Below are a few that tap into the central themes of reclaiming the past, the American dream, and wealth. Readers might also take note of Fitzgerald’s style of writing, his long sentences, and his use of figurative language.
The American Dream and its Illusions
“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter–tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther…. And one fine morning– So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”
Nick Carraway, Chapter 9
This is the concluding line of the novel. Nick reflects on Gatsby’s steadfast belief in the future, symbolized by the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock, and on the universal human pursuit of dreams that always seem just out of reach. This quote encapsulates the novel’s exploration of the American Dream and its futility. Gatsby’s belief in the “green light” represents his idealized vision of the future, a dream forever slipping away. Fitzgerald uses the metaphor of boats “borne back ceaselessly into the past” to suggest that no matter how much people strive for progress, they are continually pulled back by their histories.
“The lawn and drive had been crowded with the faces of those who guessed at his corruption – and he had stood on those steps, concealing his incorruptible dream, as he waved them good-by.”
Nick Carraway, Chapter 8
Nick reflects on Gatsby’s farewell to his party guests, many of whom suspected Gatsby’s shady dealings but were drawn to his wealth and charisma.
This shows the contrast between Gatsby’s outer image and his inner idealism. While others see only his “corruption,” Gatsby remains devoted to his “incorruptible dream” of winning back Daisy. Although his dream is pure in his mind, it is tainted by how he tries to achieve it. Fitzgerald uses this moment to highlight the paradox of the American Dream: it promises a better future but often requires moral compromise.
“Her voice is full of money,” he said suddenly. That was it. I’d never understood before. It was full of money–that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals’ song of it.”
Jay Gatsby, Chapter 7
In this moment, Gatsby explains to Nick what makes Daisy so alluring to him—her voice, which he associates with wealth and privilege. This quote distills Gatsby’s obsession with Daisy, symbolizing his more significant desire for wealth and status. To Gatsby, Daisy represents everything he has worked for—her voice, “full of money,” is both enchanting and unattainable, much like the American Dream. Fitzgerald’s sound imagery, such as the “jingle” and “cymbals’ song,” suggests wealth’s seductive but hollow nature.
“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”
Nick Carraway, Chapter 9
This famous line is the last of The Great Gatsby. It alludes to the impossibility of achieving an idealized version of the future. No matter how hard one works or paddles, their boat will be continually thrust into the past. It alludes to Gatsby’s dream of recapturing the past. It’s something he’s never able to obtain; Daisy’s love escapes him, as does his image of who he thought she was or could be with him.
Death and the Passage of Time
“He had reached an age where death no longer has the quality of ghastly surprise.”
Nick Carraway, Chapter 9
Nick reflects on the events two years after Gatsby’s death and how they have affected him. He is now numb to the shock of death at witnessing the decline of both Gatsby and his dream. Nick is shown to have come to terms with the inevitability of death. Fitzgerald captures the disillusionment that permeates the novel, especially in the aftermath of Gatsby’s tragic end. A younger, more naive Nick would be shocked by the finality of death. However, death now feels like a natural, if grim, conclusion to the empty pursuit of wealth and status. Fitzgerald subtly explores how time wears down youthful illusions, leaving only the cold, hard facts of mortality.
Friendship and Loyalty
“Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead.”
Mr. Wolfsheim, Chapter 9
Wolfsheim, Gatsby’s shady business associate, says this after Gatsby’s death when Nick asks him to attend the funeral. Wolfsheim declines, citing this principle. This highlights the novel’s recurring theme of loyalty or, rather, the lack of it. His words seem practical, but they reveal the hollow nature of many of Gatsby’s relationships. While Wolfsheim claims to be Gatsby’s friend, he avoids involvement when Gatsby is no longer useful or alive. The irony here is sharp—Wolfsheim preaches loyalty in life but abandons Gatsby in death. This moment emphasizes Gatsby’s isolation and how his pursuit of wealth and status left him surrounded by fair-weather friends. Fitzgerald criticizes the shallow relationships of the Jazz Age.
“They’re a rotten crowd,” I shouted, across the lawn. “You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together.”
Nick Carraway to Jay Gatsby, Chapter 8
Nick says this to Gatsby just before Gatsby’s death. Though Nick has been critical of Gatsby’s lifestyle and choices, he ultimately admires Gatsby’s loyalty to his dream. In this line, Nick expresses a rare moment of outright admiration for Gatsby, comparing him favorably to the “rotten crowd” of shallow, self-serving people surrounding him. Despite Gatsby’s flaws, Nick respects his committed pursuit of his dream, even if it’s built on illusions. This quote speaks to the novel’s central theme of idealism versus reality—Gatsby, for all his faults, is driven by something larger than himself. In contrast, the others are concerned only with material wealth and social standing.
“You see I usually find myself among strangers because I drift here and there trying to forget the sad things that happened to me.”
Jay Gatsby to Nick Carraway, Chapter 4
Gatsby opens up to Nick about his past, admitting to the loneliness that drives him to throw lavish parties and surround himself with strangers. This quote reveals that beneath his outward charm and wealth, Gatsby fails to find genuine friendship. His drifting from place to place, seeking out strangers, suggests a man haunted by the past and unable to find peace. Gatsby’s sadness stems from his inability to let go of his dream of reuniting with Daisy, which has consumed him for years. Fitzgerald uses this moment to explore the theme of isolation, showing that even amid his opulence and social success, Gatsby remains emotionally detached and alone.
Guilt and God’s Judgment
“God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!”
George Wilson, Chapter 8
George Wilson, devastated by his wife Myrtle’s death and convinced that Gatsby had killed her, delivers this line before he kills Gatsby. This quote underscores the theme of guilt and moral judgment. Wilson believes that divine justice will prevail where human justice has failed. The image of the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, which Wilson interprets as God watching over, adds a layer of irony, as the billboard symbolizes the empty gaze of consumerism rather than divine intervention. Fitzgerald contrasts Wilson’s blind belief in cosmic justice with the morally bankrupt world around him, where wealth and status allow people to escape consequences.
Character Sketches
“He smiled understandingly–much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced–or seemed to face–the whole eternal world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey.“
Nick Carraway on Gatsby, Chapter 3
These lines are found in chapter 3 of The Great Gatsby. They are part of Nick’s narration as he considers Gatsby’s life and charisma. He can make anyone smile and feel like the world’s most important person. This is partially Gatsby’s personality and, in part, a persona he began creating as a young man. Readers might connect this image of Gatsby to the life he’s trying to create for himself.
“I couldn’t forgive him or like him, but I saw that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified. It was all very careless and confused. They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.“
Nick Carraway on Tom and Daisy Buchanan, Chapter 9
Nick considers the characters of Tom and Daisy in their roles in the Gatsby affair. This quote best summarizes Tom and Daisy’s personalities and the lack of empathy they have for other people. They were “careless,” Fitzgerald writes. It’s not something that his narrator, Nick, realized at first. But, as the novel progresses, it becomes clear that they don’t care about anyone other than themselves. This is seen most clearly because they moved away rather than face the outcome of the roles in Myrtle and Gatsby’s deaths.
She told me it was a girl, and so I turned my head away and wept. ‘all right,’ I said, ‘I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool — that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”
Daisy to Nick, Chapter 1
Daisy says this to Nick in recounting what happened to her before they reconnected. Here, she’s thinking about her daughter and what she felt when she learned her child was a girl. She expresses a hope that most parents probably wouldn’t think to consider, that she “be a fool.” In the 1920s, prospects for women were limited. To “be a fool” meant that the young girl wouldn’t notice how oppressed and controlled by the men in her life she was sure to be as she grew up and became as sophisticated and jaded as she was. If she can be a “beautiful little fool,” she’ll be happier than if she understands her world. This also shows Daisy’s careless manner of speech, saying somewhat silly and carefree things.
“And I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy.”
Jordan explaining Gatsby to Nick, Chapter 3
Jordan speaks these lines at one of Gatsby’s parties. She’s speaking to Nick and unintentionally revealing some parts of her personality. Fitzgerald characterized her as incredibly dishonest and untrustworthy, something that Nick experiences over and over again. Readers can consider how and why she might feel more comfortable at larger parties. Perhaps, in the anonymity of the crowd, it is easier to manage how others see her.
I thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. He had come a long way to this lawn and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him.
Nick Carraway, Chapter 9
Nick considers this as a review of Gatsby’s life and dreams. Gatsby dies, and Tom and Daisy disappear into a new home. Nick considers how close Gatsby got to his dream, just on the other side of the bay, with all the money he could’ve dreamed of in his youth. But that was as far as he could go. The dream he wanted didn’t come any closer to materializing.
“’Can’t repeat the past?’ he cried incredulously. ‘Why of course you can!’
“He looked around him wildly, as if the past were lurking here in the shadow of his house, just out of reach of his hand.“
Gatsby to Nick, Chapter 6
After one of Gatsby’s parties, he asks Nick to stay back. He reveals his love for Daisy to Nick, who tries to hint to Gatsby that his desire might be unattainable. In these lines, Gatsby shows a bit of the deep emotion at the heart of his life’s decisions. He believes wholeheartedly that he can regain Daisy’s love, which was long lost in the past. She’s built the life she thought she wanted for herself and is entirely committed to it. On the other hand, Gatsby is unwilling to admit that things have changed and that no matter how much money he has, he can’t change people.
