The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Nick Carraway Timeline and Summary

  • Nick moves to Long Island and begins a job in New York City. He seeks out his second cousin, Daisy, and meets Jordan.
  • Nick goes into the city with Tom and meets his mistress, Myrtle Wilson. He gets extraordinarily drunk that day.
  • Nick and Jordan attend a party at Gatsby’s house, meet Gatsby, and waits while Gatsby has a private tête-à-tête with Jordan.
  • This is the same party at which he meets the owl-eyed man.
  • Nick and Jordan have their conversation about "careful drivers."
  • Nick and Gatsby have lunch with Gatsby’s business associate, Meyer Wolfsheim.
  • They run into Tom. Gatsby, surprisingly, disappears when Nick tries to introduce him to Tom.
  • Nick learns the Daisy/Gatsby story from Jordan, who asks him if he’ll arrange a meeting. Nick agrees to do it.
  • Nick arranges the meeting but disappears while Daisy and Gatsby reconnect. When Gatsby takes Daisy to his house to show her where and how he lives, Nick accompanies them.
  • Nick describes Gatsby’s life before and after meeting Daisy.
  • Nick observes the initial meeting between Tom and Gatsby.
  • He is present for the party attended by Tom and his wife. He observes their interactions with each another and concludes that Daisy doesn’t approve of the lavish extravagance.
  • Nick goes to East Egg for drinks with Daisy, Tom, and Jordan.
  • He goes in Gatsby’s car but with Tom and Jordan, not Gatsby, as they all drive to the city.
  • He observes Tom’s interaction with Wilson on the way to the city.
  • Nick is present for big showdown in the Plaza suite.
  • Nick is with Tom and Jordan when they all happen upon the "after" scene, when Myrtle Wilson is already dead.
  • Nick and Gatsby talk outside the Buchanan house and Nick sees Daisy and Tom conspiring together, in a scene of marital intimacy.
  • Nick warns Gatsby to leave town, but Gatsby refuses.
  • Nick has a phone conversation with Jordan in which they kinda-sorta break-up.
  • Along with Gatsby’s servants, Nick sees the bodies of Gatsby and Wilson.
  • After Gatsby is dead, Nick takes care of his affairs – contacting his friends, business partners, and family members, and making the funeral arrangements.
  • He finds out more about Gatsby from the man’s father.
  • He discusses with the owl-eyed man how horrible it is that everyone came to Gatsby’s parties, but no one came to his funeral.
  • Nick more officially breaks up with Jordan over the phone. Jordan tells Nick that he, too, is a "bad driver."
  • Nick stands on Gatsby’s lawn and ruminates on the man and his life, the present and the future, and, of course, the past.

Analysis
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