Situated at the end of Daisy's dock across the bay, the light represents Gatsby's unattainable vision of their shared future and the broader American Dream.

Gatsby hopes Daisy will simply wander into one of his extravagant West Egg gatherings. He rarely participates in the festivities himself, observing from afar.

Gatsby adopted this British affectation to corroborate his fabricated Oxford education. The phrase highlights his desperate attempt to fit in with the wealthy elite.

Set during the 1920s Prohibition era, the novel implies Gatsby amassed his sudden wealth by illegally selling liquor through a chain of front drugstores.