The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a classic novel set in the Roaring Twenties, centered on the mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and his obsessive pursuit of Daisy Buchanan, a married woman from the wealthy old money class. Narrated by Nick Carraway, a Midwesterner and World War I veteran, the story explores themes of wealth, social class, love, materialism, and the elusive American Dream. Gatsby’s lavish parties and extravagant lifestyle are efforts to win back Daisy, but his dream is ultimately unattainable, revealing the moral decay and emptiness behind the glittering surface of the era. The novel contrasts new money at West Egg with old money at East Egg and is symbolized by the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock, representing Gatsby’s aspirations and the larger American Dream’s promise and failure.