Gatsby One of the Socially Elite

Gatsby One of the Socially Elite

The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald portrayed the views, beliefs, and actions of the socially elite of nineteen-twenties America. Fitzgerald was not biased for or against the rich; he simply chronicled the lives of his characters and how money and class separated people. The best example of this was life of the title character himself, Jay Gatsby. Inquiring minds want to know, “Who is Gatsby, and what makes him so great?”

The novel begins with the introduction of the narrator, Nick Carraway. After fighting in World War I, Nick left his prominent family in the West to move to West Egg near New York City to learn the bond business. Despite the original plan to live with an associate, Nick ends up living alone next door to a mansion in which Jay Gatsby resides.

In the first of several documented gatherings, Nick spent the afternoon with Daisy, his distant cousin, Tom, her husband, and Jordan Baker, a prominent golfer. That was the first time Nick heard about Gatsby and his extravagant parties. The afternoon also uncovered Daisy’s suspicion of Tom’s unfaithfulness. Her suspicion was confirmed to Nick in the next chapter when he accompanied Tom to New York. Half way through the train ride, they stopped at an auto garage to speak to George Wilson about a car Tom was supposed to sell him. When Wilson went to his office for a moment, his wife, Myrtle appeared. Tom told her that he wanted to see her and to take the next train to New York. When Wilson reappeared, Myrtle announced that she was going to visit her sister that afternoon. That evening Nick, Tom, and Myrtle rendezvoused with others in the apartment that Tom had purchased for them. It was during this time that Nick was informed of the fact that neither Tom nor Myrtle could stand their spouses.

Every weekend, Nick’s neighbor, Gatsby, held extravagant parties at his house. One morning, Gatsby’s butler came to Nick’s house and invited him to the party that evening. It was there that Nick met up once again with Jordan and eventually was introduced to the infamous Gatsby. Later in the night Jordan and Gatsby disappeared for an hour after which Nick said goodbye to Jordan and Gatsby and went home.

One morning in July, Gatsby went to Nick’s house and proclaimed that the two were going to the city for lunch.