The Great Gatsby’s Main Idea

After World War I, the 1920's in America was known as a time of excess and carelessness for many, but most notably the rich. To illustrate these problems, F. Scott Fitzgerald published the famous novel in 1925 entitled The Great Gatsby. In the novel, Jay Gatsby, the main character, is driven by his love for his former girlfriend Daisy Buchanan. The novel is narrated by Gatsby's neighbor Nick Carraway who is Daisy's cousin. Carraway meets Gatsby and other people in the towns of West and East Egg who are careless, rich and who like to attend extravagant parties at Gatsby's mansion. Gatsby, however, does not enjoy his own parties or his wealth. Instead, he throws parties to attempt to reunite with Daisy, hoping that she will leave her husband Tom who is having an affair with a lower-class woman named Myrtle Wilson.

As the story unfolds, Nick attends parties with Gatsby, has lunch with Gatsby and a gangster, and begins to learn the truth about Gatsby. After excessive drinking in a hotel in New York with Daisy, Daisy's friend Jordan Baker, Gatsby, and Tom, Nick learns the horrible truth: Daisy runs over Tom's mistress Myrtle while driving home from New York in Gatsby's car. Gatsby, in one last attempt to show his support for his love, takes the blame for the murder but ends up being killed by Myrtle's husband who kills himself as well. Nick Carraway was beside Jay Gatsby throughout the novel, he witnessed the good and bad Gatsby went through and also He heard all the rumors said about Gatsby how he had killed a man once in the War and how he was a drug dealer. Nick Carraway still believes that Jay Gatsby is Great because of all the effort and obstacles he overcame trying to get Daisy's attention, and how much hope he contributes throughout the story.

Nick feels that Gatsby is great because of all the work he put into meeting Daisy again. In chapter 4, Jay Gatsby goes to Nick Carraway's front door with a luxuries yellow hydroplane asking him to get on and go with him to grab lunch with him. Meanwhile, in the car ride, he states who he was, how he was educated at Oxford and how his family was rich in the Middle West but unfortunately they have all passed away. So all the money passed down from generations got lent down to him. But Nick knew he didn't just bring him out to grab lunch, he already knew he was lying about his past and how he wanted a favor all along but he had not known what it was.

When they got downtown for lunch they met up with an old friend of Gatsby. His name was Wolfsheim, a mobster that kept his profile very classified and not many people knew about him he came into the story as a person who helped Gatsby out after the ware and helped him gain all the fortunes he had. Gatsby claims that he is an Oggsford College graduate, as well as a gambler, as well as the guy who fixed the world series back in 1919, and how he met him after the war. Later on, after lunch, Nick comes across Tom, Which is the guy who is having an affair with Daisy.

Gatsby was shocked because he realizes who Tom was and tries to avoid him but instead, Nick introduces Gatsby to Tom which they end up shaking hands but later on Gatsby disappears. Jordan then comes into the story, She claims she was an old friend of Gatsby's and how she was there back when Gatsby came to her asking for help. Jordan than explains to Nick the truth, How he was a soldier in the War, and how in the past He was in love with Daisy but he had to depart to go to war, Claimed that Daisy could not wait for Gatsby's arrival again and how she had to marry a rich man in order to live a good lifestyle. But Gatsby was too nervous to talk to Daisy alone. So according to Jordan, Gatsby said " He wants to know if you'll invite Daisy to your house some afternoon and then let him come over." ( pg. 78 ).

Gatsby wants to show Daisy what he has gained in the time being meanwhile while he was gone for a little over 4 years, he still has faith that Daisy will feel the same way about him after she sees his fortunes. Gatsby decided to come into an agreement with Nick due to his close relationship with Daisy and how much he knows her, he wants Nick to invite his lover Daisy over so they could meet once again and fall in love with each other and live happily together.

Gatsby is trying to show Daisy all his fortune he has now compared to back then when he was just a soldier at war. Nick Carraway lives in a small house next to Gatsby humongous mansion. It's an ordinary townhouse that is cheaper than most of the houses around. Gatsby claims that he is willing to do anything for that favor. He tries to provoke his idea with money but Nick considered it as just a favor he is willing to complete for Gatsby. The day they arranged to meet up with Daisy Gatsby went out his way a redecorated Nicks house completely. He's trying to show off his wealth toward Daisy by hiring people to rearrange Nicks front lawn and make his home more valuable than how it looked like filling it up full with flowers and which Daisy loved.

According to Jordan Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be across the bay. He wants her to see his house, she explained, And your house is right next door, I think he half expected her to wander into one of his parties some night. ( Pg. 78, 79 ) Gatsby went through all those obstacles and hard work trying to get Daisy and it paid off. As soon as Daisy arrived she noticed how beautiful everything around looked. When Gatsby seen Daisy entering he panicked and got nervous asked Nick for a lot of help and then he came into the idea to go next door and take a tour in Gatsby Mansion. Daisy was fascinated by all he had and had accomplished she felt attached to him once more and notices how the house Gatsby owned was purposely across her house and how the green light he sees across the bay that flashes repetitively was in her dock how all the parties were meant for her.

Daisy ends up falling deeply in love with Gatsby but she is not sure how to tell Tom because she has a mixed feeling between both of them. Daisy was planning to tell Tom she wanted a divorce with him because She already knew Tom was having an affair with Myrtle. When they were having lunch Daisy was too nervous about what Tom will do to her when she asks for the divorce. She ended up changing the topic when the words were about to come out and reveal her real feelings towards the engagement and how she felt about Gatsby. But Gatsby started to reveal the truth towards Tom on how Daisy wanted a divorce and how she had always loved him even after he was gone, in front of Jordan, and Nick Carraway.

Tom neglected and refused to talk to Gatsby there he thinks it's better if they go downtown and talk in a very luxuries hotel suite. Gatsby and Daisy took Toms blue car on the way there, and Tom, Nick, and Jordan went on Gatsby's luxuries hydroplane. They got to there destination first meanwhile Tom stopped to fill up gas at Wilson gas station who is also Myrtle's husband and proceed until they got their hotel, later than they entered the suite where everything was revealed, Tom and Gatsby then started arguing on who was the ideal man for Daisy, after several of drinks later Daisy couldn't take it anymore and left with Gatsby back home leaving Tom, Jordan, and Nick behind. According to Gatsby on the way back a tragedy happened, he states that "Well, I tried to swing the wheel----" He broke off, and suddenly I guessed at the truth. "Was Daisy driving? Yes, he said after a moment, but of course, I'll say I was. You see, when we left New York she was very nervous and she thought it would steady her to drive--and this woman rushed out at us just as we were passing a car coming the other way. ( Pg. 143 )

The woman who dashed in front of the car was Myrtle due to an argument that was going on between her and her husband she sneaked out and saw the same car earlier that was on her husband's shop stopping for some gas and she thought it was the same guy driving earlier which was Tom. But she ran into the road and Daisy who was driving accidentally hit her. Myrtle did not respond after the accident and unfortunately passed away but because there were witnesses out they claimed to of seen a yellow luxuries car go by and there's associated in an area where poverty is common so they were rare to see cars like that. Gatsby then tells Daisy that they should leave the next morning far away and that she should call him whenever shes ready the next day and how he thought he was going to resolve everything.

Immediately Wilson thinks it's Tom but when Tom hears about the tragedy he makes it clear to Wilson on how he didn't really own the car that he was just driving it in the meanwhile Gatsby took his real car. Wilson then ends up finding Gatsby but no one knew that he was in the passenger seat of the car and Daisy was driving because he wanted it that way. He risks his freedom for Daisy which is not usual nowadays taking huge risks like that can affect his reputation and a lot of bad punishments according to the Law that could happen to him. Due to the fact he kept quiet and not told anyone the truth Wilson was seeking revenge on the person who owned the yellow car with all the hate he had towards Gatsby, He ends up taking Gatsby and his own life away and Gatsby never received the call he was waiting the same day he would disappear with his love forever.

Fitzgerald believes that Gatsby was a man full with hope and that he believed in something much more better than all his fortunes and business, he believed in love. The reasons why the novel ended like that was because Fitzgerald thought that nothing that is too good to be true is real. He creates Gatsby's death in order for Daisy to not gain complete feelings and attached to Gatsby which could end up separating her and her only daughter apart as well as her whole family. He was trying to show the reader how deeply Gatsby believed in love and also how everything could be achieved but there could be consequences or obstacles in the way.

Fitzgerald was trying to caution readers to always tell the truth and how your actions could leave to serious consequences and which could include death if you don't take serious precautions. Fitzgerald wanted to show us how society was different back then and how people were just in relationships because of material use and not just love towards each other.

Works Cited

1. Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Susanne Lenz. The Great Gatsby. Reclam, 2015.

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