everyone in the room was born different from him, leading Jay to absolutely lose it and attack Tom, since he is ashamed where he came from. This is proof that Gatsby is triggered to be known as anything other than a flashy, wealthy character, which shows he is insecure and has no actual character.

Daisy wants Tom to tell Gatsby to stop, clearly turned off, but Tom tells Daisy to leave with him in Gatsby’s car, showing he likes control and because he knows he won.

Nick announced to Tom and Jordan he just remembered that it is his birthday, symbolizing the sad reality that he forgot all about himself in the midst of everyone else’s drama.

Gatsby accidentally runs over and kills Myrtle after she runs out of the house thinking it’s Tom, during an altercation with her husband who finds pearls from Tom.

The Oculist sign showing that someone is also watching, and foreshadows they will be caught.

Tom finds out that a yellow car struck Myrtle. He tells George it belongs to Gatsby.

George thinks Gatsby also could have been the one to have an affair with Myrtle and Tom encourages his idea.

When they arrive back to the Buchanan estate, Nick says he’s had enough of everyone and waits outside for his taxi. He finds Jay lurking in the courtyard and tells him he’s a coward. Jay tells him Daisy was the one driving to “calm her nerves” so she was the one who in fact killed Myrtle and he wants to protect her. He is also concerned that Tom will hurt Daisy out of anger at their affair being exposed. When Nick goes to check on her, he sees Tom consoling Daisy and sharing a sweet moment. He decides not to tell Jay what he saw in fear of upsetting him.

When he finds Gatsby tending to his wrecked car, he advises him to get away since the police are likely to track him down. He ridiculously believes Daisy will call in the morning and they will run away together. Nick know he is delusional and that won’t happen.

Gatsby offers Nick to stay with him since it is almost dawn and he tells Nick his whole life story.

Nick realizes Gatsby’s extraordinary gift of hope.

"God sees everything." Cue Oculist sign after George is shown loading his gun to kill Gatsby.

Gatsby wants to swim in his pool for the first time all summer but Nick has to go to work. Nick turns around to tell him they’re a rotten bunch and he’s worth all of them.

Nick can’t focus on work, waiting for Gatsby’s call who is waiting on Daisy’s call. Gatsby is shot as soon as Daisy calls and George kills himself also. But it was Nick- not Daisy who called. Daisy hung up before she could call.

The Buchanan’s move out of their home, seemingly to escape from any accountability.

Nick recounts in vain "They were careless people, Tom and Daisy. They smashed up things and people and then retreated back into their money and their vast carelessness.“

None of the party goers showed up to Gatsby’s funeral in spite of Nick’s calls.

Gatsby [The Great] by Nick Carraway.

Moral of the story: Be authentic and stand in your own convictions? Gatsby was never authentic, and Nick should have stood his ground more while dealing with these people who treated him as a pawn.

Gatsby is manic.

Nick is conflicted.

Daisy is delusional.

Jordan is aloof.

Tom is an addict.

Nick’s demise comes from always putting others and their pipe dreams first before himself. He is a good person but is easily influenced. Even Gatsby most likely used Nick the whole time just to get closer to Daisy, instead of owning up to everything himself and approaching Tom directly.

People from new money try too hard to show off (Gatsby to the extreme) and money can’t buy old money class. Why else would Tom cheat with chambermaids and dusty store owners?