The Great Gatsby is a novel describing the spirit of the 1920s, the difference between social classes, and the past's role in one's dreams for the future. F. Scott Fitzgerald brilliantly showcases an array of characters who lie, cheat and deceive one another. This group of characters epitomizes the class distinction between the old rich who live in East Egg, the new rich who live in West Egg and the slums who live in the valley of ashes- a gray industrial dumping ground between West Egg and New York City. .
The novel's narrator, Nick Carraway, is a man from Minnesota who ventures to New York in the summer of 1922 to become a bondsman. He rents a house in West Egg, a district of Long Island where the unfashionable wealth resides. Nick is different from his neighbors since he has social connections in East Egg, which is where his cousin, Daisy Buchanan, and her husband, Tom, live. Fitzgerald begins his novel at a dinner party in Daisy Buchanan's house, where Nick is introduced to Jordan Baker, a beautiful woman who Nick is attracted to immediately. Jordan Baker is a competitive golfer who is considered a "new woman" of the 1920s- self centered and boyish. Jordan frequently bends the truth on various subjects. During the evening, Nick receives information from Jordan regarding his cousin's marriage. He learns about Tom Buchanan's affair with a woman named Myrtle Wilson, who lives in the valley of the ashes. Myrtle is an independent woman who is desperately trying to get ahead in life. In the same night, Nick gains knowledge about his infamous neighbor, Jay Gatsby, who hosts wild parties every Saturday night. .
Some time after the dinner party, Nick finds himself in New York City with Tom and his lover, Myrtle. During his visit to the city, Nick is invited to a vulgar party at the apartment in which Tom keeps the affair. Heavy drinking is involved at the party and some arguments arise between the guests.