Plot summary

Introduction:

 The novel begins with a reflective tone, as the narrator, Nick Carraway, who shares a piece of advice from his father: "Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone... just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had." This sets the stage for the story, hinting at the social commentary and moral exploration that will unfold. Nick Carraway, a young man from Minnesota, moves to New York in the summer of 1922 to learn about the bond business. He rents a house in the West Egg district of Long Island, a wealthy but unfashionable area populated by the new rich, a group who have made their fortunes too recently to have established social connections and who are prone to flashy displays of wealth. Nick’s next-door neighbor in West Egg is a mysterious man named Jay Gatsby, who lives in a gigantic Gothic mansion and throws extravagant parties every Saturday night.  In the more refined village of East Egg live his cousin Daisy and her brutish, absurdly wealthy husband Tom Buchanan. Early in the summer, Nick goes over to their house for dinner, where he also meets Jordan Baker, Daisy’s friend and a well-known golf champion, who tells him that Tom has a mistress in New York City, named Myrtle Wilson. 

In a private conversation, Daisy confesses to Nick that she has been unhappy, making it known that their marriage is not perfect. Returning to his house in West Egg, he catches sight of his neighbor Jay Gatsby standing alone in the dark and stretching his arms out to a green light burning across the bay at the end of Tom and Daisy’s dock. 

Early in July Tom introduces Nick to his mistress, Myrtle Wilson, who lives with her spiritless husband George Wilson, meeting her at the garage where George works as a repairman.

As the summer progresses, Nick garners an invitation to one of Gatsby’s legendary parties. He encounters Jordan Baker at the party, and they meet Gatsby himself. Later, Gatsby asks to speak to Jordan alone, and, through Jordan, Nick later learns more about his mysterious neighbor. Gatsby tells Jordan that he knew Daisy in Louisville in 1917 and he is deeply in love with her.  

Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby become close friends as the book progresses. Although Nick and Gatsby are friends, Nick cannot recognize that Gatsby is using him to get close to Daisy. 

This is how other important scenarios happen in the book. 

Climax: 

The climax of "The Great Gatsby" is a moment of maximum tension and revelation that marks a point of no return in history. This climax is mainly concentrated in chapter 7, where several plots intertwine explosively and the characters' lives change forever

Key events: 

The Confrontation at Gatsby's Mansion: Tom Buchanan, Daisy's husband, discovers the truth about the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy. In a tension-filled scene, Tom accuses Gatsby of being a con man and questions the authenticity of his wealth. This confrontation exposes the hypocrisy and superficiality of high society in the 1920s.

 Daisy's Decision: Daisy finds herself trapped in a love triangle and must make a crucial decision: stay with Tom, the safe and stable man, or follow her heart and be with Gatsby, the man for whom she has left everything. In this moment of crisis, Daisy demonstrates her cowardice and inability to face the consequences of her decisions.

 The car accident: After an afternoon full of tension and mixed emotions, Daisy, driving Gatsby's car, runs over and kills Myrtle Wilson, Tom's lover. This tragic event triggers a series of devastating consequences that will change the course of all the characters' lives.

 The Revelation of Truth and Revenge: Tom manipulates George Wilson, Myrtle's husband, into believing that Gatsby was the one who killed his wife. Blinded by grief and anger, Wilson seeks revenge and murders Gatsby in his mansion. Then, consumed with guilt, Wilson commits suicide.

Resolution: 

At the end of The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway reflects on the American Dream and society's moral decay. Following Gatsby’s death, Nick observes Daisy and Tom's indifference as they return to their lives without taking responsibility. Gatsby's mansion is left abandoned and desolate, symbolizing the failure of his pursuit of an impossible love and his obsession with the past. Nick concludes with a famous metaphor, describing humanity as: “Boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.