Reading The Great Gatsby

Domestic dispute, extramarital affairs, drunk driving, hit and run…sound like an episode of Cops? Actually, all of this drama unfolds in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, a story of the beautiful and rich movers and the shakers of New York high society.

Here's a teen-friendly refresher course in the plot of this classic work of literature, as well as SAT vocabulary your teen can use to describe what happens for themselves.

Nick Carraway is our narrator and an observer of the clash between “new money” and “old money” in the social scene of 1920's New York. Nick has moved into a house in West Egg- the area frowned upon as “New Money.” Nick’s next door neighbor is the infamous Jay Gatsby, whose mansion is the place to be on a Saturday night for lavish and decadent parties.

Useful vocabulary in describing the society of The Great Gatsby:

• Debauchery - Extreme indulgence

• Decadent - Decaying; in moral decline

• Depravity - Moral corruption

• Fatuous - Silly; foolish

• Prodigal - Wasteful; extravagant

Nick also spends time with his cousin, Daisy Buchanan, and her “old money” husband, Tom Buchanan. They introduce Nick to the beautiful Jordan Baker, and the sparks fly. Jordan can dish the dirt on everybody, and she tells Nick that Tom is having an affair with a woman named Myrtle, whose husband owns a gas station on the road to New York City.

After a few weeks spent peeking out of windows and drooling over Gatsby’s parties, Nick finally gets an invite. In addition to finding Jordan at the party, he also marvels at the luxuries: good booze, beautiful food, lovely music - even a real Rolls Royce! The one thing he doesn’t find is the host. Rather than enjoying his guests, Gatsby remains a shadowy figure watching the fun in anonymity. But when Nick strikes up a conversation with a man seated at his table, he is surprised to find that he is the famous Jay Gatsby. After a brief exchange, Gatsby again disappears, leaving Nick full of wonder about his reserved host. Later Gatsby sends for Jordan, and they share a private conversation, of which Jordan won't share the details to Nick.