CHAPTER 1
- Nick tells us at the beginning of the chapter that he is “inclined to reserve all judgement.” What do you think this means? Does this mean we can trust him to tell this story truthfully and without bias?
- Describe you initial impressions of the following characters. (Nick, Tom, Daisy, Ms. Baker.)
- Explain the relationship between Tom and Daisy. What seems so “off” about it?
- At the end of the chapter, Nick sees Mr. Gatsby reaching towards a green light. What seems so strange about this? Do you think Gatsby has a special connection with it?
(1.) Nick seems to call himself unbiased, or he wants to be unbiased, but he isn’t the best a following through with it. During the dinner party he judges Ms. Baker, and makes observations and comments on Daisy and Tom’s relationship, and expectations about the Buchannans.
(2.) Nick seems to be a somewhat hypocrite. He keeps talking about how he doesn’t judge people but he spends the dinner party judging the others. He also seems a bit passive, wanting to apologize to Ms. Baker a lot. Tom seems like a stereotypical white man in the 1920’s; racist, doesn’t care about his wife, very wealthy. Daisy knows that she’s stuck as the “housewife” but also knows she can’t do anything about it. She also knows that Tom is the best she might get, as he is very wealthy. She stays with him despite the abuse and the fact of him cheating on her. Ms. Baker is very aloof, and disconnected. She doesn’t seem emotionally invested in much.
(3.) Daisy and Tom seem to only be together for the sake of being in a relationship. Their relationship seems to be abusive but they stick together anyway. They don’t seem to be in love at all, and Tom seems to be a generic old white guy who doesn’t care for his wife. Daisy also knows that she won’t be anything else than a wife.
(4.) It says that Nick moved to right be the ocean. That green light could’ve been a boat leaving, and Gatsby may have been waving goodbye. Other than that, I don’t know what else it could be.
CHAPTER 2
“…the motor road hastily joins the railroad…so as to shrink away from a certain desolate area of land. This is a valley of ashes-a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of ash-grey men who move dimly and already crumbling though the powdery air.”
-People dumb ash from their fireplaces here.
-Lower class of society live here
“…shrink away…” cringe movement-personification
“…valley of ashes…” mountain shapes
“…form of houses…” Everything about their world is grey+bleak+ashy
“…transcendent…” This is not how most people live. Just living/existing takes more effort for this group than anyone else’s experiences.
“…moving dimly…” Slow, looked hard, quietness, tired, alone.
“…crumbling…” Breaking apart, dying, falling slowly to pieces.
^^ All of this combines to form a picture of hardship; Survived.
- How does the scene at the apartment develop our perception of Tom?
- Nick states that he “was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.” What do you think he means by this?
(1.) We see that although Mrs. Wilson is very invested in the relationship, Tom isn’t ready to let go of his marriage. He doesn’t mind cheating on both Mrs. Wilson, and Daisy, because he isn’t devoted to any of them, and doesn’t really care about them. He only sees his affair with Mrs. Wilson as something casual, and he’s not interested in developing it more. He likes control over people and he is quite violent.
(2.) Nick is drawn to the luxuries of this “variety of life”, but he also sees all the hardship that comes with it. He sees Mrs. Wilson’s desperate attempts to uphold this life she wants, and can only know how hard it is. She tries to trick herself into to thinking she has the life she wants, but Nick sees how hard it is.
CHAPTER 3
“East Egg condescending to West Egg, and carefully on guard against its spectroscopic gaiety.”
East Egg = Old Money, West Egg = New money. East protect it while West flaunt it. East dislike showing off, while West likes it. East thinks they’re superior. East is defending/defensive. Spectroscopic – range of bright coloured light. East doesn’t want to taint itself with the bright crazy lifestyle of West
- There is a colour that is frequently associated with Gatsby and his house and party. It is mentioned frequently throughout the chapter, particularly at the start. What colour is it? Write 2-3 quotes from this chapter that connects this colour with Gatsby.
- Gatsby’s character is developed in this chapter. Locate two quotes that reveal something about who he is/his personality. Explain what is being expressed in these quotes.
- Owl Eyes observes that Gatsby is ‘a regular Belasco!’ Research who David Belasco was and explain the connection you think could exist between him and Belasco.
(1.) The colour is yellow. “…and gave ear to two girls in twin yellow dresses…” These girls were spreading rumors and gossiping about Gatsby. “…and now the orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music…” “…and turkeys bewitched to a dark gold.”
(2.) “A chauffeur…crossed my lawn early that Saturday morning with a surprisingly formal note from his employer.” This shows that Gatsby is quite formal. Both with the way he writes the letter, and also that he has his chauffeur deliver it despite the fact they live right next to each other. “…I was looking at an elegant rough-neck, a year or two over thirty, whose elaborate formality of speech just missed being absurd. Some time before he introduced himself I’d gotten a strong impression that he was picking his words with care.” Along with being formal, he is also polite. He seems like the type to take a lot of care in controlling how people perceive him.
(3.)David Belasco was a Broadway producer, famous for the incredible amount of detail on his sets that you’d almost think it was real. This relates to Gatsby as he already is noted to take a lot of care in choosing his words. So this would also mean he’d take a lot of care constructing what his house looks like. He’d makes his whole life seem realistic, so people would believe the front he is putting on is real.
CHAPTER 4
“He stretched out his arms towards the dark water in a curious way, and, far as i was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward-and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been at the end of a dock.”
The green light is one of the most recognizable symbols in The Great Gatsby. Green is typically associated with hope and in America, money. The light represents the strength of Gatsby’s hope. He dreams of a life with Daisy and he fixates on this object, believing it represents his dream. The description of the light changed throughout the story, depending on the strength of Gatsby’s hope.
On a larger scale, the light also reflects ‘The American Dream’. The shining hope that if you work hard enough you’ll become rich, successful, and happy. The true nature of the American Dream is revealed by this light.
CHAPTER 5
“‘If it wasn’t for the mist, we could see your home across the bay,’ said Gatsby. ‘You always have a green light that burns all night at the end of your dock’… he seemed absorbed in what he had just said. Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever. Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it had seemed very near to her, almost touching her. It had seemed as close as a star to the moon. Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one.”
Mist is water/rain. Absorbed – light bulb moment, personal revelation. Colossal significance-Really big, large importance. Vanished forever- the significance of the idea (Daisy’s this life w/ her) will never return. The great distance separating Gatsby and Daisy- Social class structures, Time (5 years). “…As close as a star to the moon…” At first glance these things seem to be right next to each other, when in reality they are universes apart. “…enchanted…” This is the first crack in Gatsby’s illusion of his life.
“There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams-not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion. It had gone beyond her, beyond everything. He had thrown himself into it with a creative passion, adding to it all the time, adding to it all the time, decking it out with every bright feather that had drifted his way. No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man can store up in his ghastly heart.”
“His dreams” Gatsby dreams of returning to the point 5 years ago when he and Daisy were in love. “Not through her own fault” This is his illusion. “Vitality” power that keeps life going, strength, Gatsby’s illusion (the idea that he and Daisy can live happily ever after) is extremely strong. This illusion is the thing that keeps his life going. “It had gone beyond her, beyond everything” It isn’t actually about Daisy anymore- it’s about the idea of her from 5 years ago. It’s so much bigger than just a relationship now. “Thrown himself…creative passion…decking it out…” Give everything, made it his own, more than it maybe should be. “No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man can store up in his ghostly heart.” Lonely, nothing can shift his illusion he has created, doesn’t care what happens.
- Describe Gatsby’s feelings toward the meeting with Daisy. Find two quotes to support your description. Explain why he might be feeling the way you have identified.
- A new symbol becomes apparent in this chapter. Find three quotes which mention rain, the ocean, mist or water of some kind. Write them down and consider what connection they might have to Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship.
- Discuss the connection between Gatsby and the clock that he breaks on the mantelpiece. A quote to help you understand this might be “He had been full of the idea for so long dreamed it right through to the end, waited with his teeth set, so to speak, at so inconceivable pitch of intensity. Now, in the reaction, he was running down like an over wound clock.”
- Why do you think Gatsby wants Nick to host this afternoon tea? How important is it that Daisy sees his house?
- Why do you think Daisy cries over Gatsby’s shirts?
(1.) Nervous, unsure
(2.) The water represents the gap between Gatsby and Daisy.They can’t change how long it’s been.
(3.) Like the clock, Gatsby has had a sole purpose but now he’s breaking down. He doesn’t know how to deal with it all, so he breaks.
(4.) Gatsby wants Nick to host as to not come off as trying to hard to Daisy. He wants it to be natural, like as he planned for her to stumble into one of his parties. Gatsby also wants Daisy to see his house as impressive, to see he’s now rich like her.
(5.) Daisy cries because she realizes what she’s missed after all this time.
CHAPTER 6
“The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his platonic conception of himself…he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby a seventeen-year-old boy us likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end.”
Plato (Platonic)
A Greek Philosopher. He believed that ideas are separate from our reality. Our reality is what we believe.
Platonic in this sense relates back to Plato and his ideas about making our reality what we believe. He created this different self, and one he believed in. It was a self made up when he was still very young, but because he believed in it so much he’s kept with it for all this time. He created something from nothing, using only his imagination.
- Give an overview of where Gatsby came from. How different is this to the rumours that we have heard about him? How true do you think his story about the war and Oxford is now?
- Find two quotes that show us Gatsby ‘reinvented’ himself.
- Consider the quote “a promise that the rock of the world was founded securely on a fairy’s wing.” What do you think this has to do with the idea that you can design your own reality? How do you think this applies to Gatsby?
- Describe Daisy’s reaction to the party. Find two quotes to support your observation.
- Why is it significant that Daisy says “I’m giving out green” during the party?
- Gatsby seems to think that Nick’s opinion that “You can’t repeat the past” is insane. Find his response to this line in the novel and write it down. Why do you think he needs to hold this opinion?
(1.) Gatsby originally lived in North Dakota, on a farm, by the name of James Gatz. When he saw Dan Cody’s yacht drop anchor, he decided to completely reinvent himself He worked long and hard by Lake Superior, but then eventually moved away. Nick states that most of the rumors he’d heard weren’t even remotely true, so I don’t think Gatsby attended Oxford.
(2.) “James Gatz-that was really, or at least legally his name. He had changed it at the age seventeen and at the specific moment that witnessed the beginning of his career…”
(3.) This quote means that something real in on something on real. Like Gatsby’s life was made up from an illusion, something that isn’t real.
(4.) Daisy shows why she never happened upon one of Gatsby’s parties. She dislikes it very much, seeing it as overzealous and immature.
(5.) Green represents the “Great American Dream”. To say she’s giving out green can mean she’s giving part of her achieved dream to others, but mainly to Gatsby, as Daisy is a part of his dream. She’s almost like giving out hope, leading Gatsby on.
(6.) His response is, “Can’t repeat the past?” he cried incredulously. “Why of course you can!”. Gatsby is so wrapped up in his dream that the mere thought that it mightn’t be possible is outrageous to him. He had been so invested in his illusion that he was sure it would happen.
CHAPTER 7
- Nick observes that “the whole caravansary had fallen in like a card house at the disapproval in her eyes.” What do you think he means by this? Note: the quote relates to Gatsby and Daisy and is near the beginning of chapter one.
- Why do you think Fitzgerald set the events of this chapter on the hottest day of the story so far? Consider how this might connect to the water symbolism.
- Gatsby tells Nick that “Her voice is full of money” in regards to Daisy. Explain what this means.
- “High in a white palace, the kings daughter, the golden girl”. This line appears as Nick is describing Daisy and her voice. Why do you think it is significant? What does it tell us about her?
- Comment on the situation at the palace hotel. Do you think Daisy ever had any intention of leaving Tom? Find a quote to support your answer.
- Break down the following quotation, as we have done as a class on the board. Explain what is revealed about ‘the dream’ in this quote.
“But with every word she was drawing further and further into herself, so he gave that up, and only the dead dream fought on as the afternoon slipped away, trying to touch what was no longer tangible, struggling unhappily, despairingly, towards that lost voice across the room.” - Reflect on the death of Myrtle Wilson and think about the fact that she was killed by a member of the ‘elite upper class’. Comment on what statement Fitzgerald is making about the privilege the very wealthy believe they possess.
(1.) Everything Gatsby does he does it for Daisy. So when he sees that his attempts aren’t impressing her, he stops them. It is shown Daisy thinks the parties are far too vulgar and zealous for her liking, and Gatsby is only throwing them for Daisy, so after Daisy shows disinterest, the party calms down, almost.
(2.) Water and mist generally represents the gap between Gatsby and Daisy, and the haze representing their relationship. Now, it’s the hottest day and all the mystery and confusion about them has dissipated. Daisy finds out Gatsby’s a bootlegger, something she seems to be disgusted by. Gatsby finds out Daisy still loves Tom. The two both find out things about each other that they didn’t know before, therefore removing the haze and almost purity of their fantasy. They’re also ignoring the time past, and are trying to defy time.
(3.) Her voice if full of money means the fact she is old money is very obvious, but it also relates to why Gatsby likes her so much, as he has always been looking to be richer.
(4.) The white palace represents the purity of old money, and how she is a result of it. Her money wasn’t made bootlegging, or gambling, but was made honorably. All of this is clear to Nick just through her voice.
(5.) Daisy has never been sure about leaving Tom, as she does say she does love him. After it’s revealed that Gatsby is a bootlegger she’s much more unsure, the previous party only helps this, as she is leading Gatsby on a little.
(6.)
(7.) It is revealed that while Myrtle’s death was an accident, she ran out onto the road on purpose, because she thought Tom was driving. This means she was willing to risk her life for Tom. This is the same as Gatsby, who would always give almost anything for Daisy.
CHAPTER 8
“If that was true he must have felt that he had lost the old worm world, paid a high price for living too long with a single dream. He must have looked up at the unfamiliar sky through frightening leaves and shivered as he found what a grotesque thing a rose is…A new world, material without being real, where poor ghosts, breathing dreams like air, drifted fortuitously about…”
Nick believes Gatsby has a realization about his obsession with Daisy. “…lost the old warm world…” Gatsby lived in a world where he believed he would live happily ever after with daisy. This world is now gone. “…paid a high price…” He pays with his life. The price is death. “…a single dream…” This is the only thing he ever cared about or aspired to. “…an unfamiliar shy…” This world is different “…what a grotesque thing a rose is…” Metaphor for Daisy. A rose looks beautiful and perfect. It, however, has thorns and can cause a lot of harm. “…material without being real…” Given he is about to die, this world exists for Gatsby but it will never be a reality. “…poor ghosts, breathing dreams like air…” His past comes back to life with this realization.
- Comment on your reaction to Gatsby’s story about falling in love with Daisy.
- The idea of the golden girl is developed in this chapter. Comment on how the following quotes help us to understand Daisy’s status as the golden girl of the story:
- “It excited him, too, that many men had already loved Daisy- it increased her value in his eyes”
- “He knew that Daisy was extraordinary, but he didn’t realise just how extraordinary a ‘nice girl’ could be.”
- “Daisy, gleaming like silver, safe and proud above the hot struggles of the poor.”
- Nick says to Gatsby “They’re a rotten crowd…You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together.” Do you agree with Nick? Explain why/why not.
- Nick tells us the story of Wilson- or at least the version that the media published. In it, the symbol of the eyes is developed further. What does Wilson say to his wife about her actions? Who does he believe is judging her? Do you think that the eyes really symbolise God in this text?
- Gatsby is shot and killed in his swimming pool. Comment on the significance of this particular setting in connection to Gatsby’s death. Think about the reason that Gatsby is killed and how this might connect with what we already know about the water symbolism.
(1.) I’m glad Gatsby and Daisy didn’t have the stereotypical fairy tale ending, because in this world, that isn’t at all realistic. Even in story, characters comment on how unrealistic and fantastical Gatsby illusion is (Gatsby’s illusion being the fairy tale ending. Gatsby was so wrapped up in his own world, and he needed to see reality for what it was.
(2.) The fact that she was so desirable is attractive, because most people want to have desirable things. She was seen as different from other girls, better, and she was immune to struggles of the poor, due to her old money. Daisy is rarely treated like a person, as she could be replaced with a shiny necklace, and most people would treat her the same, just an expensive necklace. This makes sense, however, as she is worth a lot of money, so some people really do see her for only her fortune.
(3.) I agree with Nick, because the Tom and Daisy never worked as hard for their fortune than Gatsby did. He invested so much in everything he did, granted it was misguided, but at least he tried. Tom and Daisy were born into wealth, and, for Daisy at least, were desired as partners. Gatsby, and Nick in some ways, worked for what they had.
(4.) The eyes symbolize the rich can’t get away with everything. Someone is bound to find out. Myrtle lives by the eyes, and Daisy knows about her, or at least her husband is having an affair. Daisy accidentally hits Myrtle with the yellow car, and Wilson tracks down who owns the car.
(5.) Gatsby in the pool symbolizes how engrossed he is with Daisy. The water is an symbol of the distance and time between him and Daisy, almost the purity of their relationship 5 years ago, and before Daisy found out Gatsby was a bootlegger. He tried to keep their relationship the same, and that is what eventually kills him.
CHAPTER 9
- Why do you think no one came to Gatsby’s funeral? What does this tell us about “living too long with a single dream?”
- What was your impression of Gatsby’s father? Did you learn anything from Nick’s interactions with him that helps you to understand Gatsby better? Does your opinion of him change? Use quotes to support your answer.
- When Wolfshiem says “I raised him up out of nothing, right out of the gutter”, how is the idea of Gatsby ‘creating himself’ become more developed?
- Nick says that “After Gatsby’s death, the East was haunted for me…distorted beyond my eyes’ power of correction.” What does he mean by this? What does he start to realise? Look for the comparison between West Egg and the El Greco painting to support your answer.
- What final thing is established for us about Daisy in this chapter? What do we come to fully understand about her? Is she, in fact, the rose that Nick has described?
- Tom tells Nick that Gatsby “threw dust into your eyes just like he did in Daisy’s.” What do you think he means by this? How does this support the notion that Gatsby was an illusion?
- Break down the following quotation:
“They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together and let other people clean up the mess they had made.”
8. Nick describes Gatsby’s home as a ‘huge incoherent failure of a house…” What does he mean by this? What is it symbolic of?
(1.) No one came to Gatsby’s funeral because of his dream, the only thing he put effort into. He didn’t bother making any actual friends, just ones that help the illusion. Nick came because he had a connection to Daisy, so he and Gatsby got close.
(2.) Gatsby’s father seems to understand why Gatsby ran away. He saw the life he had made for himself, and was proud. When he found the book with the schedule on it, he showed it to Nick, as a way for him to achieve the same glory.
(3.) Gatsby took peoples advice and help, but created the character of Jay Gatsby by himself.
(4.) After Gatsby’s death, Nick sees the true nature of the East, and how uncaring it can be.
(5.) Daisy never saw her relationship with Gatsby anything more than how Tom saw Myrtle. She looks pretty, but if you get in close, you’ll get hurt.
(6.) Tom believes that Gatsby somehow manipulated both Daisy and Nick to believe in his illusion.
(7.) The rich don’t care about the damage they cause, because the think it will never affect them. And sometimes, they’re right. Daisy and Tom don’t care about what happened to Gatsby or Myrtle, and they left, without having to account for their actions.
(8.) The house, while grand, is empty now. The illusion is gone. Everything that should be related to a huge house, the glamour, and parties have vanished, so it’s now a failure. It’s just an empty prop.
