Characters
Described as violent, brutish, and vulgar
Tom Buchanan
The Great Gatsby takes place during which decade?
1920s
The “eyes of Dr. TJ Eckleberg” are symbolic of...
Moral "blindness"
What's the main difference between East and West Egg?
East - old money
West - new money
“And so it happened that on a warm windy evening, I drove over to East Egg to see two old friends whom I scarcely knew at all.”
paradox
Is careful to “reserve all judgment” of others
Nick Carraway
Which of the following historical events don't play a role in TGG: WWI, WWII, Prohibition, Flappers, Jazz Age
WWII
The green light is important because…
it symbolizes Gatsby's hope and ambition, which Daisy is a part of.
What do we learn from Catherine about Daisy, Tom, and Gatsby?
Gatsby is "related to Kaiser Wilhelm"
Tom and Myrtle both "hate" their spouses
“…the honor would be entirely Gatsby’s if I would attend his ‘little party’ that night.”
Says that the best thing to be is a “pretty little fool”
Daisy Buchanan
Which character could best be described as a "flapper?"
Catherine - tons of jewelry, make up, bobbed hair
The color “yellow” is often tied symbolically to…
Materialism (Daisy's name, the "eggs" themselves, Eckleberg's glasses...)
Describe the Valley of Ashes in detail
A bleak, industrial area between West Egg and NYC. The people there lead meaningless lives and are described as ash themselves
“And I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties, there isn’t any privacy.”
Paradox
A shady gangster or mobster known for gambling
Meyer Wolfsheim
What are two rumors about Gatsby that are most clearly the products of the historical climate of the novel?
German spy/Kaiser Wilhelm
He's a bootlegger!
What two colors are Tom and Daisy's house and what could they symbolize?
Red and white - symbolizing "purity" AND violence
What is the real reason that Nick is an unreliable narrator?
Nick withholds information from the reader intentionally to allow the reader to form their own judgments
What point of view is this novel written in?
1st
Shocked to discover “the books are real”
Owl Eyes
What hints do we get that Gatsby may be connected to organized crime?
The "white card," the fact that he made his money in just 3 years, Wolfsheim association
Why do you think the fictional East and West islands are described as "eggs" - other than that they look like eggs...
Eggs are "shelters"
Eggs are fragile
Color symbolism - white and yellow (purity and materialism)
At the end of chapter 3, what is Fitzgerald saying about the upper class with the car crash scene?
That their wealth will shield them from having to ever face consequences for their actions
"Wolfsheim began to eat with ferocious delicacy"