The Great Gatsby (1926) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The story takes place on Long Island, New York, divided between two wealthy neighborhoods: East Egg and West Egg. East Egg represents old money, the established aristocratic elite, while West Egg symbolizes new money, including Gatsby's opulent mansion. This geographic division highlights the social class tensions between inherited wealth and self-made riches.

Foreshadowing: The contrast between East and West Egg is introduced early, establishing the social divide that drives character interactions.

• east egg
• west egg
• long island
• social class
• new york
• setting

The film is set in the 1920s during the Jazz Age, a era characterized by extravagant parties, Prohibition-era wealth, and rapid social change. This period of decadence masks underlying tensions and moral ambiguity that propel the tragedy.

• 1920s
• jazz age
• prohibition
• era
• 1920s america

Jay Gatsby is a mysterious, fabulously wealthy man who throws extravagant parties to attract his lost love, Daisy Buchanan. He is driven by a longing to reclaim a lost romance and a past he believes can be recreated with wealth. His confidence masks insecurity and a single-minded obsession with recapturing his ideal past.

• jay gatsby
• daisy buchanan
• love
• obsession
• wealth
• past

Nick Carraway serves as the narrator and observer of the events. He moves to Long Island, becomes entangled with Gatsby, Daisy, and Tom, and mediates between the different worlds of East and West Egg with cautious judgment. He provides the moral lens through which the story unfolds.

• nick carraway
• narrator
• observer
• narrator role

Daisy Buchanan is a glamorous and alluring woman who embodies charm and indecisiveness. She navigates a troubled marriage with Tom while becoming the center of Gatsby's longing. Her choices reveal how desire, comfort, and reputation shape actions, making her both an object of affection and a symbol of class-constrained choices.

• daisy buchanan
• gatsby love
• social status
• class

Tom Buchanan is a wealthy, domineering, and blunt character who uses his status to control relationships and dismiss others. He pursues an affair while maintaining social appearances, contributing to the web of tensions that ultimately drive the tragic events.

• tom buchanan
• old money
• power
• control
• affair

The film portrays wealth as both a lure and a disguise, granting access to exclusive social circles while masking emptiness. Gatsby's riches open doors to Daisy and her world, yet money cannot restore the past or repair fractured relationships. The story uses opulence to critique how wealth can distort values and relationships.

• wealth
• american dream
• corruption
• money
• class divide

Love in the film is entangled with social status, security, and reputation. Daisy's choice between Gatsby and Tom exposes how affection is filtered through class and convenience. The pursuit of love becomes a negotiation of power, infidelity, and the fear of social ruin.

• love
• class
• social status
• marriage
• power

Gatsby clings to a romantic past with Daisy, convinced that what he once had can be recaptured. The narrative argues that the past cannot be recreated, even with wealth or determination. This fixation on an idealized past shapes present choices and ultimately drives the tragedy.

• past
• obsession
• recreation
• gatsby
• daisy
• nostalgia

The geography of Long Island, split between old-money East Egg and newer wealth of West Egg, highlights social divides between moneyed elites and aspirational newcomers. Gatsby's opulent mansion on the shore contrasts with Daisy's world in the city, visually representing the tensions between new and old money that drive the narrative.

• setting
• social class
• east egg
• west egg
• division

Myrtle Wilson is Tom's mistress, married to George Wilson, who seeks a more glamorous life beyond her circumstances. Her pursuit of status and excitement reveals the hollow promises of wealth, showing how characters beyond the main circle are also trapped by class aspirations.

• myrtle wilson
• tom buchanan
• affair
• class
• aspiration

Jordan Baker is a professional golfer and Daisy's friend who embodies independence within a society of wealth. She invites Nick into the social circle and carries a stubborn, practical edge, representing a different kind of autonomy within the wealthy world.

• jordan baker
• golfer
• independence
• daisy friend