F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel The Great Gatsby tells the story of mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby. Taking place in Long Island in the summer of 1922, Gatsby’s neighbor, Nick Carraway recounts the tale of Gatsby, from his service in the Great War, to his extravagant parties thrown in his lavish mansion. The focal point of this essay will be Jay Gatsby -- where did he come from? How did he become so rich? Lastly, what makes Gatsby so great? James Gatz, or Jay Gatsby, as he would later go by, was born to a dirt poor family in rural North Dakota. He despised his impoverished status and dreamed of breaking free from it. He briefly attended St.Olaf College in Minnesota, but dropped out because he was "dismayed at its ferocious indifference
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Prohibition was in full effect and he took advantage of this by getting into the bootlegging business. He accumulates wealth and becomes acquainted with several gangsters within the city. With the wealth that he accumulated, he bought a mansion in the fictional West Egg district of Long Island. His mansion lies across the bay from old-money East Egg, where Daisy. Tom, and their daughter reside. Every weekend, Gatsby threw extravagant parties, open to all comers, in hopes that Daisy would show up as a guest one night. She never came to his parties, but through her cousin and the story’s narrator, Nick Carraway, she is reunited with Gatsby and he tries to revive their relationship from years ago and convince Daisy to leave her unfaithful husband. Tom starts to become suspicious of Daisy’s infidelity. At the Buchanan home, Tom, Daisy, Nick, and Jay decide to take a trip into the city. Tom borrowed Jay’s yellow Rolls Royce and fills up at a gas station in a run down area between Long Island and New York City. The owner of the gas station, George Wilson discovers that his wife Myrtle is having an affair but she won’t say who. She is actually having an affair with Tom and when George mentions Myrtle’s affair, Tom becomes unnerved and drives off. The Buchanans, Jay, and Nick are having a little party in a hotel in New York City and once liquor starts getting into everyone’s systems, a casual conversation between Daisy, Gatsby, and Tom becomes a full on confrontation. In a fit of rage, Gatsby insisted that Daisy loved him and only married Tom for his wealth. The party breaks up, with Daisy driving Gatsby in his Rolls Royce back to West Egg. Myrtle sees a yellow car approaching their gas station and mistakes it for Tom returning for her. She runs out in the road and is hit and killed instantly. Gatsby promised Daisy he would take the blame if they were ever caught. On Tom’s way
Prohibition was in full effect and he took advantage of this by getting into the bootlegging business. He accumulates wealth and becomes acquainted with several gangsters within the city. With the wealth that he accumulated, he bought a mansion in the fictional West Egg district of Long Island. His mansion lies across the bay from old-money East Egg, where Daisy. Tom, and their daughter reside. Every weekend, Gatsby threw extravagant parties, open to all comers, in hopes that Daisy would show up as a guest one night. She never came to his parties, but through her cousin and the story’s narrator, Nick Carraway, she is reunited with Gatsby and he tries to revive their relationship from years ago and convince Daisy to leave her unfaithful husband. Tom starts to become suspicious of Daisy’s infidelity. At the Buchanan home, Tom, Daisy, Nick, and Jay decide to take a trip into the city. Tom borrowed Jay’s yellow Rolls Royce and fills up at a gas station in a run down area between Long Island and New York City. The owner of the gas station, George Wilson discovers that his wife Myrtle is having an affair but she won’t say who. She is actually having an affair with Tom and when George mentions Myrtle’s affair, Tom becomes unnerved and drives off. The Buchanans, Jay, and Nick are having a little party in a hotel in New York City and once liquor starts getting into everyone’s systems, a casual conversation between Daisy, Gatsby, and Tom becomes a full on confrontation. In a fit of rage, Gatsby insisted that Daisy loved him and only married Tom for his wealth. The party breaks up, with Daisy driving Gatsby in his Rolls Royce back to West Egg. Myrtle sees a yellow car approaching their gas station and mistakes it for Tom returning for her. She runs out in the road and is hit and killed instantly. Gatsby promised Daisy he would take the blame if they were ever caught. On Tom’s way