Nick Carraway, the narrator, begins his story by recalling the words of his father, "Whenever you feel like criticizing any one...just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had." Chapter 1, pg. 1. From an early age Nick was raised not to judge others since they may not have been as fortunate as he. Living in the East had changed this philosophy, and Nick returned home again to the Midwest with a set of defined ideals rather than accepting just any group of people for friends. The exception of his general dislike for Easterners is Jay Gatsby. As described by Nick, Gatsby is a man still free of guilt, except for some tragic flaw or sickness of character that had disillusioned him. Nick says that it was "what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men." Chapter 1, pg. 2. Born and raised in the Midwest as part of a semi-aristocratic family, and having attended Yale in New Haven, Nick then went on to serve in World War I. He returned home after the war ended only to find that it suddenly felt like "the ragged edge of the universe" after all his adventures and travels.
Nick moved to Long Island's West Egg section for the sake of establishing himself in the bond business in nearby New York City. Gatsby was a gentleman living next door in a lavish mansion, whom Nick does not meet until later. Settling into his own small, ramshackle house and bursting with idealism under the heat of the approaching summer, Nick soon adjusts to his new surroundings after a man comes seeking directions, not knowing Nick to be a newcomer to the area. Suddenly a man of local knowledge, Nick's initial isolation disappears as he plans to read so many books, holding in mind great plans for self-rejuvenation and monastic thought. He yearns to be "the well-rounded man" true to the words of his father, to be open to many things. One servant, a Finnish woman, prepares meals for him and cleans. One day he decides to visit his "second cousin once removed," Daisy and her husband, Tom Buchanan at East Egg, located at the opposite end of Long Island. It is the more fashionable of the two sides of the island with its "white palaces."
Nick had known Tom Buchanan from Yale, who even then would flout his family's wealth. A tremendous football star and national figure, in the ten years since his graduation Tom seemed to be living a retired life of careless extravagance. After living in Chicago for a bit and then a year in France, he had come with his wife Daisy to the East, presumably to settle down for good. In addition to the luxury of his own estate and its servants, Buchanan had purchased a string of polo ponies for his enjoyment while on Long Island. Despite this appearance of happiness, Nick senses that Tom's personality was that of a man who "would drift on forever seeking, a little wistfully, for the dramatic turbulence of some irrecoverable football game." Chapter 1, pg. 6. Upon arriving, Tom greets Nick on the porch, admiring his new property. Inside the house two women sit sprawled out upon a couch nursing cocktails amidst a storm of breezes and billows from the airy white curtains. Daisy greets her cousin somewhat sarcastically and wittily, "I'm p-paralyzed with happiness." The other woman is identified later as Jordan Baker, a famous sportswoman, particularly in golf, who has been Daisy's confidante for many years. Nick speaks of how everyone in Chicago, where he had stopped on his way East, had inquired about Daisy; she absorbs her popularity calmly, as if such compliments were nothing new. She adds offhandedly that Nick should see her and Tom's three year-old baby sometime, although the baby is currently sleeping.
Miss Baker begins to complain of the heat and the stiffness of sitting for so long. Abruptly she speaks of how she knows of a man named Gatsby who lives in West Egg. At hearing this comment Daisy demandingly cries out, "What Gatsby?" Yet dinner is announced before this man can be discussed. The group moves onto the porch outside to eat. Although mentioned only periodically, the mystery of Gatsby increases as he is mentioned and then forgotten so quickly.
Daisy protests at seeing four candles lit on the table, complaining about enjoying the light while it is there and not rushing into night so quickly; "In two weeks it'll be the longest day in the year....Do you always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I always watch for the longest day in the year and then miss it." Chapter 1, pg. 12. Even as she speaks, the sun has begun to set in the west and she snaps out the candles with her fingers so quickly that her fingers are burnt; she displays them for all to see, lamenting that she has hurt herself. During dinner Nick chats with Tom, feeling slightly disconnected due to the casualness of their meal. He recalls how in the West where he had grown up, everyone adhered to a set schedule and the day - including meals - was rushed from phase to phase without interruption. Tom next starts talking about a book he has read, The Rise of the Colored Empires by Goddard which warns that the white race must stand on its feet or else other minority races shall take over the world. Tom attributes the creation of science and art, products of civilization, to the white race and declares that they must protect their own interests. Daisy agrees nonchalantly, her eyes still fixed upon the setting sun.
The butler informs Tom that he has a phone call and is quickly followed inside by Daisy. Jordan informs Nick that Tom has a mistress in New York and this is why Daisy is so quick to stay near him. The two return to join Nick at the table, who is still shocked at this news. The phone rings again and this time Tom allows it to ring while Daisy shakes her head at him softly. The four candles are lit again, although for the rest of dinner a certain tension lingers over the porch due to these thoughts of an extramarital affair. Afterwards Tom and Jordan Baker wander back into the library, and Daisy opens herself to Nick as the two walk out across the mansion's lawn, past verandas, and around to the front porch. Recalling the birth of her daughter, she tells him how, when she had heard she had given birth to a girl shesaid, "I hope she'll be a fool - that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool....You see, I think everything's terrible anyhow....And I know. I've been everywhere and seen everything and done everything." Chapter 1, pg. 17-18. The same restlessness beneath an appearance of happiness, which Nick notices in Tom, he sees in Daisy as well. Returning inside, Miss Baker is reading aloud to Buchanan out of The Saturday Evening Post.
Upon finishing the story, Miss Baker prepares to go to bed since she has a tennis match in Westchester in the morning. Nick also prepares to leave. Jokingly, Daisy declares that he must come back so that a marriage can be arranged between him and Miss Baker and to look after her at least since she'll be spending her summer weekends there. Tom cautions Nick not to believe what he hears, sensing that Daisy had told him certain things while they were outside alone. The Buchanan couple suddenly inquire about Nick's love life, having heard he was engaged while back West, which Nick denies, giving little detail except that he had "an old friend." Somewhat disgusted with this scene of gross wealth and thoughts of Tom's mistress, Nick arrives at home only to observe an odd scene while going inside from the garage. Out across his lawn, near the sea, is his first glimpse of Gatsby, holding his arms outstretched to the sea toward "a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock." Chapter 1, pg. 22. This green light is across the bay near East Egg, from which Carraway has just returned. The man suddenly disappears and Nick goes off to bed. The mystique surrounding Gatsby only intensifies. Various people have mentioned him several times already to Nick, and he has yet to encounter him firsthand. Nick's infatuation and curiosity about this man continue to grow.
