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Myrtle and George in Ashes
At Tom and Myrtle's apartment, Catherine tells Nick that "They’ve been living over that garage for eleven years" (PDF). We can assume that it was some time in 1911 as the book events take place eleven years later, in 1922 -
Period: to
The Past
This is the five year timespan before the book begins in the Summer of 1922. -
Gatsby meets Daisy
Jordan tells us that in the Fall of 1917, Jay Gatsby meets Daisy Fay at her house. They quickly fell in love. Rumors began circling that she tried to sneak out of her house a year later to tell him goodbye as Jay was going off to the war. -
Jordan Gains Popularity
Jordan tells Nick in Chapter 4 that, "By the next year I had a
few beaux myself, and I began to play in tournaments,..." (PDF). -
Daisy and Tom get Engaged
Jordan tells us that "in February she [Daisy] was
presumably engaged to a man from New Orleans." (PDF) This man was presumably Tom. -
Daisy and Tom get Married
Jordan also tells us that "In June
she [Daisy] married Tom Buchanan of Chicago with more pomp
and circumstance than Louisville ever knew before." (PDF) -
Period: to
The Great Gatsby
This is when the events in "The Great Gatsby" come to pass. Everything stays the same in the book, but I chose to create an aftermath to the story, not affecting any of the events that happen before or during the book. -
Green
From the light at the end of Daisy's dock to the green of the grass on Nick's lawn, the color is present in many aspects of the novel. To Gatsby, the color green is associated with Daisy, his hopes and dreams for her, and the life he planned for them. The color green constantly driving the plot to go deeper. -
White
White is used many times in the novel, but it is most closely associated with Daisy. She wears white all the time from visiting Gatsby to Nick. Her house is full of white as well. White symbolises purity and beauty, evident in the novel through how Gatsby sees her; beautiful, pure, and elegant. -
Red
In the story, the color red represents rage and bloodshed. Gatsby's face turns red with rage in the movie when he attacks Tom. Red is the color of the blood spilled from Myrtle, George, and Gatsby. Since white shows Daisy's character, the other color in their house is red, representing Tom's defiance and arrogance. Red is also associated with Gold because at that time, money and wealth were associated with bloodshed, just like the rumors surrounding Gatsby's wealth. -
Yellow
Yellow represents wealth and aristocracy. Gatsby is COVERED in yellow and gold. He puts yellow into everything he does so as to show his status and fortune. Daisy is also associated with Yellow which alludes to her lifestyle being elegant and lavish. However, she also is completely focused on her money. She greedily focuses on her own self enjoyment and immerses herself in her money and lavish lifestyle. In the end, Yellow is also used to represent the decay of Gatsby and his dream. -
Blue
Blue represents calmness and sadness equally. While Gatsby's color is yellow on the outside, blue shows his true sadness and loneliness. The more parties he has, the more he becomes sad as Daisy does not come. Blue is also used to represent Gatsby's fantasy of his life with Daisy. -
Inheritance
Following the events of "The Great Gatsby" Nick finds out that Gatsby has willed his house and fortune to him. Not sure what to do with that money, he begins to invest it in the stock market. -
A Nagging Feeling
Nick stayed away from the house after he found out that he owned it, but something kept nagging at him. He decided to check out the house with Jordan. They moved silently through all the cold, grey rooms, half reminiscing, half mourning. Nick strays away to the garage, and after seeing Gatsby's yellow car, resolves to take it to the scrap shop. -
Gold to Blue
After a few days have passed, Nick finds time to take Gatsby's car to the scrap. After refusing to just sell the car as is, the man reluctantly takes out a can of spray paint and marks the car with a sickly stripe of blue, marking it for the heap. Nick watches as the car is crushed, mangled, torn apart, and scrapped. -
Cutting Ties
It's been over a year since the events of the book, and Nick is beginning to get used to his fortune. He has since demolished Gatsby's old house and built a new mansion in it's place. It is less lavish than the old mansion, but it is still the place for parties. Nick makes his parties invite only. -
Daisy
Having since returned from her trip with Tom for over a year, she has become very recluse. Tom makes his way around town, but stays away from Nick's parties and avoids any conversation with Nick or Jordan. Wild rumors begin to circle around saying that Daisy tried to kill herself in the spring of 1924, but was unsuccessful. Jordan is not sure what to do, as she will not talk to her. -
Nick Gets Married
After continuing to party with Jordan, he ends up deciding to marry her, and they have a lavish wedding. Tom comes to the reception, but Daisy refuses to come. Jordan commits to being a better person. -
Eyes on Nick
Nick has become the richest man in the entire United States. Nick has been investing in very profitable companies such as television providers and movie makers. -
Crashing Down
In 1929, the stock market crashed. Nick, having invested most of his fortune into the stock market, is hit hard, along with most of America. -
Fallout
Nick and Jordan were able to recover from the crash of 1929, however, they had to sell the mansion. They decided that they would go to live in California and make a life there. -
Nick Turns 40
Daisy has reached out to Nick almost ten years after he has seen her last. She invites him and Jordan to come back to New York to celebrate Nick's birthday. Shocked and confused, Jordan and Nick make arrangements to visit her. -
Just as Gay as Always
They make arrangements to visit Daisy and Tom in April. Daisy seems a bit different in her demeanor, but she seem like the same Daisy that we meet at the beginning of the story. -
The Return
Daisy convinces Nick and Jordan to come back to live in New York, and they are able to get back their house that they build on the site of Gatsby's old mansion thanks to Daisy and Tom's efforts. -
James Again
Jordan breaks the news to Nick that she is pregnant and they begin to prepare for a child. Later that year, she gives birth to a baby boy. Nick decides to name him James Carraway, in honor of Gatsby. -
Blood Flows Red
Nick found the first World War very exciting, and much to the dismay of Jordan, Nick goes off to fight in World War II. During the war, he is shot and dies from his wounds. In dismay, Jordan seeks the help of Daisy and Tom, who help her through her mourning.
