Great Gatsby Chapter Summaries

Chapter 1 Summary

• Nick Caraway. He not only narrates the story

but casts himself as the book’s author.
• In the summer of 1922 arrives in New York
– Lives in West Egg, next to Gatsby.
• Nick has dinner with Daisy(Nick’s cousin), Tom
(an old friend from Yale), and Jordan Baker (A
golfer and friend of Daisy’s)
 Chapter 1 Cont’d.
• A phone call from Tom’s lover in New York
interrupts the evening.
• Tom and Daisy would like Nick to take a romantic
interest in Jordan.
• When Nick arrives home, he sees Gatsby for the
first time, a handsome young man 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
 Chpt 2 Summary
• Halfway between West Egg and New York City
is the Valley of Ashes.
• The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, watch over
everything that happens in the valley of ashes.
• Tom forces Nick to follow him out of the train
at one of these stops.
• Tom leads Nick to George Wilson’s garage, which sits
on the edge of the valley of ashes.
– Tom’s lover Myrtle is Wilson’s wife.
– Wilson is a lifeless yet handsome man, colored gray by the
ashes in the air.
• Tom takes Nick and Myrtle to New York City, to the
Morningside Heights apartment he keeps for his affair.
– Impromptu party with Myrtle’s sister, Catherine, and a
couple named McKee.
– The group proceeds to drink excessively. Nick claims that he
got drunk for only the second time in his life at this party.
• The behavior and conversation of the others
repulse Nick.
• Tom gives her a new puppy as a gift, she
begins to talk about Daisy.
– Tom warns her never to mention his wife.
– Myrtle begins chanting Daisy’s name.
– Tom breaks her nose.
 Chpt 3 Summary
• Gatsby has become so famous around New
York for throwing elaborate parties every
weekend
– Guests exchange rumors about their host.
• a German spy, graduate of Oxford, and he killed a man
in cold blood
• Nick and Jordan try to find Gatsby, but the
don’t have any luck.
• At midnight, Nick and Jordan go outside to
watch the entertainment.
• Nick officially meets Gatsby, and it turns out
that they served together in the War in the
same division.
– Gatsby does not drink and keeps himself separate
from the party, standing alone on the marble
steps, watching his guests in silence.
• Jordan meets Gatsby and learns something
extraordinary.
• Nick then proceeds to describe his everyday
life, to prove that he does more with his time
than simply attend parties.
• Nick follows the advice of Daisy and Tom and
begins seeing Jordan Baker.
– Jordan a dishonest person;
– she cheated in her first golf tournament.
– Nick feels attracted to her despite her dishonesty.