Final answer:
Chapter 1 of 'The Great Gatsby' serves as an introduction to the narrator, Nick Carraway, and the setting of the novel in 1922 New York. It establishes key themes through character relationships, especially between Tom and Daisy Buchanan, and hints at the mysterious figure of Jay Gatsby who will become central to the narrative.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Chapter 1 of The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald introduces us to the narrator, Nick Carraway, who hails from a well-to-do family in the Midwest and went to Yale. He has come to New York in 1922 to learn the bond business. As he narrates, he describes his renting a house in the West Egg district of Long Island, a place populated by the new rich. His cousin, Daisy Buchanan, lives in the more fashionable East Egg with her husband Tom, an old college acquaintance of Nick's.
The chapter gives glimpses into the lives and morals of the wealthy characters. Tom, a powerful figure with a strong personality, is revealed to be having an affair, and Daisy seems to be in a loveless marriage, displaying a cynical outlook on life. The opulent setting and character dynamics set the stage for the social commentary on the American Dream and the decadence of the 1920s that epitomizes the novel. The mention of Jay Gatsby foreshadows the pivotal role he will play in the story, as Nick observes him for the first time, reaching out towards the mysterious green light at the end of Daisy's dock.