In the rich literary tradition of the United States, The Great Gatsby stands out as a great American tragedy. Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and published in 1925, The Great Gatsby is one of the most celebrated novels of the twentieth century. The novel is not extensively wordy, nor is it unnecessarily complicated. In fact, it tells a very simple story of rags-to-riches and unrequited love that is presented clearly and directly with a traditional structure. The novel owes part of its appeal to its simple, traditional narrative structure that consists of, in order, the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
The Great Gatsby begins as many great novels begin by laying out the background to the story. Known as the exposition, this element of the traditional narrative structure introduces the reader to the major and minor characters and establishes the setting of the plot. In the first chapter, we learn that the novel is set in the summer of 1922 in two communities of Long Island, New York called East Egg and West Egg, named so because they appear to be two unusual formations of landa pair of enormous eggs, identical in contour and separated only by a courtesy bay. The reader is also introduced to the main characters. Nick Carraway is the wealthy young narrator. His West Egg neighbor, Jay Gatsby, is the title character. Other characters include Daisy Buchanan, Nicks cousin and Gatsbys love interest, her husband Tom, and her friend Jordan Baker. The reader also begins to get a glimpse of the major conflicts that will develop within the novel, namely, Daisy and Gatsbys obvious acquaintance and Toms affair with another woman in New York. Thus, by the end of the first chapter, the narrator has provided the reader with all the information needed to move forward with the plot of the novel.
After the exposition, the plot moves into rising action. The rising action is comprised of the events that lead up to the climax. Fitzgerald devotes each chapter leading up to the climax to a specific event or occurrence that further develops the novels conflicts and advances the plot. In chapter two, Nick accompanies Tom to the dismal valley of ashes where the minor characters of the novel all reside. Notably, the minor characters are all poor, in contrast to the vast wealth of the Long Islanders. This chapter introduces the reader to Toms mistress Myrtle Wilson and her husband. In chapter three, Nick attends one of Gatsbys lavish parties, and the mysterious Jay Gatsby finally appears. Gatsby has an amazing conversation with Jordan Baker, in which he reveals that he is in love with Daisy, and moved to Long Island to be close to her. The two had met and fallen in love when Gatsby was soldier and Daisy a teenager, but when Gatsby went off to war, Daisy married Tom Buchanan instead of waiting for him. Finally, the connection between Daisy and Gatsby is revealed, and the remainder of the rising action essentially passes in a blur as the reader anticipates the inevitable climax.
Gatsby soon convinces Nick to arrange a reunion with Daisy, at which Gatsby and Daisy seem to reconcile and return to their former love for each other. Gatsbys mysterious past subsequently begins to unfold. As Daisy and Gatsby continue to rekindle their relationship, they grow indiscrete Tom soon figures out where his wifes affection lies. In chapter seven, the tensions between the characters begin to erupt and the reader reaches the novels climax the argument between Tom and Gatsby. When Tom convinces the other characters to accompany him to the city, he and Gatsby finally confront each other. Gatsby tells Tom that Daisy never loved him and that she is leaving him. Daisy, however, reeling from the revelation that Gatsby made his fortune as a bootlegger and lacking the courage to follow her heart, rejects Gatsby and sides with her husband. Undoubtedly heartbroken, Gatsby leaves as Daisy storms out at Toms command.
After the climactic confrontation between Gatsby and Tom, the novel moves into the falling action, or the events in a plot that lead to the resolution of the conflict. After Daisy and Gatsby depart, there is a ruckus in the street, and Nick, Jordan, and Tom find out that Myrtle Wilson has been struck by a car and killed. When a witness describes a yellow car as the death car, Tom assumes that Gatsby has hit Myrtle in his trademark yellow Rolls-Royce. The same night, Nick tries to convince Gatsby to leave town to avoid the aftermath of Myrtles death. Gatsby refuses, insisting that he must stay in Long Island for Daisys sake. He reveals to Nick that Daisy was the one driving the car when Myrtle was killed, but he will take the blame to protect her. Gatsby tells Nick about the first time he met Daisy, which brings Gatsby and Daisys relationship full circle. The reader is painfully aware that Daisy is too shallow to ever leave Tom for Gatsby, so their love has essentially been reduced to Gatsbys memories. As the falling action comes to an end, Myrtles husband George Wilson, believing that the driver of the death car was Myrtles lover, seeks Tom out to find out who was at the wheel of the yellow car. After Tom tells him that it was Gatsby, George goes to Gatsbys home and finds the man lounging in his swimming pool. He fatally shoots Gatsby before turning the gun on himself. Gatsbys death marks the end of the falling action and the end of his own dream.
In the last chapter of the novel, Nick narrates the resolution of the plot. Nick gives Gatsby a funeral, although the throngs of friends that used to frequent his parties are absent. Nick also meets with Gatsbys distraught father. Tom and Daisy Buchanan move away from Long Island, and Nick and Jordan Baker end their relationship. With nothing left to keep him in West Egg, Nick decides to move back home. Later, he runs into Tom, who insists that Gatsby had it coming to him. Nick realizes that Tom and Daisy are careless people who smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness. Disillusioned, he goes to Gatsbys house one last time, where he laments the loss of a friend, of love, of the American dream.
The Great Gatsby is an American classic. Since its publication, countless readers have appreciated its simple rags-to-riches love story. The novel is enhanced by its clear, relatable plot, which follows the traditional narrative structure that so many readers are familiar with. From exposition to climax, The Great Gatsby is the quintessential American tragedy.
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