Summary Of Chapter 1 Of The Great Gatsby
Chapter 1: Cards laid on the table
In Chapter 1 we are introduced to our narrator and also one of the main characters, Nick Caraway. He talks about his morals and thoughts about who Gatsby is. He gives us a summary of his life so far; talking about his ancestors and everything up to his life now. Then he talks about moving to West Egg where he originally wanted to learn all about the bond business. Nick is also not like most of the people on West Egg mostly because of the connections he has on East Egg. Nick gets invited to a gathering at his cousin Daisy’s house. When Nick is at their house he gets introduced to Jordan Baker whom he does fancy. Daisy and her husband Tom are very interested in them getting together. Tom starts talking about
a book called “The Rise of the Colored Empires” which is in favor of white supremacy. As they are talking and gossiping Tom gets a call from his mistress Myrtle. Daisy thinks she knows about Myrtle but doesn’t really want to admit it to herself. As Tom is away Daisy follows him to see if it really is his mistress. While they are gone Jordan tells Nick that it is Toms mistress from New York. The gathering finally breaks up because Jordan says that she has a golf tournament in the morning. After the party Tom and Daisy hints that they want Nick to take a stronger interest in Jordan. When Nick gets home he sees Gatsby for the first time since he moved and heard the things he has about him. The last image that we see is that Gatsby is looking attentively at a green light across the water.
Symbols:
Chapter 1:
1: East Egg vs. West Egg: “Twenty miles from the city a pair of enormous eggs, identical in contour and separated only by a courtesy bay, just out into the most domesticated body of salt water in the Western hemisphere, …… I lived in West Egg, the- well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them. ……. The one on my right was a colossal affair by any standard- it was a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy……. Across the courtesy bay the white palaces of fashionable East Egg glittered along the water,… “ (page 5)
This quotes a symbol about East Egg and West Egg. This shows how Nick thinks of them both. West Egg in Nicks eyes is new money. This means that they are trying to look/be rich but they just acquired their money. East Egg represents old money and people who have had money all their lives and are used to being rich. West Egg sort of feeds off of the standards that East Egg puts up. They follow their “trends” essentially.
2: The color green “But I didn’t call to him, for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone- he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward- and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock.” (page 20-21)
Even though Nick doesn’t know Gatsby’s love for Daisy this gives us a hint into what the story is about. The symbol in this passage is the green light. For Gatsby this symbolizes life and the future. Later when we find out that it is Daisy’s dock it makes sense to why the light is green. He was hoping that they would run away together and have a wonderful life together.
In Chapter 1 we are introduced to our narrator and also one of the main characters, Nick Caraway. He talks about his morals and thoughts about who Gatsby is. He gives us a summary of his life so far; talking about his ancestors and everything up to his life now. Then he talks about moving to West Egg where he originally wanted to learn all about the bond business. Nick is also not like most of the people on West Egg mostly because of the connections he has on East Egg. Nick gets invited to a gathering at his cousin Daisy’s house. When Nick is at their house he gets introduced to Jordan Baker whom he does fancy. Daisy and her husband Tom are very interested in them getting together. Tom starts talking about
a book called “The Rise of the Colored Empires” which is in favor of white supremacy. As they are talking and gossiping Tom gets a call from his mistress Myrtle. Daisy thinks she knows about Myrtle but doesn’t really want to admit it to herself. As Tom is away Daisy follows him to see if it really is his mistress. While they are gone Jordan tells Nick that it is Toms mistress from New York. The gathering finally breaks up because Jordan says that she has a golf tournament in the morning. After the party Tom and Daisy hints that they want Nick to take a stronger interest in Jordan. When Nick gets home he sees Gatsby for the first time since he moved and heard the things he has about him. The last image that we see is that Gatsby is looking attentively at a green light across the water.
Symbols:
Chapter 1:
1: East Egg vs. West Egg: “Twenty miles from the city a pair of enormous eggs, identical in contour and separated only by a courtesy bay, just out into the most domesticated body of salt water in the Western hemisphere, …… I lived in West Egg, the- well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them. ……. The one on my right was a colossal affair by any standard- it was a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy……. Across the courtesy bay the white palaces of fashionable East Egg glittered along the water,… “ (page 5)
This quotes a symbol about East Egg and West Egg. This shows how Nick thinks of them both. West Egg in Nicks eyes is new money. This means that they are trying to look/be rich but they just acquired their money. East Egg represents old money and people who have had money all their lives and are used to being rich. West Egg sort of feeds off of the standards that East Egg puts up. They follow their “trends” essentially.
2: The color green “But I didn’t call to him, for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone- he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward- and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock.” (page 20-21)
Even though Nick doesn’t know Gatsby’s love for Daisy this gives us a hint into what the story is about. The symbol in this passage is the green light. For Gatsby this symbolizes life and the future. Later when we find out that it is Daisy’s dock it makes sense to why the light is green. He was hoping that they would run away together and have a wonderful life together.