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Nick Moved to Long Island, NY
After WWI, Nick decided to try his hand at the bond business. He found a place in West Egg. He rented a bungalow between two mansions for $80 a month. -
Dinner at the Buchanans
After settling in, Nick visited people that he knew in Long Island, NY, his cousin Daisy and his school mate Tom. He learned a few tidbits about the people he would spend his summer with. -
The Wilson's
Under the auspices of business, Tom talks Nick into meeting his mistress and her husband, George Wilson. -
Tom's Party
Lame...in comparison to Gatsby's parties. Maybe it wasn't a party, but a "get-together" at the apartment where his mistress "mistresses" and puts on airs with borrowed money from an abusive relationship. In addition to the "bad" party, Nick didn't even want to go, but Tom being Tom, he physically pushes Nick to join he and Myrtle in their apartment. Nick tried to leave before the "party" began. -
Gatsby's Party(ies)
Gatsby had been throwing lavish parties since Nick moved in next door. Nick received an invite (unlike most other guests) and decided to partake in the festivities. Saying the parties were lavish is an understatement. People were given rides to his home. They could play on the beach during the day, then party at night. With two dinners served, a full, open bar, and a full band, it was the place to be!!! Gatsby is hard to find.
Paaaaaarty! -
Gatsby, The Mystery...
Gatsby was nowhere to be found in the midst of his lavish parties. Nick and Jordan make an effort to look for Gatsby. They're unsuccessful until Nick just happens to be talking to a man who looked familiar. It's very awkward, yet Gatsby's smile, "...understood you just so far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself..." (Fitzgerald, 53) -
Gatsby Keeps the Mystery Going
Instead of just asking Nick to arrange a date with Daisy, Gatsby asks Jordan to ask Nick to ask Daisy. It's even more ridiculous because Gatsby takes Nick on a ride to prove himself worthy of Daisy.
Ride With Gatsby -
Daisy and Gatsby Meet Again
"We've met before..." (Fitzgerald, 92)
Gatsby is as nervous as a teenager when he and Daisy finally meet again at Nick's house. Gatsby finally gets to show Daisy his palatial mansion while Kiplinspringer sings.
Ain't We Got Fun -
Meanwhile, Nick and Jordan Fancy
After her aloof behavior when Jordan and Nick first met, she begins to warm to Nick after Gatsby's party. Maybe it's love? It may have been if Nick were rich. -
Is It Love or Extraordinary Hope?
Gatsby and Daisy begin their love affair...again. Often times, Daisy sneaks away to be with Gatsby while Tom is occupied elsewhere. The only problem is Gatsby is in love with what he wants Daisy to be, not who she really is...an old money snob. -
James Gatz
He wasn't Jay Gatsby from San Francisco, James Gatz from North Dakota. He was mentored by the Romantic hero, Dan Cody. His wealth was really acquired through luck, not family background. -
He's Not One of Us
As Daisy and Gatsby got close, Tom began to wonder what was going on. He decided to do a little snooping on horseback one day. He and a few friends rode on horseback to Gatsby's place. As they left for dinner, they "invited" Gatsby, but Gatsby didn't know that he wasn't part of the club. -
Can't Repeat the Past
Gatsby tried to introduce Daisy to his lavish parties, but to his dismay. She didn't enjoy the "new money" party, as Tom plants the seed that eventually drives a wedge between Daisy and Gatsby. Nick offered Gatsby advice about Daisy, but Gatsby insists, "'You can't repeat the past?' he cried incredulously. 'Why of course you can!'" (Fitzgerald, 118)
Can't Repeat the Past? -
The Hottest Day
On the hottest day of the summer, Jay, Nick, Jordan, Daisy and Tom meet at the Buchanans' house for lunch. As Daisy openly flirts with Gatsby, Gatsby wants her to tell Tom she never loved him. She can't or won't. She's an old money snob, so no matter how bad Tom treats her, he and his family were rich, and she was staying like the beautiful fool she wanted her daughter to be. -
Myrtle's Mortality
Tom was able to expose Gatsby for the bootlegger he was at the Plaza Hotel. On the way home, Daisy is so upset that she drove erratically and committed a hit and run. Ironically, the victim was Myrtle, Tom's mistress. -
You're worth the Whole Damn Bunch
Myrtle's death, Daisy's desertion of Gatsby and Tom's impication of Gatsby in Myrtle's death was enough of an eyeopener for Nick. He realized what kind of people Tom and Daisy were. They threw people away when they were finished with them. They let other people take responsibility for their actions...Nick tells Gatsby that he's better than Daisy, Tom and Jordan.
Jay! -
Horrible Tom, Poor George
George Wilson had a horrible time dealing with his wife's death, and in his grief-stricken state, he vowed to get revenge on the rich guy who used his wife and then killed her. While Gatsby took one last stroll in his pool, Wilson shot Gatsby and himself. -
"It Was What Preyed On Gatsby..."
In the wake of Gatsby's death, Nick realized there was no one there for Gatsby aside from him. He arranged a funeral and called Gatsby's friends, but no one showed except for Gatsby's father, his servants and one guest from Gatsby's party..."...what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily clouded out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men." (Fitzgerald, 4)
