The Great Gatsby

Vocabulary asunder, benediction, ceaselessly, colossal, complacency, corpulent, elude, ether, extemporizing, feigned, florid, fractiousness, infinitesimal, implored, jaunty, languidly, laudable, levity, meretricious, molars, obstetrical, prodigality, punctilious, receded, rent, reproach, supercilious, vacuous, vinous, wan

FITZGERALD, F. Scott (1896-1940). The novels and short stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald are famous for portraying the "lost generation" of the post-World War I era. They depict the rich disenchanted youth of what he called the Jazz Age.

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minn., on Sept. 24, 1896, the only son of Edward and Mary Fitzgerald. His father was a descendant of Francis Scott Key, author of 'The Star-Spangled Banner'. Fitzgerald attended St. Paul Academy and the Newman School, in New Jersey. After entering Princeton University in 1913 he wrote for student publications. In November 1917 Fitzgerald left college to enlist in the Army. While stationed in Montgomery, Ala., he fell in love with Zelda Sayre.

Following his release from the Army in 1919, Fitzgerald worked for an advertising agency in New York City for several months. After Zelda broke their engagement, he returned to St. Paul to rewrite a novel he had worked on when he was in the Army. The novel-'This Side of Paradise'- was published in 1920. The first chronicle of flaming youth, it brought Fitzgerald fame, money, and marriage to Zelda. The couple had one daughter. To maintain the luxurious life he and his wife liked to lead, Fitzgerald wrote at a furious pace. In 1920 he published 'Flappers and Philosophers', a volume of short stories. His second novel, 'The Beautiful and Damned', and 'Tales of the Jazz Age' appeared in 1922. In 1924 the Fitzgeralds moved to Europe, where Fitzgerald wrote his masterpiece, 'The Great Gatsby'. Typical of his work, it glorified romance and disillusionment, and the dialogue was flawless.

In 1930 Zelda suffered a breakdown, a step on the way to her insanity. The family returned to the United States in 1930. Fitzgerald's novel 'Tender Is the Night' was published in 1934. It failed to sell, and Fitzgerald felt defeated. In 1936 he wrote about his emotional state in 'The Crack-up'. Fitzgerald went to Hollywood in 1937 to write scenarios for motion pictures. On Dec. 20, 1940, he suffered a fatal heart attack. He had begun a novel about Hollywood, called 'The Last Tycoon'. The unfinished work, published in 1941, was another attempt to create his dream of the promises of American life and of a man who could realize them. The Great Gatsby – Questions

Pre-Reading

1. Why are we still reading a book written in the 1920's? What gives a book its longevity? 2. How was the 1920's a reaction to WWI? 3. Some people think that having money leads to happiness. Do you agree? Why or why not? What are the advantages or disadvantages of being wealthy. 4. What is the "American Dream"? Where did it originate, and how has it changed over the centuries? 5. Have you ever wanted to relive a moment from your past, to redo it? Describe the situation. How and why would you change the past?

Chapter 1

1. Notice how many times Fitzgerald uses the words hope, or dream. Why does he do this? 2. Nick starts the novel by relaying his father's advice "Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had." List Nick's advantages. Does he reserve judgement in the novel? 3. Pay attention to time. What is the day and year during the first scene at Daisy's house? 4. Describe Nick. What facts do you know about him, and what do you infer about him? What kind of a narrator do you think he will be? 5. What image does the author use to describe Jordan Baker? What does it mean? 6. How does Nick react to Jordan? 7. What does Tom's behavior reveal about his character?

Chapter 2

1. Describe the "valley of ashes." What does it look like and what does it represent? 2. Describe Mr. Wilson and Myrtle. Do they seem to fit into the setting? 3. What more have you learned about Nick in this chapter? Is he similar or different than the people he spends his time with? 4. Describe the violent act Tom comitted against Myrtle. What does this reveal about him?

Chapter 3

1. Pay attention to Nick's judgements. What do they reveal about his character that he does this (especially in relation to his opening comments)? 2. Describe Gatsby the first time Nick sees him. 3. What rumors have been told about Gatsby? Why does Fitzgerald reveal rumors rather than fact? 4. What does Nick think of Gatsby after meeting him? 5. How is Gatsby different from his guests? 6. Why does Nick choose to share his thoughts and feelings with Jordan? 7. Nick thinks he's one of the few honest people he knows, why? Do you think he is honest?

Chapter 4

1. List all of the rumors told about Gatsby. 2. Why does Fitzgerald list all of Gatsby's party guests? 3. Why does Gatsby tell Nick about his life? Do you believe Gatsby? Does Nick? 4. What role does Meyer Wolfsheim play in the novel? Why is there so much focus on his nose and what does this tell you about Fitzgerald's politics? 5. What does Jordan's story of Daisy's marriage reveal about Daisy? 6. Why did Gatsby want Daisy to see his house? 7. Nick says, "There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired." What does Nick mean? How does each character in the novel fit into this schema?

Chapter 5

1. Why does Gatsby deliver so many goods and services to Nick's house? 2. Describe the effect of rain on the plot. 3. Why does Gatsby offer Nick work? How does Nick feel about this? 4. Explain the significance of the green light. 5. Why does Gatsby get so many phone calls? What does this say about him?

Chapter 6

1. How truthful was Gatsby when he relayed the story of his life to Nick? Why does Fitzgerald tell the story of Jay Gatz now? 2. Describe the meeting of Tom and Gatsby. What does this meeting reveal about them? 3. Why did Daisy and Tom find Gatsby's party loathsome? 4. How did Gatsby measure the success of his party? 5. When Nick told Gatsby that "you can't repeat the past", Gatsby replied, "Why of course you can!" Do you agree with Nick or Gatsby?

Chapter 7

1. Who is Trimachio? Explain how this describes Gatsby. 2. Describe Daisy and Gatsby's new relationship. 3. Compare George Wilson and Tom. What did each man learn about his wife and how did they each react? 4. If Daisy says she's never loved Tom, is there someone whom she thinks she loves? 5. Describe the fight between Gatsby and Tom. What do these men think of each other? How are they similar and how are they different? 6. What was significant about Nick's 30th birthday? 7. What do you think Tom and Daisy were saying to each other in the kitchen? Do you think that Tom knew Daisy was driving the "death car"? Why, why not? 8. At this point, how would you end the novel?

Chapter 8

1. How does Fitzgerald achieve a melancholic mood in the beginning of this chapter? 2. How are seasons used in constructing this novel? 3. Who is Dan Cody and what is his significance in Gatsby's life? 4. How does Nick's statement "You're worth the whole bunch put together" show a change in Nick from the beginning of the novel? 5. How does T. J. Eckleberg affect Mr. Wilson?

Chapter 9

1. Why did Nick take care of Gatsby's funeral? 2. How was Jay Gatz's childhood schedule consistent with the adult Gatsby's behavior? 3. Who attended Gatsby's funeral? How and why is this significant? 4. What is the purpose of Nick's last meeting with Jordan? 5. Why does Nick call Tom and Daisy "careless people"? Post Reading

1. Does this novel have villains and heroes? Why, why not? If yes, who fits into these categories and why? 2. Nick is both part of the action and acting as an objective commentator. Does this narration style work? Why, why not? 3. How did Fitzgerald use weather to reflect the mood of the story? 4. Again, why are we still reading a book written in the 1920's? What gives a book its longevity? And which of its themes are eternal in the American psyche. The Great Gatsby - Vocabulary Terms

Chapter 1

1. Feign: (V) -to imitate deceptively; to make believe; pretend. 2. Supercilious: (Adj.) -having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy. 3. Conscientious: (Adj.) -meticulous; careful; painstaking; particular. 4. Incredulous: (Adj.) -indicating or showing unbelief. 5. Reciprocal: (Adj.) -mutual; corresponding; matching; complementary; equivalent. 6. Wan: (Adj.) -of an unnatural or sickly pallor; pallid; lacking color. 7. Complacent: (Adj.) -often without awareness of some potential danger or defect; self-satisfied. 8. Intimation: (V) -make known subtly and indirectly; hint. 9. Infinite: (Adj.) -indefinitely or exceedingly large. 10. Anon: (Adv.) -in a short time; soon.

Chapter 2

1. Contiguous: (Adj.) -connecting without a break; uninterrupted. 2. Facet: (N) -aspect; phase; side. 3. Cower: (V) -to crouch, as in fear or shame. 4. Interpose: (V) -to step in between parties at variance; mediate. 5. Apathetic: (Adj.) -not interested or concerned; indifferent or unresponsive. 6. Languid: (Adj.) -lacking in spirit or interest; listless; indifferent. 7. Imply: (V) -to indicate or suggest without being explicitly stated. 8. Strident: (Adj.) -having a shrill, irritating quality or character. 9. Deft: (Adj.) -nimble; skillful; clever. 10. Clad: (Adj.) -dressed; covered.

Chapter 3

1. Permeate: (V) -to pass into or through every part of; to penetrate through the pores; to be diffused through; pervade; saturate. 2. Innuendo: (N) -an indirect comment about a person or thing, esp. of a disparaging or a derogatory nature. 3. Erroneous: (Adj.) -containing error; mistaken; incorrect; wrong. 4. Vehement: (Adj.) -strongly emotional; intense or passionate. 5. Cordial: (Adj.) -courteous and gracious; friendly; warm. 6. Impetuous: (Adj.) -characterized by sudden or rash action, emotion, etc.; impulsive. 7. Vacuous: (Adj.) -lacking in ideas or intelligence. 8. Corpulent: (Adj.) -large or bulky of body; portly; stout; fat. 9. Provincial: (Adj.) -having the manners, and viewpoints considered characteristic of unsophisticated inhabitants of a province; rustic; narrow or illiberal. 10. Din: (N) -a loud, confused noise; a continued loud or tumultuous sound; noisy clamor.

Chapter 4

1. Knickerbocker: (N) -any New Yorker. 2. Fluctuate: (V) -to change continually; shift back and forth. 3. Sporadic: (Adj.) -appearing or happening at irregular intervals in time; occasional. 4. Divine retribution: (N) -punishment from a higher being for bad deeds or transgressions. 5. Rajah: (N) -a king or prince in India; a minor chief or dignitary. 6. Elicit: (V) -to draw or bring out or forth; educe; evoke. 7. Valor: (N) -heroic courage; bravery. 8. Somnambulatory: (Adj.) -related to sleep walking. 9. Denizen: (N) -an inhabitant; a resident; one that frequents a particular place. 10. Jaunty: (Adj.) -easy and sprightly in manner or bearing.

Chapter 5

1. Rout: (N) -an overwhelming defeat. 2. Suppress: (V) -to do away with; abolish; stop. 3. Innumerable: (Adj.) -very numerous; incapable of being counted; countless. 4. Ecstatic: (Adj.) -subject to or in a state of ecstasy; rapturous. 5. Reproach: (V) -to find fault with (a person, group, etc.); blame. 6. Serf: (N) -a slave. 7. Obstinate: (Adj.) -inflexible; stubborn; not yielding. 8. Exult: (V) -to show or feel a lively or triumphant joy; rejoice; be highly elated or jubilant. 9. Hulking: (Adj.) -heavy and clumsy; bulky. 10. Nebulous: (Adj.) -hazy, vague, indistinct, or confused.

Chapter 6

1. Laudable: (Adj.) -deserving praise; praiseworthy; commendable. 2. Insidious: (Adj.) -intended to entrap or trick. 3. Repose: (N) -peace; tranquillity; calm. 4. Debauch: (N) -an uninhibited spree or party. 5. Antecedent: (N) -a preceding circumstance, event, object, style, phenomenon. 6. Ingratiate: (V) -to establish (oneself) in the favor or good graces of others by deliberate effort. 7. Perturb: (N) -to throw into great disorder; derange; bother; annoy. 8. Dilatory: (Adj.) -tending to delay or procrastinate; slow; tardy. 9. Desolate: (Adj.) -barren or laid waste; devastated; deprived or destitute of inhabitants; deserted; uninhabited; solitary; lonely. 10. Elusive: (Adj.) -hard to express or define; cleverly or skillfully evasive.

Chapter 7

1. Lapse: (N) -a slip or error, often of a trivial sort; failure. (V) -to come to an end; stop. 2. Insistent: (Adj.) -earnest or emphatic in dwelling upon, maintaining, or demanding something; persistent. 3. Tentative: (Adj.) -unsure; uncertain; not definite or positive; hesitant. 4. Abrupt: (Adj.) -sudden or unexpected. 5. Tumult: (N) -uproar; disorder; highly distressing agitation of mind or feeling. 6. Portentous: (Adj.) -ominous, predictive of future bad events. 7. Irreverent: (Adj.) -not respectful; critical of what is generally accepted or respected. 8. Vicarious: (Adj.) -taking the place of another person or thing; acting or serving as a substitute. 9. Rancor: (N) -resentment or ill will; hatred; malice. 10. Formidable: (Adj.) -of great strength; forceful; powerful.

Chapter 8

1. Humidor: (N) -a container or storage room for cigars or other preparations of tobacco, fitted with means for keeping the tobacco suitably moist. 2. Indiscernible: (Adj.) -cannot be seen or perceived clearly; imperceptible. 3. Settee: (N) -a seat for two or more persons, having a back and usually arms, and often upholstered. 4. In cahoots: (Phrase) -in partnership; in league with; in conspiracy. 5. Divot: (N) -a piece of turf gouged out with a club in making a stroke. 6. Garrulous: (Adj.) -excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, esp. about trivial matters. 7. Incoherent: (Adj.) -without logical or meaningful connection; disjointed; rambling. 8. Conceivable: (Adj.) -imagineable; believeable. 9. Forlorn: (Adj.) -desolate or dreary; unhappy or miserable, as in feeling, condition, or appearance. 10. Laden: (Adj.) -burdened; loaded down.

Chapter 9

1. Pasquinade: (N) -a satire or lampoon, esp. one posted in a public place. 2. Derange: (V) -to disturb the condition, action, or function of; to make insane. 3. Surmise: (V) -to think or infer without certain or strong evidence; conjecture; guess. 4. Superfluous: (Adj.) -being more than is sufficient or required; excessive; unnecessary or needless. 5. Elocution: (N) -a person's manner of speaking or reading aloud in public. 6. Unutterable: (Adj.) -unspeakable; beyond expression. 7. Subtle: (Adj.) -difficult to perceive or understand. 8. Orgastic: (Adj.) - at the height of emotional excitement. 9. Borne: (V) -carried. 10. Ceaselessly: (Adv.) -without stopping or pausing; unendingly; incessantly. Writing Prompts (Journals)

1. What is the American Dream? What does it take to achieve this dream? Who determines your success in the dream – you or others?

2. Write about dreams or wishes that you once had that you now know were unrealistic or foolish. What have you learned since those days?

3. Choose one of your fantasies about what your life will be like in 20 years from now and write about it using specific details. You are around 36 or 37 – tell me all the important facts about your life. How will your world be different?

4. You have achieved your dream award/position. Perhaps this is an Oscar or Grammy, a Pulitzer Prize, a political office, a multi-million dollar sports contract, etc. Write your acceptance speech for the occasion. Be sure to thank those who helped you and to tell your audience what it means to accept the award/position.

5. Project yourself into the spotlight of your American Dream. Perhaps you score the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl, discover the cure for AIDS, accept your first Newberry Medal, or put the keys into the ignition of your dream car or the lock of your dream house. Write about this moment. How old are you? Where do you live? Who is with you? How does this moment change your life?

6. Write a recipe for your American Dream: Example: 2 cups perseverance 11/2 cups of courage Pinch of luck Combine ingredients and wait 10 years, stirring occasionally and adding extra ingredients as needed.

7. Write about a dream that you have already accomplished. Describe the challenges you faced in realizing this dream and how you felt when you accomplished it.

8. Write your obituary. What details, accomplishments, family members will be emphasized?

9. Write a newspaper article about a future accomplishment of yours related to your American Dream. 10. The Great Gatsby abounds with icons of the 1920s – Gatsby’s car, jazz, women’s dresses. List some objects that typify the current decade, and incorporate as many of them as is reasonably possible into a few paragraphs describing a day in your life.

Chapter One Questions

1 We know from the first page of the novel that Nick, the narrator, is telling the story after the action has happened.

2 What is the advice Nick’s father has given him that he has been "turning over in [his] mind"?

3 As a consequence of that advice, what habit has Nick developed?

4 Nick says that "reserving judgments is a matter of" what?

5 What does Gatsby represent to Nick?

6 What "extraordinary gift" does Nick find in Gatsby?

7 Nick says, "No—Gatsby turned out all right at the end." What is it that bothers Nick?

8 Nick participated in the "delayed Teutonic migration." What do we know that as today?

9 He returns restless. What does he now compare the middle-west with?

10 What does Nick go east to learn?

11 What season and year does Nick go east during?

12 Nick says that the environment of the place where he lives gives him "that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer." What could this be symbolic of? Nick’s environment has been compared to the Biblical Eden. It exemplifies a fresh beginning. If we sustain this comparison to Eden, what do you predict will happen in the end?

13 What does Nick mean when he says, "life is much more successfully looked at from a single window, after all"?

14 What state does the novel take place in?

15 What part of the state does Nick live in? How does he compare it with East Egg? 16 Who is Nick’s neighbor?

17 Give a brief description of his neighbor’s house.

18 Who lives in East Egg whom Nick knows?

19 What had Tom Buchannan done at New Haven?

20 Nick says at the beginning of the novel that he is "inclined to reserve all judgment." Later he says, "I felt that Tom would drift on forever seeking a little wistfully for the dramatic turbulence of some irrecoverable football game." Is he reserving all judgment here? What do you think is Nick’s opinion of Tom?

21 Based on Nick’s description of Tom, what do you think of Tom?

22 What adjective does Nick use to describe Tom?

23 Daisy’s first words are "’I’m p-paralyzed with happiness.’" What is your first impression of Daisy?

24 What is the purpose of Daisy’s murmur?

25 What is the connection between Nick and Daisy?

26 What two adjectives does Nick use to describe Daisy’s face?

27 Chapter one contains the first reference to the automobile. Who makes the reference? What does he say about the rear wheels of the cars?

28 How old is Tom and Daisy’s daughter?

29 What is our first indication that Tom abuses Daisy?

30 Notice all references to eyes in the novel. What do a person’s eyes say about him or her? How does Nick describe Daisy’s and Jordan Baker’s eyes?

31 What is Tom upset about?

32 What, ultimately, is Tom afraid of losing?

33 What causes Jordan Baker to "Sh!" Nick? What is she listening for? What does she reveal to Nick about Tom?

34 Why does Nick want to look into everyone’s eyes when they all return to the table? Why doesn’t he want them to see into his eyes? 35 Daisy tells Nick, "I’m pretty cynical about everything." Based on what you know, what do you believe has caused Daisy to become cynical?

36 Daisy hopes her daughter will be a fool. She says, "that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool." At this point in the novel, what do you think Daisy could be saying about the role of women in the 1920s?

37 Tom and Daisy’s home is crimson and white. Based on your knowledge of color symbolism, what could these two colors symbolize or tell us about their marriage?

38 How does Nick remember Jordan?

39 What news had Tom and Daisy heard of Nick before his coming to New York?

40 What does Nick believe is the obvious thing Daisy needs to do?

41 Who does Nick notice "regarding the silver pepper of the stars" at the end of the novel?

42 What is the only thing that Nick can determine Gatsby is stretching his hands to in the dark?

Chapter Two

1 What is half way between East Egg and New York?

2 What might ashes symbolize?

3 What appears out of nowhere in the Valley of Ashes? (hint: remember the importance of eyes to the novel)

4 Why does Nick meet Tom’s mistress even though he has no desire to meet her?

5 What three shops are located on the Main Street of the Valley of Ashes?

6 What is George B. Wilson’s occupation?

7 What are four descriptions Nick gives of George Wilson?

8 What springs into George Wilson’s eyes when he sees Tom and Nick?

9 What does Wilson want from Tom? 10 How does Wilson’s wife treat him?

11 What could the white ash dust on Wilson’s suit say about his relationship with his wife?

12 What instructions does Tom give Myrtle Wilson?

13 What does Wilson think about his wife’s visits to the city?

14 What does Myrtle want for the apartment?

15 What kind of glance does Myrtle give the neighborhood of her apartment? What does this tell you about how she feels toward the apartment and Tom?

16 Nick says he got drunk that afternoon for only the second time in his life. If Nick is drunk at this time, can we, the reader, be certain that everything Nick tells us about the day is accurate?

17 Is Myrtle really experiencing what it is like to be rich, or is she playing house at Tom’s amusement?

18 What does Myrtle believe men are mainly concerned with?

19 Catherine tells Nick that she had attended one of Gatsby’s parties. What does this seem to imply about Gatsby and his popularity?

20 Where does Myrtle believe Gatsby gets his money?

21 Catherine confides to Nick, "’Neither of them can stand the person they’re married to." Do you, at this point in the novel, believe this is true or false?

22 Why would Tom lie to Myrtle about Daisy’s being Catholic and that preventing their divorce?

23 Why did Myrtle marry George Wilson?

24 What seemed to be a great disappointment for Myrtle concerning her marriage to George? What does her reaction to the episode tell you about where she places value?

25 How long have Myrtle and George been married?

26 What seems to attract Myrtle to Tom the first time they meet?

27 What causes Tom and Myrtle to fight around midnight? 28 What does Tom do to Myrtle?

29 At the end of the chapter, Nick’s drunkenness increases to the point of utter confusion. Is Nick truly aware of everything that happens toward the end of the evening?

Chapter Three

1 What simile does Fitzgerald use to describe the way people came and went to Gatsby’s parties?

2 What does Gatsby’s Rolls-Royce seem to become on the weekends?

3 What arrives at Gatsby’s every Friday?

4 What leaves Gatsby’s every Monday? What change has occurred?

5 How does Gatsby provide music for his parties?

6 What is present at Gatsby’s parties that the Volstead Act of 1919 prohibited?

7 What about Nick is different from the other guests at Gatsby’s parties?

8 Nick says, "People were not invited." What does he say that they do instead?

9 What rules of behavior seem to apply at Gatsby’s parties?

10 Who comes to invite Nick to Gatsby’s party? What color, specifically, is his suit?

11 What adjective does Nick use to describe Gatsby’s handwriting?

12 What color does Nick dress in to attend Gatsby’s party? What meaning might this color convey?

13 Nick calls the groups of people "swirls and eddies of people I didn’t know." What could he mean by this metaphor?

14 What three types of things is Nick sure that the young Englishmen at Gatsby’s parties are selling?

15 Specifically, who are the young Englishmen talking with? 16 Specifically, what are the young Englishmen aware is "theirs for a few words in the right key"?

17 Where can a single man linger without looking purposeless and alone?

18 Who appears as a rescue for Nick from his plans "to get roaring drunk from sheer embarrassment"?

19 What sport do we learn that Jordan plays?

20 Several women at the party recognize and seem to have met Jordan at some of Gatsby’s other parties. What does Jordan’s inability to recognize or remember these people say about the relationships established at these parties?

21 What happened to Lucille’s dress at the last party? Whose fault was it? Who replaced the dress?

22 Another girl interprets Gatsby’s lavish replacement of Lucille’s dress. What does she find strange about it?

23 What’s one of the first rumors we hear about Gatsby?

24 What’s the second piece of gossip we learn?

25 What contradicts the second piece of gossip?

26 What does the woman who thinks Gatsby a murderer base her opinion on?

27 Jordan wants to leave the supper table. What about it bothers her?

28 What reason does Jordan give her company for her leaving the table?

29 What is the owl-eyed man in the library most surprised about? What does his astonishment tell you about the society of the day?

30 What has the owl-eyed man been for about a week?

31 What has increased by midnight?

32 Nick is drinking again. He says that he "had taken two finger bowls of champagne and the scene had changed before my eyes into something significant, elemental and profound." Can we still completely rely on Nick to be accurate?

33 What phrase does Gatsby use where your generation might use "Man"?

34 Who offers to take Nick out in his new hydroplane? 35 How is it that Nick is acquainted with this man, other than the previously established neighbor relationship?

36 What quality does Gatsby’s smile possess?

37 How old does Nick assume Gatsby to be?

38 Gatsby receives a message from his butler that "Chicago was calling him on the wire." Based on any prior knowledge of Chicago and the 1920s, what might you assume about Gatsby?

39 What has Gatsby told Jordan about himself?

40 What does Jordan like about large parties? How might this be ironic?

41 What are Gatsby’s guests doing that he is not doing?

42 What does Nick observe about Gatsby’s relationship to women after the conclusion of Tostoff’s music?

43 What happens between women and men towards the end of the party?

44 What is Nick ashamed of as he prepares to leave the party? How does this make him different from some of the other guests who are arguing with their husbands?

45 Where does Gatsby’s second phone call come from?

46 What message does Fitzgerald send about uncontrollable drinking through the scene of the automobile accident as Nick leaves Gatsby’s party?

47 Owl Eyes is the man driving the car. What is his first disclaimer about his knowledge concerning cars? What is his second disclaimer about his knowledge concerning driving? Because you are an intelligent human being, what does this tell you about the situation?

48 What information from Owl Eyes shocks the crowd?

49 What does the second man in the car first believe has happened? What does this tell you about his condition?

50 What two things does the driver of the car suggest he do to remedy the situation?

51 What does Nick do with most of his time?

52 Who does Nick find again in midsummer? 53 How does Nick describe what he begins to feel for Jordan?

54 What causes Nick to remember a story about Jordan’s past?

55 What about Jordan’s past nearly reached a scandal?

56 Nick finds Jordan to be ______.

57 What is Jordan not able to endure?

58 What does Nick "never blame deeply"?

59 How does Nick describe Jordan’s driving? What does her driving ability reflect about her character?

60 What kind of people does Jordan hate? What does she like about Nick?

61 What does Nick have to take care of back home? Hint: Tom and Daisy first informed us of its possibility.

62 What does Nick define as one of his cardinal virtues?

Chapter 4

1 Where are the people when the Church bells are ringing on Sunday morning? What might this tell you about their morality?

2 What is the next piece of gossip we hear about Gatsby’s possible career?

3 According to one of the young ladies at the party, who is Gatsby a second cousin to?

4 List 5 names of people who attend Gatsby’s parties. What might some of these names signify about these people?

5 Nick accounts that "Mrs. Ulyssees Swett’s automobile ran over his [Ripley Snell’s] right hand. What was Mr. Snell’s condition? Why do you believe Nick blames the automobile and not Mr. Snell or Mrs. Swett? What does giving responsibility to a car for hurting a human being say about these characters’ values?

6 Based on the list of people who attend Gatsby’s parties, how would you describe these people? 7 What does Mr. Klipspringer become known as and why?

8 Gatsby arrives at Nick’s house early one July morning. What is his purpose?

9 Gatsby’s car is something to admire. What might his car be symbolic of?

10 What disappoints Nick about Gatsby?

11 What replaces Nick’s first impression of Gatsby?

12 Does Gatsby know about all of the rumors about him?

13 What, exactly, does Gatsby reveal to Nick about himself?

14 What three habits of Gatsby’s speaking make Nick believe he may be lying about his past?

15 Do you believe Gatsby? Why or why not?

16 Where does Gatsby say his money comes from?

17 What simile does Nick use to describe his fascination?

18 What proof does Gatsby offer Nick that he was in the army and involved in Montenegro?

19 What does Gatsby carry as proof of his education at Oxford?

20 What do the two pieces of evidence do as far as Nick’s belief in Gatsby’s story?

21 Why does Gatsby say that he surrounds himself with strangers?

22 How does Gatsby’s character change as he nears the city?

23 What do Nick and Gatsby pass through on their way to the city?

24 What does Gatsby’s waving off of the policeman with a supposed card from the commissioner suggest about his character?

25 Whom do we meet at lunch with Gatsby?

26 Meyer Wolfshiem is a foreshadowing of Gatsby’s past. What do you infer Mr. Wolfshiem to be involved in based on his fragmented conversations with Gatsby?

27 Juxtaposition is when to episodes, characters, or remarks are placed together in order to draw attention to them. Wolfshiem juxtaposes his story of the deaths of five men involved in illegal action with his statement "I understand you’re looking for a business gonnection." What could this suggest about Gatsby’s tie to Wolfshiem?

28 What literary device is "ferocious delicacy" an example of?

29 What are Wolfshiem’s cuff buttons made of? What does this further tell you about this man?

30 Wolfshiem turns the conversation away from his cuff buttons to Gatsby’s relations with women. What does he assure Nick of?

31 What occupation does Gatsby attribute to Wolfshiem? What scandal does Gatsby link to Wolfsheim?

32 What happens to Gatsby’s face when he meets Tom?

33 When Nick turns to acknowledge Gatsby, what is he doing?

34 The word Fay is synonymous to fairy. Daisy’s maiden name symbolizes her free spirit. What color do we seem to most often associate with Daisy?

35 Who does Jordan meet for the first time in 1917? Whom is this person with?

36 What rumor circulates about Daisy in 1917?

37 How does Jordan know details of Daisy’s wedding day?

38 What two items are in Daisy’s hands as she lies drunk on her bed a half and hour before her bridal dinner?

39 Based on what you have learned about the events of 1917, whom might this letter be from?

40 What newspaper worthy event happens that foreshadows the disaster of Tom and Daisy’s marriage?

41 What is Gatsby’s reason for purchasing his house in West Egg?

42 What then, in addition to the green light, was Gatsby reaching out to and trembling for at the end of chapter one?

43 What does Gatsby want Nick to arrange for him?

44 Why is it important that Daisy and Gatsby reunite at Nick’s home and not at Jordan’s or elsewhere? 45 Why has Gatsby taken and read a Chicago paper for years?

46 What is developing between Nick and Jordan?

47 What phrase rings in Nick’s ears? Translate that phrase to mean something to you.

48 Something to think about: Is Daisy worth it?

Chapter Five

1 What is Gatsby doing at two in the morning? What is his real intention?

2 Gatsby doesn’t want to put Nick to any trouble. What does this tell you about him?

3 What does Gatsby suggest in order to try to help Nick with his financial state?

4 What does Gatsby do to Nick’s home to prepare for his tea with Daisy?

5 What colors make up Gatsby’s attire? What do these colors symbolize?

6 What is Gatsby’s emotional state prior to Daisy’s arrival at Nick’s?

7 What surprises Nick on his reentry into his living room?

8 What description does Nick give of Gatsby standing at his door?

9 What is the atmosphere in the room when Daisy and Gatsby first reunite?

10 What change occurs in Daisy’s character?

11 What does Gatsby first believe about the arranged meeting?

12 Rain is an important symbol in literature. What could it signify in chapter five?

13 What, according to Nick, are Americans occasionally willing to be? What does he mean by this statement?

14 What change has occurred in Gatsby upon Nicks reentering the house?

15 Why is it important that Daisy see Gatsby’s house?

16 How does Gatsby contradict his past in telling Nick the time it took him to earn his money for his house? How does he correct himself? What do you believe is the true story about Gatsby’s money?

17 What two businesses does Gatsby tell Nick he has been in?

18 How does Nick say that Gatsby revalues his house?

19 Your bedroom is supposed to be a true revelation of who you are. What does Gatsby’s bedroom say about him?

20 Daisy justifies her crying by saying, "It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such—such beautiful shirts before." Why is she really crying?

21 What does Gatsby reveal to Daisy about the placement of her house?

22 Who is in the picture that Nick notices?

23 Nick says, "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." Has Gatsby made Daisy out to be more than she really is?

24 What is the one thing about Daisy that Gatsby cannot alter in his dream?

25 We don’t know what happened in the exchange between Gatsby and Daisy while Nick stands in the rain outside of his home. What things do you believe might have been said? Remember, Nick returns to find Daisy’s face streaked with tears.

Chapter Six

1 Who arrives to investigate Gatsby?

2 What was Gatsby's legal name?

3 At what age did he change his name?

4 What event initiated the changing of his name?

5 Who created Jay Gatsby?

6 What had James Gatz been doing before he met Dan Cody? 7 What was James Gatz's financial state?

8 Fitzgerald alludes to a famous American writer. To whom does he allude in the following statement: "He stayed there two weeks, dismayed at its ferocious indifference to the drums of his destiny . . ."

9 What does Fitzgerald say about Gatsby in making this allusion?

10 What does Dan Cody's yacht represent to Gatz?

11 What does Gatsby do for Dan Cody?

12 Why does Gatsby drink so little?

13 What does Cody leave to Gatsby? Why does he not get it?

14 When do Gatsby and Tom meet? Under what circumstance?

15 Why do you suppose that Gatsby wants to see more of Tom?

16 Do Tom, Mr. Sloane, and the woman really want Gatsby to come along on horseback?

17 Tom is upset that Gatsby knows Daisy. What literary device is this an example of? (HINT: What is ok for Tom is not ok for Daisy.)

18 What does Tom's presence add to Gatsby's party?

19 Explain the meaning of the following quotation: "It is invariably saddening to look through new eyes at things which you have extended your own powers of adjustment."

20 What adjective does Fitzgerald use to describe Tom's eyes? What does this adjective reveal about the man?

21 What does Gatsby identify Tom as?

22 How does Tom want to look at famous people? What does his remark say about him?

23 Why is Daisy not having a good time?

24 Explain the statement, "She saw something awful in the very simplicity she failed to understand.

25 What does Tom guess about the source of Gatsby's wealth? 26 What does Gatsby want of Daisy?

27 What advice does Nick give Gatsby about the past?

28 What does Gatsby plan to do to gain Daisy's favor?

Chapter 7

1 What change occurs at Gatsby's on Saturday night?

2 What adverb does Fitzgerald use to describe the way the automobiles drove away? What literary device is employed when he refers to the automobiles as if they were in control of their own actions?

3 What has happened to Gatsby's original servants?

4 What reason does Gatsby give for firing all of his servants?

5 Who comes to see Gatsby in the afternoons?

6 Nick says, "So the whole caravansary had fallen in like a card house at the disapproval in her eyes." Why has Gatsby made all of these changes in his home?

7 Chapter 7 takes place near the end of the summer. What might this setting symbolize?

8 What simile does Fitzgerald use to describe how Daisy and Jordan are lying on the couch? What colors are mentioned? What is important about these colors?

9 Gatsby stands on the crimson carpet as he learns that Tom is in the house. What might the color of the carpet and the placement at his feet symbolize?

10 Daisy tells Gatsby, "You know I love you." Is she telling the truth? Why or why not?

11 What had Gatsby not believed in the existence before this day?

12 What metaphor does Daisy use to describe her child?

13 Jordan says, "life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall." How is Jordan's statement ironic? (Hint: Think about what happens in nature in the fall of the year.) 14 Why does Tom suddenly decide that going into town is a good idea?

15 What does Gatsby recognize Daisy's voice as being full of?

16 What remark does Tom make about the drug store?

17 Whose eyes continue to watch in the Valley of Ashes?

18 Why do Tom, Jordan, and Nick stop at Wilson's garage?

19 What car is Tom driving when he stops at Wilson's?

20 What is wrong with Wilson?

21 What color is Gatsby's car (the one Tom's driving)?

22 What does Wilson reveal to Tom about Myrtle's wants?

23 What has Wilson discovered about his wife?

24 List two ways in which Wilson and Tom are alike.

25 Who is watching Tom, Nick, Jordan, and Wilson?

26 Who is Myrtle really watching? Whom does she believe this person to be?

27 Fill in the blank: "There is ______like the ______of a ______.

28 What two people are slipping from Tom's control?

29 What is happening beneath the parlor suite at the Plaza Hotel as Tom and Daisy's marriage is dissolving? What literary device is being employed here?

30 What causes Nick to have a renewal of his faith in Gatsby?

31 Tom gives an intense lecture about the family institution. How is this lecture ironic?

32 What does Gatsby tell Tom about Daisy's love?

33 Why does Daisy not marry Gatsby?

34 Tom proclaims, "And what's more, I love Daisy too. Once in a while I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back, and in my heart I love her all the time." Think deeply. Do Tom and Daisy really love each other? 35 What, specifically, does Gatsby want Daisy to tell Tom?

36 What confuses Gatsby about Daisy's love for him?

37 What can Daisy not say about her love for Tom?

38 What does Daisy plan to do?

39 What does Gatsby really sell at his drug stores?

40 Once again we have the possible allusion to the Garden of Eden. Nick notices in Gatsby's face "the babbled slander of his garden." What has happened to Gatsby's dream?

41 What adjective does Fitzgerald use to describe Gatsby's dream? Why is this adjective so appropriate to the story?

42 Why does Tom allow Gatsby to ride home with Daisy?

43 Who is having a birthday? How old is he?

44 Nick observes that ______has its limits.

45 What events or ideas does Nick associate with turning thirty?

46 What do Tom, Nick, and Jordan drive on toward in the "cooling twilight"? Hint: This is an example of foreshadowing.

47 What has Wilson done to Myrtle?

48 What does Michaelis witness happen in front of his restaurant?

49 Tom excitedly approaches the wreck. What changes his emotion?

50 A "well dressed Negro" identifies the car which killed Myrtle. What color does he say the car is? Using your inference skills, who are the two possible murderers?

51 How does Tom express his emotions on the way home?

52 Tom believes Gatsby has killed Myrtle. What action does he suggest to be why he identifies Gatsby as a coward?

53 Who is waiting in the bushes outside of the Buchannan house? Why is he there? 54 Who was driving the "death car"?

55 How does Gatsby describe Myrtle's approach to the car?

56 Fitzgerald writes, "They weren't happy, and neither of them had touched the chicken or the ale--and yet they weren't unhappy either. There was an unmistakable air of natural intimacy about the picture and anybody would have said that they were conspiring together." Now, think about these words carefully. Do Tom and Daisy love each other? Explain your answer in detail.

57 What does Nick say Gatsby is watching over?

Chapter Eight

1 What happened in the previous chapter that causes Nick to lose sleep?

2 Why does Nick suggest Gatsby go away?

3 What is Gatsby clutching to?

4 What increases Daisy's value in Gatsby's eyes?

5 Gatsby takes Daisy under false pretenses. What are these false pretenses?

6 When does Gatsby find out that Daisy has moved on? How does she notify him?

7 Why does the servant plan to drain the pool? What season is approaching?

8 Nick says, "I've always been glad I said that. It was the only compliment I ever gave him, because I disapproved of him from beginning to end." Why would Nick give someone he disapproves of such a compliment as "You're worth the whole damn bunch put together"?

9 What has changed about Nick's feelings for Jordan?

10 Why does George Wilson not go into his garage?

11 Michaelis tells George, "you ought to have a church, George, for times like this." How is this a commentary on the morals of the society?

12 What is in the drawer Michaelis opens? 13 Who does Wilson identify as being God?

14 Where does Wilson reappear after he disappears from his garage?

15 Where does Gatsby go that he hasn't gone all summer?

16 What does Wilson do to Gatsby?

17 What completes the "holocaust"?

18 In literature, water can symbolize many things. It most often symbolizes baptism, a cleansing, a rebirth. Gatsby has "paid a high price for living too long with a single dream." What could his death in a pool of water signify about the man and his life?

Chapter Nine

1 What does Nick remember about the day of Gatsby's death?

2 What four adjectives does Nick use to describe the newspaper reports of Gatsby's and Wilson's deaths?

3 What literary device explains this situation? Gatsby, a man who was always surrounded by people, dies with only Nick on his side.

4 What does Nick learn about Tom and Daisy?

5 What does Nick try to do for Gatsby?

6 Who is Henry C. Gatz?

7 What does Kilpspringer call about?

8 What rule does Wolfshiem live by concerning friends?

9 What is his rule after that?

10 What does Mr. Gatz show to Nick in the "Hopalong Cassidy" book?

11 What does Mr. Gatz believe this says about his son?

12 What does Nick identify the middle-west as being to him? 13 When Nick says, "I see know that this has been a story of the West, after all--Tom and Gatsby, Daisy and Jordan and I, were all Westerners, and perhaps we possessed some deficiency in common which made us subtly unadaptable to Eastern live." What does Nick mean by this observation?

14 When does Nick go home?

15 What does Nick do before he goes home?

16 What does Nick learn about Jordan before he leaves?

17 Who is the other "bad driver" Jordan has met?

18 What comment does Nick make about being thirty?

19 Who do we learn was Wilson's informant?

20 Why does Nick classify Tom and Daisy as careless?

21 What does Nick believe Gatsby believed in? What meaning did the green light hold for Gatsby?

22 Explain what Nick means by his closing statement: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

The Novel as a Whole (These questions come from a resource guide published by Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.)

1 Discuss Nick Carraway's character. How reliable is he as a narrator? What aspects of his character make him an effective narrator?

2 Why is the first-person narrative an effective and appropriate way of telling this story?

3 Discuss the title of the book. In what way is Gatsby "great"?

4 An epigraph is a quotation at the beginning of a work that reflects on that work. How does the epigraph to the novel reflect on Gatsby's story?

5 Discuss the relationship between Tom and Daisy. What do they have in common? Why do they stay together? Does their relationship change at all during the course of the novel? 6 How does Fitzgerald use Gatsby's parties to present a satirical portrait of the Roaring Twenties?

7 Compare and contrast the characters of Daisy and Myrtle Wilson.

8 Discuss the relationship between Nick and Jordan Baker. How does it reflect, if at all, on the story of Gatsby and Daisy?

9 Discuss Fitzgerald's use of the automobile in this novel. What do you think might have made the automobile an appealing symbol to Fitzgerald in the early 1920s?

10 Contrast the setting of the Valley of Ashes with that of East Egg and West Egg.

11 Describe the gradual revelation of Gatsby's character. What do we learn about him and when? Why is this an appropriate way of learning about him?

12 Tom and Daisy, we are told, drifted around before settling in East Egg, and Nick expects them to continue to drift. Other characters in the novel, while not drifters, appear to be rootless. How much does rootlessness have to do with the characters' problems, do you think?

13 How would you describe the theme of this novel?

14 Gatsby's tragedy is that he chooses the wrong dream (Daisy). Has he been corrupted by society? Or is his choice an indication that he is part of the corruption?

15 Nick says that Gatsby "represented everyting for which I have an unaffected scorn," and yet he also says that Gatsby "turned out all right at the end," and he tells Gatsby that he is "worth the whole damn bunch put together." With these quotations in mind, write a brief essay analyzing attitudes toward Gatsby.

16 Compare and contrast the characters of Tom and Gatsby. In what ways are they similar? In what ways are they different?

17 Once critic has written that "the theme of Gatsby is the withering of the American Dream." Write an essay which outlines the evidence you can find in the novel which supports this contention.

18 In an essay, analyze Fitzgerald's use of symbolism in The Great Gatsby. How does his use of symbolism help advance Fitzgerald's thematic interests? Characters

Nick Carraway: Nick provides the voice of the novel, documenting his companions exploits in the summer of 1922. Raised in a wealthy middle-western family, Nick graduates from New Haven, the college he attended with Tom Buchanan. After serving in World War I, Nick -- at age 29 -- moves east to learn the bond business, and becomes involved with the affairs comprising The Great Gatsby. Eventually, Nick acts as a liaison between Gatsby and Daisy, setting up the infamous first reunion at his house. Despite repeatedly insisting that he prides himself on his own honesty, Nick continually aligns himself with next-door-neighbor Gatsby -- whose entire existence is a fabrication -- remaining loyal to his friend throughout the second half of the novel.

Jay Gatsby: The invented identity of James Gatz, born the son of poor middle-western farmers, Gatsby "sprang from his Platonic conception of himself" (104). Gatsby's beginnings occurred when the 17-year-old Gatz -- a clam digger and salmon fisher -- sees millionaire Dan Cody's yacht drop anchor on a dangerous stretch of Lake Superior. After rowing out to Cody on a borrowed row-boat and warning him that a coming wind might wreck his yacht, Cody employs Jay Gatsby in a "vague personal capacity" (106) for several years. Later, Gatsby says he worked in the drugstore and oil businesses, omitting the fact that he was involved in illegal bootlegging. Gatsby keeps his criminal activities mysterious throughout the novel, preferring to play the role of perpetually gracious host.Gatsby buys his West Egg mansion with the sole intention of being across the bay from Daisy Buchanan's green light at the end of her dock, a fantasy which becomes Gatsby's personal version of the American Dream. With an Oxford education as part of his invented persona, Gatsby ceaselessly uses his favorite phrase, "Old sport," throughout the novel.

Tom Buchanan: An ex-football star from the same college Nick Carraway attended, Tom is described as "one of those men who reach such an acute limited excellence at twenty-one that everything afterwards savours of anti- climax" (10). Now thirty, Tom has become enormously wealthy, yet remains physically powerful with his "cruel body" and "arrogant eyes" (11). Tom has a string of affairs despite being married to Daisy, and is involved with Myrtle Wilson throughout Nick's summer-long friendship with the Buchanans. An aggressive, short-tempered man, Tom wreaks continual havoc by abusing -- physically or emotionally -- Daisy, Myrtle, George Wilson, and Gatsby throughout the novel.

Daisy Buchanan: Daisy is Tom's 23-year-old wife, Nick's second cousin once removed, and Gatsby's version of the Holy Grail. For Daisy's romantic history involving Gatsby and Tom, please see Chapter 4. Nick comments repeatedly on Daisy's voice, first describing it as "the kind of voice that the ear follows up and down as if each speech is an arrangement of notes that will never be played again," (13) and later calling it "a deathless song" (101). Yet, her voice becomes silenced as Gatsby and Tom's battle for her escalates -- rather than choosing one or the other outright she acts helpless, seeming to ultimately remain with Tom because it is the easiest thing to do. In addition, she never acknowledges that she, not Gatsby, was driving when Myrtle was killed. As Nick characterizes both Buchanans, "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" (188).

Jordan Baker: Jordan, a 23-year-old women's golf champion, becomes involved with Nick during the course of the summer of 1922. Jordan seems "incurably dishonest," (63) a trait enhanced by Nick's remembrance of a rumor that she cheated at her first big golf tournament. Although Nick finds Jordan haughty and careless, he finds himself attracted to her anyway. At the end of the novel, Jordan gets engaged to another man after not seeing Nick for a short time, leaving Nick angry, yet still "half in love with her, and tremendously sorry" (186). Jordan's action seems to intentionally echo Daisy's leaving Gatsby to marry Tom five years earlier.

George Wilson: Wilson owns the car repair garage in the valley of ashes, where he and his wife, Myrtle, live. For most of the novel Wilson is unaware that his wife has been cheating on him, prompting Tom Buchanan to remark, "He's so dumb he doesn't know he's alive" (30). After finding out Myrtle's infidelities, Wilson becomes physically ill and determines to move her out west; his illness turns mental, however, once she gets run over by Gatsby's car. The formerly reserved Wilson seeks crazed vengeance for her death and his own pride, ultimately killing Gatsby and himself.

Myrtle Wilson: Myrtle is George Wilson's wife, and Tom Buchanan's secret lover. A woman in her mid-thirties, Myrtle is "faintly stout, but she carried her surplus flesh sensuously as some women can" (29). Although she apparently detests her husband, her lover, Tom, abuses her, breaking her nose during their drunken escapade in New York City. Locked in her room by George after her infidelities are found out, she escapes into the night, only to be run over by Daisy driving Gatsby's yellow car. Her death prompts George Wilson to undertake his bloody "holocaust" (170).

Meyer Wolfshiem: A fifty-year-old gambler, with a history of having fixed the 1919 World Series, Wolfshiem is one of Jay Gatsby's shadiest associates. Nick leaves the relationship between the two men vague, although when he goes to see Wolfshiem the morning of Gatsby's funeral, the old man tells Nick he raised Gatsby "up out of nothing, right out of the gutter" (179). Despite their former partnership -- most likely in the business of stolen bonds -- Wolfshiem twice declines Nick's invitation to attend Gatsby's funeral, stating he "can't get mixed up in it" (180).

Owl Eyes: This is a minor character who only makes three brief appearances in The Great Gatsby: first, at the first Gatsby party which Nick attends; second, as a passenger in the car missing one wheel outside Gatsby's that same night; and finally, as the only person -- aside from Nick and Gatsby's father -- in attendance during Gatsby's burial.

Dan Cody: Please refer to Jay Gatsby's Character Profile.

Michaelis: This character, a young Greek who runs the coffee shop next door to George Wilson's garage, serves as the principal witness in the investigation of Myrtle Wilson's death. Michaelis stays with George for most of the night, then leaves to take a quick nap. When he returns four hours later, George has already left on his fateful search for his wife's killer. The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Setting: The story takes place during the 1920's, there are four major settings:

1. East egg 2. West Egg 3. The valley of ashes 4. New York City.

The West Egg is the "less fashionable" side of Long Island where Gatsby and Nick live. The East Egg is the "fashionable" side of Long Island where the Buchanans and other "old money" people live. The Valley of Ashes is the desolate wasteland where the Wilsons live. New York City is a symbol of what America has become in the 1920's : a place where anything goes, where money is made and bootleggers flourish, and where the World Series can be fixed by a man such as Meyer Wolfsheim.

Background Information:

Nick Carraway, the narrator is a young midwesterner who, having graduated from Yale, had fought in World War I and returned home to begin a career. He decides to move east to New York and learn the bond business. The novel opened early in the summer of 1922 in West Egg, Long Island where Nick has rented a house. Next to his house is a huge mansion which belongs to Mr. Gatsby. Before leaving the Midwest, Nick's father tells Nick not to be quick to judge. Nick believes his father means never to judge at all. That created a problem. In the 1920's money was very abundant. This was known as "the golden age." People were very materialistic during this time period. The wealthy families in the novel such as Gatsby or the Buchanans, were always trying to impress rather than trying to be themselves. This was a period of drinking, partying, and endless talk, which was best portrayed by the Buchanans. They seem to be very self-centered people who couldn't give up a bit of the "ritzy" life to take care of their own child.

Major Characters:

 Nick Carraway - The narrator of the novel; moves from the Midwest to New York to learn the bond business.  Jay Gatsby - Lives next to Nick in a mansion; throws huge parties, complete with catered food, open bars, and orchestras; people come from everywhere to attend these parties, but no one seems to know much about the host.  Daisy Buchanan - Shallow girl who is the emodiment of Gatsby's dreams; she was going to marry Gatsby but he went off to war.  Tom Buchanan- Husband of Daisy; a cruel man who lives life irresponsibly.  Jordan Baker - A cynical and conceited woman who cheats in golf; wants Nick to go out with her.  Myrtle Wilson - Tom has an affair with this married woman, and then abandons her after he become bored with her. Plot Summary: Nick Carraway having graduated from Yale and fought in World War I, has returned home to begin a career. He is restless and has decided to move to New York to learn the bond business. The novel opens early in the summer of 1922 in West Egg, Long Island, where Nick has rented a house. Next to his place is the Gatsby's mansion.

Tom and Daisy Buchanan live in East Egg. Daisy is Nick's cousin and Tom had been in the same senior society at Yale. They invite Nick to dinner at their mansion, and he meets a young woman golfer named Jordan Baker, whom Daisy wants Nick to be interested in. During dinner the phone rings, and when Tom and Daisy leave the room, Jordan informs Nick that the caller is Tom's woman from New York.

Myrtle Wilson, Tom's woman, lives is a section of Long Island known as the Valley of Ashes. In the Valley of Ashes is George Wilson's garage. Painted on a large billboard nearby is a fading advertisment for an optician with the eyes of a Doctor looking over them with a pair of glasses.

One day Tom takes Nick to meet the Wilsons. The party breaks up when Myrtle starts using Daisy's name, and Tom breaks her nose with a blow of his open hand. Several weeks later Nick is invited to one of Gatsby's elaborate parties. Nick watches Gatsby and notices that he does not drink or join in the revelry of the party.

At a luncheon with Nick in New York, Gatsby tells Nick that he graduated from Oxford. During lunch Gatsby introduces Nick to his business associate, Meyer Wolfsheim, who fixed the World Series in 1919.

At tea that afternoon Nick finds out the Gatsby wants Nick to arrange a date between him and Daisy. Gatsby had loved Daisy five years ago, but he had been sent oversees by the army. Daisy had given up waiting for him and had married Tom. Gatsby decides to win Daisy back and his first step is to buy a house in West Egg. His house is across the bay from Daisy's house, and he can see a green light at the end of Daisy's dock. It represents his hope.

Gatsby and Daisy meet for the first time in five years, and he tries to impress her with his mansion and his wealth. Tom, Daisy, Gatsby, Nick and Jordan go into the city where the truth is revealed about Gatsby and Daisy. Daisy will not go away with Gatsby and the five year dream is over. Gatsby and Daisy go home together in a yellow Rolls Royce. On the way home they get into a car accident in which Myrtle was killed. Gatsby will take the blame for Daisy who was driving. George Wilson shoots Gatsby and then kills himself.

Not many people showed to Gatsby's funeral except Nick, Mr. Gatz, and a few servants. Nick returns to his home town.

Themes:

1. Hope - represented by the light across the bay that Gatsby was fixated on. It was the embodiment of his sole goal in life, which was a reunification with Daisy. 2. Success - Gatsby felt that the only way he would win Daisy was through his money. 3. Ignorance - The characters have little self-knowledge and even less knowledge of each other. 4. Judgement - Nick misinterprets the advice of his father and tries not to judge people. 5. Disillusionment - Gatsby dreams of getting back together with Daisy even though she is married and has a daughter. 6. Morals - The morals of people with great wealth seem to be less than desirable, but many times are more socially accepted than lower classes.

Key Issues:

Success - Gatsby uses a corrupt form of the American dream to acquire the wealth he thinks he needs to win back Daisy. Tom and Daisy must have a huge house, a stable of polo ponies, and friends in Europe. Gatsby must have his enormous mansion before he can feel confident enough to win Daisy. The energy that might have gone into the pursuit of noble goals has been channeled into the pursuit of power and pleasure, and a very showy, but fundementally empty form of success. Gatsby had been in love with Daisy for a long while. He tried every way that money could buy to try to satisfy his love and lust for Daisy. Instead of confronting her with his feelings, he tried to get her attention by throwing big parties with high hopes that she might possibly show up. Gatsby was actually a very lonesome and unhappy man who lived in a grand house and had extravagant parties. He did it all for one woman, who initially was impressed with his flagrant show of wealth. Daisy was extremely disenchanted after she found out how Gatsby had aquired his fortune.

Morals - The characters in this novel live for money and were controlled by money. Love and happiness cannot be bought, no matter how much money was spent. Tom and Daisy were married and even had a child, but they both still committed adultery. Daisy was with Gatsby and Tom was with Myrtle. They tried to find happiness with their lovers, but the risk of changing their lifestyles was not worth it. They were not happy with their spouses but could not find happiness with their lovers. Happiness cannot be found or bought. Daisy lost her love and respect for Gatsby when she found out he was a bootlegger. Tom, after having an affair himself was angry about Daisy's affair. Hypocrisy tends to be a trait in the very rich.

Hope - Gatsby bought a house in West Egg, in the hopes that he would win Daisy back. He did this so that he could look across the bay to the green light at the end of Daisy's dock. He expected her to turn up at one of his parties, and when she didn't, he asked Jordan to ask Nick to ask Daisy. Fitzgerald stresses the need for hope and dreams to give meaning and purpose to man's efforts. Striving towards some ideal is the way by which man can feel a sense of involvment, a sense of his own identity. Fitzgerald goes on to state that the failure of hopes and dreams, the failure of the American dream itself, is unavoidable, not only because reality cannot keep up with ideals, but also because the ideals are in any case usually too fantastic to be realized. Gatsby is naive, impractical and oversentimental. It is this which makes him attempt the impossible, to repeat the past. There is something pitiful and absurd about the way he refuses to grow up.

Lessons/Morals/Applications: 1. Money cannot buy happiness. 2. You cannot relive the past. 3. If dreams are too fantastic, and reality cannot keep up with ideals they are usually not fulfilled.