When Nick Carraway, a young man from Minnesota, moves to New York in 1922, he discovers a story of Jay Gatsby, and how he came to be. Nick moves in next to the strange wealthy man, who hosts extravagant parties every Saturday night. Nick, who is now living in the West Egg district of Long Island, has connections with those leaving in the East Egg. One night, Nick drives out to the fashionable, high end district to have dinner with his cousin, Daisy Buchanan, and her husband Tom, whom Nick knows from education at the university of Yale. At dinner, Nick is introduced to Jordan Baker, with whom he begins a relationship with. Jordan tells Nick that Tom has been cheating on Daisy with a woman named Myrtle Wilson, who lives in an industrial ground between West Egg and New York City. Not long after, Tom takes Nick to the apartment he bought for the affair and they party with Myrtle. Myrtle then begins to tease Tom about Daisy and he responds by breaking her nose.

Time passes and Nick receives an invitation to Gatsby's next party. Nick meets Jordan at the party and the two actually meet Gatsby in the flesh. He is a man with a gorgeous smile and calls everyone "old sport".  Gatsby asks to speak to Jordan alone and Nick finds out after from her that Gatsby is in love with Daisy and he has met her before in 1917 and he spends many nights staring at the green light at the end of the dock by her house. Nick also finds out that Gatsby only hosts these extravagant parties in an attempt to impress Daisy. Gatsby asks Nick to help him and Daisy to reunite but to be careful in making sure Daisy doesn't reject Gatsby. So, Nick invites Daisy to tea without telling her that Gatsby will be joining them. The two meet and the previous love they felt is shared again and the two begin an affair.

At lunch at the Buchanan's house one afternoon, Tom catches Gatsby staring at Daisy with such passion he knows there is something going on. He immediately tells everyone to join him at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. The group drive there and Tom confronts Gatsby, outraged that Daisy could have an affair, (despite his own connections to Myrtle) and tells Daisy that Gatsby is a criminal.

Daisy then proceeds to realise she belongs with Tom which breaks Gatsby's heart. To prove that Tom knows Daisy will always choose him, she sends her back to East Egg with Gatsby. However on the way there, whilst driving through the industrial ground, Gatsby's car hits Myrtle, Tom's lover and she is killed. Nick however later learns from Gatsby that it was Daisy driving the car and Gatsby intends to take the blame. The next morning Tom drives to the industrial ground and tells Myrtle's husband, George, that Gatsby was the one driving the car. George then proceeds to assume he must have been the one having an affair with her. George travels to Gatsby's mansion, and shoots Gatsby dead whilst he is in the pool, George then kills himself. Nick proceeds to hold a small funeral and his shocked and disgusted by the people of the East and West Egg. Nick then moves away and realises that Gatsby's dream of being with Daisy was horrifically corrupted by social class and money, issues that he could not see, and Nick reflects Gatsby as "great" because of the way he could transform his dreams, into reality.

This is a very small book yet it holds some major themes that thicken the plot and really allow the reader to divulge into what the books true meaning is. The crash of the American Dreams fits nicely with the plot, as Fitzgerald describes wild parties with people not caring which is what happened in "the roaring twenties". The demise of Gatsby and the sad truth reflects nicely with the crash of the American Dream. Like Gatsby's dream to be with Daisy, the American Dreams also was corrupted.

I believe that one of the true messages from symbolism here is that Daisy was Gatsby's American Dream, and it became broken. There are some goals, that are so overpowering. Whilst they are noble, the book is honest and true in displaying them. How everyone is different, and humans can be selfish, whilst others can be kind and generous. Daisy stayed with Tom because it was safer for her reputation, whilst Gatsby did everything he could to reignite her love. This novel is touching and honest about society in the 1920's, and many of the themes and reflected in issues in today's society also.