The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A short, lyrical novel about wealth, longing, and the impossibility of repeating the past. Set on Long Island in the summer of 1922.
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In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since. 'Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,' he told me, 'just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.'F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great GatsbyRead 13 hand-picked quotes from The Great Gatsby, with meaning →4 The Great Gatsby memes, decoded →
The Great Gatsby: study guide
Everything you need to follow The Great Gatsby: what happens, who it happens to, what it means, and the words worth learning along the way. The links at the top of the page jump straight to any part of it.
The Great Gatsby summary
The Great Gatsby follows the story of Jay Gatsby, a wealthy man known for his extravagant parties, as he tries to win back his former lover, Daisy Buchanan. Set in the Jazz Age, the novel explores themes of wealth, love, and the American Dream through the eyes of narrator Nick Carraway.
Setting: The novel is set in the summer of 1922, primarily on Long Island and in New York City.
Show the full summary↓
Contains spoilers, including the ending.
The Great Gatsby is narrated by Nick Carraway, a young man from the Midwest who moves to West Egg, Long Island, to learn about the bond business. He lives next to the mysterious and wealthy Jay Gatsby, who is famous for his lavish parties. Nick reconnects with his cousin Daisy Buchanan and her husband Tom, who live in the more fashionable East Egg.
Gatsby reveals to Nick that he is in love with Daisy and has been for years, ever since they met before he went to fight in World War I. Gatsby's wealth and extravagant lifestyle are all part of his plan to win Daisy back from Tom. Nick arranges for Gatsby and Daisy to meet, and they begin an affair.
Tension builds as Tom becomes suspicious of Daisy's relationship with Gatsby. During a confrontation in a New York City hotel, Tom exposes Gatsby's criminal background, and Daisy decides to stay with Tom. On the way back, Daisy accidentally kills Tom's mistress, Myrtle Wilson, in Gatsby's car, but Gatsby takes the blame.
Gatsby waits for Daisy to call him, hoping she will choose him, but she never does. Tom tells Myrtle's husband, George Wilson, that Gatsby owns the car that killed Myrtle. George, in a fit of grief and rage, goes to Gatsby's mansion and shoots him before taking his own life.
Nick is left to arrange Gatsby's funeral, which is sparsely attended despite the hundreds who frequented his parties. Disillusioned by the people around him, Nick decides to return to the Midwest. Before leaving, he reflects on the American Dream and the passage of time.
The novel ends with Nick contemplating the green light at the end of Daisy's dock, a symbol of Gatsby's unreachable dream, and concludes with the famous line about how we are all driven by dreams of the past.
The Great Gatsby characters
The main characters of The Great Gatsby, who they are and what they do in the story.
Jay Gatsby
protagonistA wealthy and enigmatic man known for his lavish parties. Gatsby is deeply in love with Daisy Buchanan and has spent years accumulating wealth to win her back.
Nick Carraway
supportingThe novel's narrator, a young man from the Midwest who moves to West Egg to learn about the bond business. He becomes friends with Gatsby and helps him reconnect with Daisy.
Daisy Buchanan
supportingNick's cousin and Gatsby's love interest. Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan and is known for her beauty and charm, but she is also shallow and indecisive.
Tom Buchanan
antagonistDaisy's wealthy and aggressive husband. Tom is having an affair with Myrtle Wilson and represents the arrogance and carelessness of the upper class.
Jordan Baker
supportingA professional golfer and Daisy's friend. Jordan is known for her aloof and cynical demeanor and becomes romantically involved with Nick.
Myrtle Wilson
supportingTom Buchanan's mistress who is married to George Wilson, a mechanic. Myrtle is desperate to improve her social status and is tragically killed in a car accident.
George Wilson
supportingMyrtle's husband, a struggling mechanic who owns a garage in the Valley of Ashes. He is devastated by Myrtle's death and ultimately kills Gatsby before taking his own life.
Meyer Wolfsheim
supportingA shady businessman and associate of Gatsby who is rumored to have fixed the 1919 World Series. He represents the criminal side of Gatsby's wealth.
Themes in The Great Gatsby
The major themes of The Great Gatsby and what each one means in the story.
The American Dream
The novel examines the idea of the American Dream, showing how it is corrupted by wealth and materialism. Gatsby's pursuit of wealth to win Daisy represents the unattainable nature of this dream.
Love and Obsession
Gatsby's love for Daisy borders on obsession, driving him to recreate the past and achieve his idealized vision of their relationship. This theme explores the destructive nature of such fixation.
Class and Society
The novel highlights the divide between the wealthy elite and the lower classes. Characters like Tom and Daisy represent the careless, privileged upper class, while George and Myrtle Wilson represent the struggling lower class.
The Past and Memory
Gatsby's desire to recreate his past with Daisy and his inability to move on from it underscores the theme of the past's inescapable influence on the present.
Moral Decay
The novel portrays the moral decay hidden beneath the glittering surface of wealth and glamour in the 1920s, as characters engage in deceit, infidelity, and crime.
The Great Gatsby vocabulary
24 useful words from The Great Gatsby, from easier to harder. Each has a simple meaning and an example sentence, so you learn words you can actually use, not just recognise. While you read here, tapping any word does the same thing.
- advicenoun
Guidance or recommendations offered about what to do in a situation.
“She gave me some good advice about studying.”
- criticizeverb
To express disapproval of someone or something.
“He tends to criticize others too harshly.”
- rememberverb
To have in or be able to bring to one's mind an awareness of someone or something from the past.
“I remember my first day at school.”
- advantagenoun
A condition or circumstance that puts one in a favorable or superior position.
“Having a car is an advantage when you live in the countryside.”
- understandverb
To grasp the meaning, significance, or nature of something.
“I understand the instructions now.”
- collegenoun
An educational institution or establishment, in particular one providing higher education or specialized professional or vocational training.
“She plans to go to college next year.”
- accuseverb
To charge someone with an offense or crime.
“She was accused of stealing the money.”
- secretnoun
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
“He told me a secret about his past.”
- hopenoun
A feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.
“I have hope that things will get better.”
- uniformnoun
A particular set of clothes that has to be worn by the members of the same organization or group of people.
“The students wear a school uniform.”
- scornnoun
The feeling or belief that someone or something is worthless or despicable.
“She looked at him with scorn.”
- sensitivitynoun
The quality of being sensitive.
“He has a sensitivity to loud noises.”
- giftnoun
A thing given willingly to someone without payment; a present.
“She received a gift for her birthday.”
- romanticadjective
Conducive to or characterized by the expression of love.
“They had a romantic dinner by candlelight.”
- elationnoun
Great happiness and exhilaration.
“The news filled her with elation.”
- prominentadjective
Important; famous.
“He is a prominent figure in the community.”
- generationnoun
All of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively.
“Each generation faces different challenges.”
- traditionnoun
The transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation.
“It's a family tradition to gather for dinner on Sundays.”
- restlessadjective
Unable to rest or relax as a result of anxiety or boredom.
“He felt restless and couldn't sit still.”
- convictionnoun
A firmly held belief or opinion.
“She spoke with conviction about her plans.”
- familiaradjective
Well known from long or close association.
“The song sounds familiar to me.”
- resembleverb
To look or be like someone or something.
“He resembles his father.”
- phenomenonnoun
A fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen, especially one whose cause or explanation is in question.
“The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon.”
- lawnnoun
An area of short cut grass around a house, kept neat on purpose.
“His lawn ran down to the water and was cut every week.”
How readClassicly reads The Great Gatsby
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Why we picked it
A short, lyrical novel about wealth, longing, and the impossibility of repeating the past. Set on Long Island in the summer of 1922.
Suitable for 14+. Level B2-C1, which means readers comfortable with upper-intermediate English will follow it without a dictionary; lower-intermediate readers can read with light support.
The Great Gatsby: reading level & FAQ
What reading level is The Great Gatsby?↓
The Great Gatsby is rated B2-C1 on the CEFR scale and is suitable for ages 14+. It is a good fit for readers building toward or reading comfortably at that level.
Can I read The Great Gatsby online for free?↓
Yes. The Great Gatsby is in the public domain and free to read online at readClassicly, with a reading tracker and a short quiz. No account is needed to read it.
What is The Great Gatsby about?↓
The Great Gatsby follows the story of Jay Gatsby, a wealthy man known for his extravagant parties, as he tries to win back his former lover, Daisy Buchanan. Set in the Jazz Age, the novel explores themes of wealth, love, and the American Dream through the eyes of narrator Nick Carraway.
How does The Great Gatsby end?↓
The novel ends with Nick contemplating the green light at the end of Daisy's dock, a symbol of Gatsby's unreachable dream, and concludes with the famous line about how we are all driven by dreams of the past.
Wondering how long it takes? The Great Gatsby is 48,346 words, about 3 hours, broken down by reading speed and by how many minutes a day you give it.
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