Question

How is "The Great Gatsby" a story of the West? The story was set in the East, but Nick claims it is a story of the West. Why?

Answer 1

Hint: The Great Gatsby is a message delivered by Nick Carraway, who used to be Gatsby's neighbor, and it takes place following 1922, is when events of the novel take place. Nick has only just relocated from the Midwest to West Egg, Long Island, in the hopes of making a living as a bond salesman.

Complete answer:
Nick plans to return to the Midwest, utterly disenchanted by his experiences in the East. He meets Tom Buchanan a last time just before departing. After Tom sees him and asks why he didn't choose to make contact, Nick responds flatly, "You know what I think of you." Tom was the catalyst for Gatsby's murder, according to their conversation. When Wilson arrived at his home, he told him that Gatsby was the owner of the vehicle that murdered Myrtle. In Tom's view, he had aided the pursuit of justice. Nick, offended by Tom's, Daisy's, and others' recklessness and cruelty, abandons Tom, assured of his own dignity.

Nick sees the novel as a "tale of the West" featuring Westerners. Tom, Daisy, Jordan, Gatsby, and Nick were from different parts of the country. In the early 20th century stock rush, the glamorized American notion of moving West to search and create one's prosperity on the plains was turned upside down, and those chasing their luck returned East to check in. Yet, whilst Gatsby implies that the extra effort of making a fortune and creating a lifestyle on the frontier had some prestige, the East's search for wealth is nothing else but: an empty hunt for riches. The division here between eastern and western parts of the States is reflected in Gatsby by the separation amongst East Egg and West Egg: the West is very much the domain of people seeking rewards, and yet these "Westerners" are just as empty and dishonest as of the internal side as the "Easterners."

Note: Fitzgerald's best way of describing the wealth disparity is to differentiate amongst east and west eggs. Although Gatsby is required to look from across water at his west egg home, Tom and Daisy are able to live lavish lifestyles in east egg. It's not because they're richer than Gatsby; it's only that the way they earned their money and the people they meet make it possible for them to live in East Egg. Fitzgerald, I assume, would use this as a metaphor to talk about American culture during the nineteen twenties.