Contents
Chapter I
Overview
Nick Carraway introduces himself, his Midwestern roots, and his move to West Egg. At dinner with Daisy and Tom Buchanan, a phone call exposes Tom’s New York affair, revealing tensions beneath their wealth. Nick meets Jordan Baker and, back home, glimpses Jay Gatsby reaching toward a mysterious green light across the bay.
Summary
Nick Carraway opens by recalling his father’s advice to reserve judgment, framing his tendency to observe others. He sketches his background—Midwestern roots, Yale, the war—and his decision to move East in spring 1922 to learn the bond business. He rents a modest house in West Egg beside a grand mansion owned by a man named Gatsby.
Seeking connection, Nick visits East Egg to dine with Daisy Buchanan, his cousin, and her wealthy, forceful husband Tom, a former Yale football star. In their grand home, Nick meets Jordan Baker, an aloof and self-possessed golfer. Tom’s domineering presence and casual arrogance set the tone as the group makes brittle small talk on the porch.
During dinner, Tom expounds racist ideas, revealing his insecurity and bluster. A telephone call interrupts the meal; Jordan hints that Tom keeps a woman in New York. Daisy masks distress with affected gaiety, then later confides cynicism about her life and her hopes that her daughter will be a “beautiful little fool,” exposing her disillusionment beneath charm.
As the evening winds down, Jordan’s public persona as a golfer is noted, and Daisy teases about pairing Nick with her. A rumor that Nick is engaged is raised and denied, underscoring the social circle’s careless gossip. Nick departs unsettled by the Buchanans’ moral emptiness and Tom’s blatant infidelity.
Back at West Egg, in the vivid summer night, Nick spots a solitary figure by his neighbor’s mansion. Believing it to be Gatsby, Nick nearly calls out, but Gatsby stretches his arms toward the dark water, trembling, focused on a single distant green light at the end of a dock. When Nick looks back, Gatsby is gone, leaving the moment charged with mystery.
Who Appears
- Nick CarrawayNarrator; Midwesterner newly in West Egg, visits the Buchanans, observes Tom’s affair, and later sees Gatsby reaching toward a green light.
- Daisy BuchananNick’s cousin; charming yet disillusioned, hints at unhappiness, jokes through tension, and expresses cynical views about her life and daughter.
- Tom BuchananDaisy’s wealthy, domineering husband; espouses racist theories, receives a call from his New York mistress, and exerts controlling presence.
- Jordan BakerProfessional golfer; cool, detached observer who reveals Tom’s New York affair and interacts wryly with Nick.
- Jay GatsbyNick’s mysterious neighbor; seen at night stretching his arms toward a distant green light across the bay.