The Great Gatsby Full Plot Summary - Powering through Prose

Summary

The video script narrates the tale of Nick Carraway, who moves to New York in the 1920s and becomes entangled in the complex life of his enigmatic neighbor, Jay Gatsby. Gatsby's lavish lifestyle and obsession with his former love, Daisy Buchanan, set the stage for a tragic love story. As the truth about Gatsby's wealth and Daisy's loyalties unravel, the narrative explores themes of illusion, ambition, and the corrupting influence of the American Dream.

Takeaways

• 📚 The script is a summary of 'The Great Gatsby', a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, set in the 1920s.
• 🎩 Nick Carraway is the narrator and the audience's guide through the story, known for his honesty and trustworthiness.
• 🏠 Nick moves to New York City and rents a cottage in West Egg, next to the mysterious Gatsby's mansion.
• 💔 Daisy Buchanan, Nick's second cousin, lives in East Egg with her husband Tom, and their marriage is troubled.
• 🕵️‍♂️ Tom introduces Nick to Myrtle Wilson, his mistress, revealing the affair and the complex relationships in the story.
• 🎉 Gatsby is known for throwing extravagant parties, hoping to attract Daisy's attention.
• 💡 Gatsby's backstory is revealed through a fabricated narrative of wealth, war heroism, and education at Oxford.
• 🔮 Jordan Baker reveals Gatsby's past love affair with Daisy and his ongoing longing for her.
• 🚗 A pivotal moment occurs when Daisy accidentally hits and kills Myrtle with Gatsby's car, under complex circumstances.
• 🏊 Gatsby's tragic end comes when George Wilson, seeking revenge for Myrtle's death, mistakenly kills Gatsby.
• 🌅 The story concludes with Nick reflecting on the nature of dreams, the past, and the disillusionment that can come from chasing unattainable goals.

Q & A

What is the nickname that people use for Nick Carraway in the script?

In the script, Nick Carraway is referred to as 'old sport' by others.

What significant event from 1922 does Nick Carraway recount in the script?

Nick recounts meeting Jay Gatsby and the events surrounding Gatsby's life and parties in 1922.

Where did Nick move to from the Midwest, as mentioned in the script?

Nick moved to New York City and also rented a cottage on Long Island's West Egg.

What is the relationship between Daisy Buchanan and Nick Carraway?

Daisy Buchanan is Nick's second cousin.

What is the significance of the green light that Gatsby is seen reaching out to in the script?

The green light signifies Gatsby's hope and longing for Daisy, as it is located at the end of her dock.

What is the name of Tom Buchanan's mistress, as mentioned in the script?

Tom Buchanan's mistress is named Myrtle Wilson.

How does the script describe the Valley of the Ashes?

The Valley of the Ashes is described as an industrial wasteland located halfway between the Eggs and New York City.

What is the profession of George Wilson, Myrtle's husband?

George Wilson owns a garage.

What tragic event occurs involving Myrtle Wilson and Gatsby's car?

Myrtle Wilson is killed when she runs out onto the road to flag down Gatsby's big yellow car, which hits her.

Who is ultimately responsible for Myrtle's death, according to the script?

Daisy Buchanan was driving the car when Myrtle was killed, but Gatsby offers to take the blame.

How does the script describe Gatsby's end and the lessons it might offer?

The script describes Gatsby's end as a delusion and a nightmare, suggesting that his pursuit of an unattainable dream and association with the careless and rotten crowd like the Buchanans led to his downfall.

Outlines

00:00

🎬 Introduction to the Roaring Twenties and Nick Carraway

The script opens with a dramatic introduction to the 1920s, setting the stage for a tale of love and ambition. Nick Carraway, the narrator, is portrayed as an honest man who becomes the confidant of many, including the enigmatic Jay Gatsby. Nick's move to New York City and his proximity to Gatsby's mansion on West Egg sets the scene for the unfolding drama. Key characters like Daisy Buchanan, Tom Buchanan, and Jordan Baker are introduced, each with their own secrets and roles in the story. The first paragraph establishes the social landscape and the complex relationships that will drive the narrative.

05:03

💔 The Unfolding Affairs and Gatsby's Grand Entrance

This paragraph delves into the tangled web of relationships and infidelity that pervades the lives of the characters. Tom Buchanan's affair with Myrtle Wilson is revealed, and the sordid nature of their relationship is highlighted by a violent incident at a party. Gatsby's mysterious persona is further explored as Nick is introduced to Gatsby's extravagant lifestyle and parties. The paragraph culminates in Gatsby's formal introduction to Nick and the revelation of Gatsby's backstory, which, while seemingly impressive, also raises questions about his true identity and past.

10:03

🏠 Gatsby's Obsession and the Tragic Consequences

The final paragraph brings the story to its climax and conclusion. Gatsby's deep-seated love for Daisy and his relentless pursuit of her affection are laid bare. The tension between Gatsby's dream and the harsh reality of Daisy's marriage to Tom reaches a breaking point. The tragic accident involving Myrtle Wilson and the subsequent fallout, including Gatsby's death and the revelation of Daisy's role in the accident, are detailed. The response of the other characters to Gatsby's death, and Nick's reflections on the nature of dreams and the past, provide a poignant end to the narrative.

Keywords

💡Roaring 20s

The 'Roaring 20s' refers to the 1920s, a decade characterized by economic prosperity, cultural dynamism, and significant social change in the United States. In the video, this term is used to set the historical context and to contrast with the darker aspects of the era, suggesting that while it was a time of great progress and excitement, it also had its flaws and corruption.

💡Nick Carraway

Nick Carraway is the narrator of the story and a central character who provides an outsider's perspective on the events and people he encounters. His role is crucial in the video as he introduces the audience to the complex social dynamics and the main character, Gatsby, and his own involvement in the unfolding drama.

💡Gatsby

Gatsby, or Jay Gatsby, is the enigmatic title character whose mysterious past and extravagant lifestyle are central to the narrative. The video uses Gatsby as a symbol of the American Dream and its potential for disillusionment, as his pursuit of wealth and love ultimately leads to tragedy.

💡Old Money

The term 'Old Money' refers to families who have been wealthy for generations, often associated with established social status and traditional values. In the script, it is contrasted with 'New Money,' highlighting the social divisions and the different attitudes towards wealth and class in the 1920s.

💡The Great Gatsby

This is the title of the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which the video is based on. It tells the story of Jay Gatsby and his tragic pursuit of the American Dream, reflecting on themes of wealth, love, and social class in the 1920s.

💡West Egg and East Egg

West Egg and East Egg are fictional locations in Long Island, representing the social divide between the newly rich and the established aristocracy. In the video, they serve as settings that highlight the differences in lifestyle and values between the two groups.

💡Tom Buchanan

Tom Buchanan is Daisy's husband, characterized as arrogant and unfaithful. His actions and attitudes reflect the moral decay and hypocrisy of the upper class, as depicted in the video, particularly in his treatment of Daisy and his affair with Myrtle Wilson.

💡Myrtle Wilson

Myrtle Wilson is Tom Buchanan's mistress, a character who represents the darker side of the pursuit of wealth and social status. Her tragic death, caused by a car driven by Daisy (but attributed to Gatsby), underscores the destructive consequences of the characters' actions.

💡American Dream

The American Dream is the idea that anyone, regardless of their birth, can achieve success and prosperity through hard work and determination. In the video, Gatsby's life and ultimate failure serve as a critique of this ideal, suggesting that it may be unattainable or corrupted by the realities of society.

💡Green Light

The green light at the end of Daisy's dock symbolizes Gatsby's hope and longing for a future with Daisy. It is a recurring motif in the video and the novel, representing the elusive nature of dreams and the struggle to attain them.

💡Valley of Ashes

The Valley of Ashes is a desolate wasteland between West Egg and New York City, symbolizing the moral and social decay hidden by the prosperity of the 1920s. It is also the home of George and Myrtle Wilson, further emphasizing the stark contrast between the rich and the poor.

💡Moral Decay

Moral Decay refers to the decline in moral values and principles, which is a significant theme in the video. The actions of characters like Tom Buchanan and the tragic outcomes of Gatsby's pursuit highlight the corruption and loss of integrity within the society of the 1920s.

Highlights

Nick Carraway, the narrator, shares his experiences of life and love in the 1920s.

Nick moves to New York City and becomes neighbors with the enigmatic Jay Gatsby.

Nick's cousin Daisy Buchanan and her wealthy but unhappy marriage is introduced.

Gatsby's mysterious presence and his longing for Daisy are revealed.

Tom Buchanan's infidelity and the tragic consequences of his affair with Myrtle Wilson.

Gatsby's extravagant parties, designed to attract Daisy's attention.

Nick's encounter with Gatsby's fabricated backstory and his connection to Wolfsheim.

The revelation of Gatsby's past love affair with Daisy and his unrequited love.

Daisy's visit to Gatsby's mansion and the awkwardness of their reunion.

The exploration of Gatsby's rise from poverty to wealth under the mentorship of Dan Cody.

Tom's discovery of Gatsby and Daisy's affair and the confrontation at the Plaza Hotel.

The tragic car accident involving Myrtle Wilson and the subsequent fallout.

Gatsby's loyalty to Daisy, even in the face of her silence after the accident.

George Wilson's quest for revenge and Gatsby's ultimate demise.

Nick's role as Gatsby's advocate after his death and the revelation of Gatsby's true character.

The lack of support from Gatsby's supposed friends and the attendance of his father at the funeral.

Nick's reflection on the nature of dreams, the past, and the tragic end of Gatsby's pursuit.

Transcripts

[Music]

hold on to your hats

our narrator nick carraway has some

hair-raising things to share about life

and love in the 1920s

was it the roaring 20s or the rotten 20s

you'll have to stick around to find out

old sport

nick's an honest kind of guy who people

tend to confide in

which is why he has lots to tell us

about what happened in 1922.

of all the people nick met that year the

one who made the biggest impression on

him was gatsby

ah

gatsby

it all began in the summer

nick had recently moved from america's

midwest to take a job in new york city

he'd also rented a cottage on long

island's west egg right next door to

gatsby's mansion

nick's second cousin daisy buchanan

lived across the bay in the more

fashionable east egg where the old money

resides

one evening daisy invites nick over for

dinner

nick receives a warm welcome from daisy

but her friend jordan baker is

standoffish

although jordan does know who nick's

neighbor is

who's gatsby

nick went to yale with daisy's obnoxious

husband tom buchanan

the unhappy state of tom and daisy's

marriage is showcased during dinner when

tom's mistress calls twice

poor daisy is clearly miserable

when he arrives back home nick sees his

neighbor gatsby standing out on his

manicured lawn in the moonlight

gatsby hold his arms out towards a green

light that flashes in the distance

what's he doing

a short time later tom introduces nick

to his mistress myrtle wilson

she lives in the valley of the ashes an

industrial wasteland that lies halfway

between the eggs and new york city she's

married to george wilson who owns a

garage

george doesn't realize that tom visits

his garage to see myrtle not discuss

cars

later that afternoon they all end up at

tom and myrtle's love nest in the city

myrtle invites a few people over and it

turns into a party

but the shindig ends abruptly when tom

breaks myrtle's nose for repeating

daisy's name

what a brute

but that wasn't a proper party only

gatsby throws real parties

soon enough nick is formally invited to

one

jordan baker saves him from social

isolation and they go on a mission to

find the mysterious gatsby

inside

they find an owl-eyed man in the library

but no gatsby

at around midnight gatsby finally

introduces himself to nick

they chat briefly before gatsby takes a

phone call and then asks to speak to

jordan alone

is gatsby trying to steal nick's date

it turns out that gatsby had pulled

jordan aside to tell her something

amazing

but nick must make a date with her if he

wants to know more

so

nick starts dating jordan

even though he hasn't officially broken

up with his girlfriend back home

one morning gatsby drives nick into the

city in his big yellow car

on the way

gatsby tells nick his life story

apparently he comes from a wealthy

midwest family is a decorated war hero

was educated at oxford and was affected

by a very sad thing that happened in his

past

it all sounds like a lie until he pulls

out a medal and photo to corroborate it

gatsby also says that jordan will fill

nick in on the very sad thing

ah

so that's what jordan and gatsby were

discussing at the party

maybe gatsby is legit

at lunch

gatsby introduces nick to his longtime

business partner maya wolfsheim bit of a

shady character that one

an awkward moment also occurs when nick

bumps into tom buchanan at the

restaurant

gatsby vanishes after nick introduces

him to tom

what's all that about

later that afternoon jordan gives nick

the scoop

five years ago back in louisville daisy

had a steamy love affair with a young

army officer named jay gatsby

but then gatsby went off to war and

daisy married tom buchanan

gatsby has been pining for daisy ever

since he even bought that crazy mansion

to be close to her

he throws big parties in the hope that

daisy will show up to one but she hasn't

so now it's down to nick gatsby wants

nick to invite daisy to afternoon tea at

his cottage

but daisy isn't to know that gatsby will

be there

being a dutiful friend nick invites

daisy over a few days later

gatsby shows up an hour earlier looking

sleep deprived

when daisy arrives gatsby runs out

through the back door and knocks on the

front door as if he's just arrived

fashionably late cool moves old sport

the lover's reunion is super awkward at

first daisy hardly knows what to say

but eventually the atmosphere shifts

until daisy and gatsby are absolutely

absorbed in one another

gatsby then takes daisy and nick next

door for a tour of his jaw dropping

house

goodness knows how he earned the money

to buy it in only three years as the

evening draws in nick decides to leave

them to it they don't need him anymore

after this nick doesn't see gatsby for a

few weeks so he uses this interval to

tell us more about the great gatsby

jay gatsby was born james gatz the son

of poor farmers from the midwest

but gatsby had big dreams and reinvented

himself at age 17.

his career officially began when he

introduced himself as jay gatsby to the

millionaire dan cody

cody became gatsby's employer and mentor

teaching him how to be a man of

substance

nick visits gatsby one sunday afternoon

tom buchanan and his posh riding buddies

also drop in as if gatsby's house is a

pub

the way these east egg toffs treat

gatsby is quite rude although gatsby

makes a point of telling tom

i know your wife

sure enough tom and daisy show up to

gatsby's next party except daisy doesn't

enjoy herself

west egg just isn't her scene

at the end of the night tom announces

that he's going to find out who gatsby

really is

uh-oh

a short time later nick jordan and

gatsby are invited to the buchanans for

lunch

it's not long before tom sniffs out the

affair

instead of exploding then and there he

decides they'll all go into the city

so

tom drives nick and jordan in gatsby's

car while gatsby drives daisy in tom's

blue coupe

on the way tom stops by wilson's garage

for gas

while george fills gatsby's car he tells

tom that he and myrtle are leaving town

for good

nick sees myrtle staring down at the car

from an upstairs window will tom lose

his wife and mistress on the same day

after they reach the plaza hotel tom

confronts gatsby about his affair with

daisy

gatsby rises to the challenge but tom

quickly gains the upper hand

when daisy loses the nerve to end her

marriage tom goes for the jugular

he reveals how gatsby makes his millions

from organized crime with maya wolfsheim

gatsby tries to deny it but daisy shuts

down

she wants to go home

tom's so sure of his victory that he

tells gatsby to take daisy home in his

own car this time

when myrtle wilson sees gatsby's big

yellow car coming she runs out onto the

road to flag it down but the car doesn't

stop it hits myrtle killing her

instantly

by the time tom pulls up at wilson's

garage a crowd has gathered

tom soon realises what's happened

a policeman is recording details about a

big yellow car so tom acts quickly he

grabs george sits him down and denies

any personal connection to the car

on the drive home

tom sobs quietly blaming gatsby for

myrtle's death

but by the time they reach tom's house

he's pulled himself together

as nick waits for his taxi

gatsby emerges from the bushes

nick tells gatsby that the woman he hit

on the road was killed

gatsby admits that daisy was driving but

he'll say he was driving if anyone asks

for now he's waiting in the garden in

case tom hassles daisy about the ugly

scene at the plaza hotel

nick is suddenly concerned

what if tom finds out that daisy killed

myrtle

nick peers through a window to check on

them but all he sees is tom and daisy

talking

they look united

almost as if they're conspiring

nick assures gatsby that daisy is fine

but gatsby stays just in case

gatsby returns home at dawn having

waited for nothing

nick goes to see gatsby and tells him to

leave town for a while

but gatsby wants to stay until he knows

what daisy wants to do

meanwhile george wilson is on a mission

to find the owner of the big yellow car

deranged with grief and lack of sleep

he'd started walking towards west egg

just after dawn

at some point on his journey someone

gives him gatsby's name

he reaches gatsby's house at around 3

p.m and finds gatsby in his pool

sensing trouble nick rushes to gatsby's

house after work but he's too late

he finds gatsby lying dead on his

inflatable pool mattress

george wilson's body is sprawled in the

grass nearby

when no one comes forward to handle

gatsby's affairs nick becomes gatsby's

champion

it seems that no one else cares

with radio silence from daisy and a

cowardly refusal from maya wolfsheim

nick is disgusted with everyone

but then

gatsby's father shows up henry c gatz

left minnesota as soon as he read about

his son's death in the newspaper

even though gatsby or

jimmy had walked out on his parents many

years prior henry was still very proud

of his son

once he became successful gatsby was

generous with his parents

only one more unexpected person attends

gatsby's funeral

the owl-eyed man from gatsby's library

of gatsby's legions of guests

allies is the only one who pays his

respects

soon after this nick decides to return

home to the midwest

when he meets jordan baker to break

things off she coolly informs him that

she's already engaged to someone else

ouch

a short time later nick encounters tom

buchanan on the street nick refuses to

shake his hand he assumes tom was the

one who gave gatsby's name to george

wilson

tom admits that he did

but he'd basically done it at gunpoint

besides tom believed gatsby deserved it

for being a liar and for killing myrtle

like a stray dog

it seems that daisy hasn't admitted to

being the driver

what a bunch of rotten careless snobs

on nick's last night he sits on gatsby's

beach gazing across the bay

he imagines how hopeful gatsby must have

felt when he saw that green light at the

end of daisy's dock

but gatsby failed to realize that his

dream of a life with daisy belonged to

the past

it was over

perhaps we all have a touch of gatsby in

us

with our relentless pursuit of dreams

and bright futures

but to nick we're more like boats

beating against a current that pulls us

back

gatsby's beautiful dream crumbled into a

delusion and ended as a nightmare

his epic failure might be a lesson for

all of us

then again

maybe we could all just dream big work

hard and avoid rotten crowds like the

buchanans

what do you think

we hope you enjoyed this schooling

online production

for more easy lessons

check out our other videos