The Great Gatsby Chapter 1 Summary

Chapter 1
The narrator, Nick, starts off the novel by telling the reader his father gave him the advice not to judge others. This narrator has had advantages in his life so it would not be fair to expect the same from others. Nick explains this by saying “a sense of the fundamental decencies is parceled out unequally at birth (Fitzgerald 2). Nick mentions Gatsby who is someone that he feels he should scorn, but doesn’t. Nick resumes talking about his family and states that his great uncle came to the Middle West in 1851 and started a family business. However, Nick wanted to go east to learn about the bond business in the spring of 1922. He rented a house on the tip of West Egg, New York on Long Island Sound next to Gatsby’s mansion. Nick drives

They always seem to be very wealthy. Nick is invited to a party at Gatsby’s house by Gatsby’s chauffeur. When he arrives, he feels out of place. Nick meets Jordan Baker again and also meets her friend, Lucille. Lucille is one of those people making up rumors about Gatsby, stating he was a German spy in the war. Nick decides he wants to find Gatsby, and takes Jordan with him. They find “Owl Eyes,” a man in Gatsby’s library with big glasses. Nick takes a book from the shelf and is immediately reprimanded by the man. Nick and Jordan then go outside at midnight and Gatsby realizes he and Nick both served in the Third Division during the war. Gatsby does not drink or converse much with his guests, but rather separates himself from everyone. No one seems to really know him. Later that night, the butler tells Jordan that Gatsby wants to see her. She leaves and Nick notices that most of the women were having fights with their husbands. Gatsby has a phone call from Philadelphia, and Nick and Jordan leave. On his way home, Nick clarifies for the reader that he does not consistently attend parties, but rather works and studies at the end of the day. He was in a short relationship with a girl from Jersey City but decides to start seeing Jordan. She is dishonest, cheated in a golf tournament, and untrustworthy. However, Nick still feels attracted towards her and for a moment even thought he loved

After, he mentions how Gatsby visited him and took him to lunch in New York. Gatsby tells Nick about himself; however, Nick does not seem to believe it. Gatsby said he was the son of wealthy people in San Francisco in the Middle West, was educated at Oxford, collected jewels in Europe, chased a tiger through the Bois de Boulogne, and was awarded medals in the war. He stumbles over his words, leading Nick to believe they are not true. However, Gatsby took a medal out of his pocket. When they arrive in the city, Gatsby introduces Nick to Meyer Wolfshiem, a man Gatsby suspects fixed the 1919 World Series. He has many business connections, making Nick uneasy that Gatsby might be linked to illegal activity. After lunch, Nick sees Jordan who tells him about her conversation the previous night with Gatsby. It turns out Gatsby has been in love with Daisy ever since he was stationed at the base in Louisville. Many of the other military officers fell for her but she chose to marry Tom when Gatsby left for the war. When Gatsby returned from war, he bought a house in West Egg just so he could be closer to Daisy. The reason he always looks out onto the water at night is because the light comes from the green dock that belongs to Daisy. Gatsby told Jordan to convince Nick to have Daisy over for tea so he can see her again. The plan is to surprise her at Nick’s house which will force the two to