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Born on a North Dakota farm / Named "James Gatz"
Gatsby was born dirt poor in a farm on North Dakota and his original name was James Gatz. -
College
He attended college at St. Olaf in Minnesota, although he dropped out after two weeks. He complained about the humiliating cleaning job with which helped him to pay the tuition. -
The Great Change
He worked on Lake Superior, fishing for salmon and digging for clams. One day, he saw a wealthy copper mogul's (Dan Cody) yacht and tried to warn him about a storm. Cody took young Gatz, who gave his name as Jay Gatsby, as his personal assistant. -
Cody Learns the Dangers of Alcohol
Traveling with Cody, Gatsby got to know (and like) wealth and luxury. Cody was a heavy drinker, and one of Gatsby’s jobs was to look after him when he was drunk. This gave Gatsby a healthy respect for the dangers of alcohol and convinced him not to become a drinker himself. -
Cody Dies / Inheritance Denied
When Cody died, he left Gatsby $25000, but Cody’s mistress prevented him from claiming his inheritance. Gatsby, then, dedicated himself to becoming a wealthy and successful man. -
Meeting with Daisy
After the death of Cody, he went to Daisy's house as one of the officers and fell in love with her. It was the first time he was in such a luxurious house with such a beautiful woman. -
Gatsby is sent to the Great War
in 1917, Jay Gatsby was requested to fight in the Great War -
Building the wealthy Jay Gatsby
When Gatsby comes back from the war, he starts to build the character of Gatsby, a wealthy man, who comes from a wealthy family and all the story he told some chapters ago. -
Oxford
Jay Gatsby studied in Oxford due to a plan from the army -
The Mansion and the Parties
After making his fortune out of nowhere (apparently), he bought a house with a clear sight of Daisy's house and organized huge parties so he could meet her again at one of them, but she didn't go to any of them.