Theme: Impossibility of recapturing the past and altering the future.
Main Characters: Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway, Daisy Buchanan, Tom Buchanan, Jordan Baker.
Main Plot Points
Introduction
Narrator: Nick Carraway.
Setting: Summer in New York.
Protagonist: Jay Gatsby.
Conflict: Gatsby's desire to reunite with Daisy, the girl he loved in the past.
Antagonists: Tom Buchanan, class differences, societal expectations, time.
Plot Development
Nick's Move to New York: Becomes Gatsby's neighbor.
Gatsby's Wealth: Mysterious past, subject of speculation.
Gatsby's Goal: Reconnect with Daisy.
Tom's Mistress: Myrtle, introduced during a trip to the city.
Rising Action
Reunion: Nick arranges a meeting between Gatsby and Daisy.
Gatsby's Past: Revealed through various stories, some true, others fictionalized.
Nick's Role: Drawn into Gatsby and Daisy's romance.
Climax
Confrontation: Gatsby declares love for Daisy, plans to run away.
Daisy's Reaction: Unable to commit to leaving Tom.
Dream vs. Reality: Gatsby confronts the limitations of his dream.
Falling Action
Myrtle's Death: Mistakes Gatsby's car for Tom's, killed by Daisy.
Gatsby's Demise: Takes blame for Myrtle's death.
George Wilson: Myrtle's husband, kills Gatsby and then himself.
Conclusion
Nick's Realization: Gatsby's life was built on illusions, no true friends except Nick.
Gatsby's Funeral: Poor attendance, only Nick and Gatsby's father present.
Nick's Departure: Returns to the Midwest, disillusioned with the East.
Themes
Dream vs. Reality: Gatsby's idealized love for Daisy versus her true nature.
Class and Society: Barriers faced by Gatsby due to his origins.
Time: The inexorable passage of time as an antagonist.
Symbolism
Green Light: Hope and unattainable dreams.
Gatsby's House: Symbol of ambition and the American Dream.
Critical Analysis
Gatsby as a tragic hero, entangled in his own dreams and illusions.
Exploration of the American Dream's limits and failures.
Final Thoughts
Nick's Reflection: Ponders the futility of Gatsby's dreams with the line "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."