MAJOR CONFLICT · Gatsby has amassed a vast fortune in order to win the affections of the upper-class Daisy Buchanan, but his mysterious past stands in the way of his being accepted by her.
RISING ACTION · Gatsby’s lavish parties, Gatsby’s arrangement of a meeting with Daisy at Nick’s
CLIMAX · There are two possible climaxes: Gatsby’s reunion with Daisy in Chapters 5–6; the confrontation between Gatsby and Tom in the Plaza Hotel in Chapter 7.
FALLING ACTION · Daisy’s rejection of Gatsby, Myrtle’s death, Gatsby’s murder
THEMES · The decline of the American dream, the spirit of the 1920s, the difference between social classes, the role of symbols in the human conception of meaning, the role of the past in dreams of the future
MOTIFS · The connection between events and weather, the connection between geographical location and social values, images of time, extravagant parties, the quest for wealth
SYMBOLS · The green light on Daisy’s dock, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, the valley of ashes, Gatsby’s parties, East Egg, West Egg
FORESHADOWING · The car wreck after Gatsby’s party in Chapter 3, Owl Eyes’s comments about the theatricality of Gatsby’s life, the mysterious telephone calls Gatsby receives from Chicago and Philadelphia