The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Book Summary and Review) - Minute Book Report

This is a story about a man named Nick who
is living in America in the 1920s. He moves to New York to become a bond trader and finds
that he lives next to a large mansion occupied by a mysterious man named Gatsby. Gatsby has wild parties every night with lots
of women and alcohol and when Nick is invited, he learns that Gatsby had also been in the
army. However, no one really knows how Gatsby got rich.

Nick reunites with his cousin, Daisy, a flirtatious
young woman who is married to Tom, a rich businessman. However, Tom is having an affair
with a mechanic's wife, Myrtle. Nick meets Daisy's friend, Jordan, a young
professional golfer, and they form a romantic relationship. Meanwhile, Nick and Gatsby become
friends and Gatsby shares how he inherited his wealth from a yacht owner.

It's also revealed that Gatsby had known Daisy
when they were younger and he is still in love with her. In fact, Gatsby secretly watches
Daisy from across the lake, as Daisy lives there with Tom and her daughter. Gatsby and Daisy finally meet and a flood
of emotions come back. They admit their love for each other.

To escape the heat, they all drive into town.
Tom finds out Daisy wants to leave him and gets upset, telling Daisy and Gatsby to drive
back home where they will discuss it. However, Daisy, driving Gatsby's yellow car, runs over
Myrtle by accident. Tom then tells the mechanic that it was Gatsby
who ran over Myrtle. As Gatsby is swimming at home, the mechanic
shows up and shoots him.

Sadly, no one shows up to Gatsby's funeral and Nick, confused
and saddened, sells everything and moves back to the Midwest. First of all, this story presents a historical
snapshot of the 1920s, an interesting time in American history. We get the vividness
of the time, with the lights and glamour that saturated the people. Drinking, parties, and
sex were to be celebrated, not condemned.

And it should be noted that to express this
energy and culture through writing is a difficult task. It's simply not just saying that there
were bright lights and cocktails, but emerging a reader in this world with subtle reminders
of the culture. Identity is also an important theme, as characters,
as with real people, have complex identities that often involve deceit. People are not
who they say they are: Tom and Myrtle having an affair and the ambiguous history of Gatsby,
as Gatsby's name isn't even his real name.

And we, as readers, are reminded of this when
his father shows up and corrects Nick, saying that his name was "James Gatz." There are several explanations given to us
as to how Gatsby became wealthy. Readers learn early on how he had gained his wealth, but
are still left wondering how that wealth had been maintained over the years. Ambiguous
phone calls seem to be coming to the house, even after Gatsby's death, which hints at
illegal gambling as a source of income for Gatsby. Nick makes an interesting observation about
parties that could be still true today.

That while they happen every weekend, there is
a certain emptiness experienced at parties. This emptiness derives from how fake and replaceable
people are. That if you attend enough parties, they all tend to be the same. Furthermore, Gatsby wishes he could go back
to when he had first met Daisy.

And any character that wishes the present were the past, that
things were the way they used to be, is doomed. This is a strong literary device and several
of the best stories incorporate in their tragic characters. So be forewarned, living in the
past is dangerous..