"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a classic American novel set in the Roaring Twenties, a time of unprecedented economic prosperity and cultural change in the United States. The story is narrated by Nick Carraway, a young man from Minnesota who moves to Long Island's North Shore to learn about the bond business. He rents a modest house in the affluent village of West Egg, next to the grand mansion of the mysterious and wealthy Jay Gatsby.
Gatsby is known for hosting extravagant parties every weekend, attracting the rich and fashionable from all over New York. Despite his popularity, little is known about Gatsby's past, and numerous rumors circulate about his origins and how he acquired his fortune.
Nick is invited to one of Gatsby's lavish parties and soon becomes friends with him. Through their friendship, Nick learns that Gatsby is in love with Nick's cousin, Daisy Buchanan, who lives in the more fashionable East Egg with her wealthy but arrogant and unfaithful husband, Tom Buchanan. Daisy and Gatsby had a romantic relationship before World War I, but they lost touch, and Daisy married Tom while Gatsby was away fighting in the war.
Gatsby's opulent lifestyle and extravagant parties are all part of his grand plan to win back Daisy. With Nick's help, Gatsby reunites with Daisy, and they begin an affair. However, the situation becomes complicated as Tom grows suspicious of Gatsby and Daisy's relationship.
The tension culminates in a confrontation at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, where Tom exposes Gatsby's dubious background and illegal activities as a bootlegger. Daisy is unable to renounce Tom, and on the way back to Long Island, Daisy, driving Gatsby's car, accidentally hits and kills Tom's mistress, Myrtle Wilson. Gatsby decides to take the blame for the accident to protect Daisy.
Myrtle's husband, George Wilson, believes that Gatsby was driving the car and that he was having an affair with Myrtle. In a fit of grief and rage, George kills Gatsby before taking his own life.
Nick arranges Gatsby's funeral but is disheartened by the lack of attendees, realizing that despite Gatsby's popularity, he had few true friends. Daisy and Tom leave town without a word. Disillusioned by the events and the moral decay of the East Coast, Nick returns to the Midwest.
"The Great Gatsby" explores themes of the American Dream, wealth, social class, and the hollow pursuit of happiness. Fitzgerald's poignant portrayal of Gatsby's tragic quest for love and fulfillment serves as a critique of the American society of the 1920s, highlighting the disparity between appearance and reality and the ultimate emptiness of materialism.