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What happens in Chapter 9 of The Great Gatsby?
Two years after Gatsby’s death, Nick explains the events that occurred after Gatsby’s murder, how even more outlandish rumors about him circulated, and how only a few people, including Nick and Gatsby’s father, attended Gatsby’s funeral, a stark contrast to the swath of attendees at Gatsby’s parties. Before Nick leaves New York for good, Tom tells Nick that he was the one who told Wilson that Gatsby was the driver and that he is happy that Gatsby is dead. On Nick’s last night in West Egg, he visits Gatsby’s mansion and muses about Gatsby’s dream and aspirations, as well as the American dream in general.
Read our Summary & Analysis of Chapter 9. (3-minute read)
What does the ending of The Great Gatsby mean?
In some ways, Chapter 9 represents a departure from the rest of the book, but in its last pages Nick rather neatly puts story Gatsby’s unusual life into the context of the American Dream. This SparkNotes guide offers a short essay (link below) that puts the book’s ending into context.
Read a brief essay about the meaning of the ending of The Great Gatsby. (2-minute read)
Read about the American Dream as the core Theme of The Great Gatsby. (2-minute read)
What does the passage at the end of The Great Gatsby mean?
“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.”
First, “orgastic” means the same thing as “orgasmic” —a heightened sexual state. The larger meaning of the passage is about how the past can inspire us to a better future, but at the same time it can hold us back.
Read our full explanation of the final passage in The Great Gatsby. (1-minute read)
What else did F. Scott Fitzgerald write besides The Great Gatsby?
Fitzgerald wrote several other novels and numerous short stories. SparkNotes offers study guides for three additional Fitzgerald novels and for three of his best-known short stories. We also offer free full text editions of The Great Gatsby, one of his other novels, and two of his short stories.
See a list of other Fitzgerald works available on SparkNotes.
