The Great Gatsby

Nick arranges Gatsby's funeral, but almost no one comes. The people who attended his parties, who enjoyed his hospitality, who used his wealth, are gone. Only Nick, Gatsby's father, and a few others attend. The chapter reveals the emptiness of Gatsby's life—he had everything, but in the end, he had nothing. No one cared, no one remembered, no one came. The truth is buried—the newspapers report that Wilson was 'deranged by grief,' and the real story is never told. Nick reflects on Gatsby's life and death, on the corruption that destroyed him, on the dream that trapped him. He realizes that Gatsby was great not despite his flaws, but because of his ability to dream, to hope, to believe. But that same ability destroyed him. The chapter ends with Nick leaving the East, returning to the Midwest, having learned the lessons of the summer. He's seen the corruption, the illusion, the emptiness, and he's learned to see beyond surface appearances. The novel ends with Nick's reflection on the past, on the green light, on the dream that can never be caught.