A Novel Outline Of The Great Gatsby

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A Novel Outline of The Great Gatsby
I. Bibliographic Information
Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print.
II. Character List
Nick Carraway
• Narrator of the novel
• Moved to New York to learn the bond business
• Facilitates the romance between his cousin Daisy and his friend Gatsby
• Honest, Inclined to reserve judgment, unbiased
Jay Gatsby
• Protagonist of the novel
• Changed his name from James Gatz when he devoted his life to becoming wealthy
• Madly in love with Daisy, whom he met when training to become an officer. He yearns to have a high social position and win Daisy
• Extreme wealth which he earned from criminal activity
• Dishonest, unstable, used, loyal, sincere, throws extraordinary parties every Saturday
Daisy Buchanan
• Beautiful, foolish, popular, materialistic, socialite, shallow, careless
• Loves Gatsby but marries Tom Buchanan because of his wealth and pressure from her parents
• Accidentally kills Myrtle Wilson and lets Gatsby take the blame
• Leaves town and does not go to Gatsby’s funeral
Tom Buchanan
• Married to Daisy, has an affair with Myrtle Wilson
• Hypocritical, wealthy, arrogant, strong build, mean
• Confronts Gatsby about his affair with Daisy
Jordan Baker
• Daisy’s friend, who is romantically involved with Mr. Carraway
• Professional Golfer
• Dishonest, Beautiful, Self-Centered
Myrtle Wilson
• Killed by Daisy when she ran over her with Gatsby’s car
• Tom’s lover, George Wilson’s wife
• Desperately wants a higher social position
George Wilson
• Owns an old auto shop in the Valley of Ashes
• Kills Gatsby and himself because he believed Gatsby had an affair and killed his wife, Myrtle, whom he was deeply in love with
• Worn-out, Stressed, Dep...

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...ents those who have inherited their money from many generations. The Valley of Ashes represents the collapse of the American Dream and New York represents the selfish pursuit of pleasure and wealth.
Symbols: There are multiple symbols apparent in the novel, such as the green light and the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. Gatsby “stretched out his arms toward the dark water…he was trembling”(25-26) as he reached towards green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. The green light that Gatsby purposely made visible from his house represents Gatsby’s hunger for Daisy and her approval. He builds his entire fortune on the hope that it will one day be enough to win over Daisy. The eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg symbolize God watching over us as he judges the decay of society’s morals and success. The eyes are looking a The Valley of Ashes, which may represent America as a wasteland.

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