The Great Gatsby

Content Ratings

Moderate Romance

The novel centers on an obsessive extramarital love affair and the longing to recapture a romantic past; Gatsby and Daisy's rekindled romance is emotionally and physically suggested but not explicitly depicted, while Tom Buchanan's affair is also a present subplot.

Moderate Themes

The story explores the corruption of ambition, moral recklessness among the wealthy, marital infidelity, the emptiness of materialism, and the tragic consequences of idealizing the past.

Moderate Violence

A woman is struck and killed by a car, a man is shot dead in his pool, and a confrontational altercation in a hotel suite escalates with threats; violence is sudden and impactful rather than sustained or graphic.

Synopsis

In the glittering world of 1920s Long Island, mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby throws lavish parties in hopes of rekindling a romance with his lost love Daisy Buchanan, as observed by his neighbor and cousin Nick Carraway. The novel examines the hollow promise of the American Dream, the corruption beneath the surface of wealth, and the tragedy of obsessive desire. A lyrical, elegiac story with dark undercurrents.