American Dream
In terms of the American Dream, what kind of people live in the Valley of Ashes?
Those who have failed to realize the American Dream themselves.
What class does the Valley of Ashes fall under?
No money
What is the Valley of Ashes?
Were things are run down and is known as a place with no money.
Why is Nick Carraway not a reliable narrator at the end of the Chapter?
He is not a reliable narrator because he got drunk.
What is the Valley of Ashes?
A desolate, gray industrial area between West Egg and New York City.
Why is George Wilson’s garage a symbol of the failure of the American Dream?
It represents hard work that does not lead to success or social mobility.
Why does Tom feel superior to Myrtle?
Because she is from the lower class and he has wealth and status.
How does the party in the New York apartment reflect the excess of the 1920s?
It shows reckless spending, drinking, and people acting out of control.
Where does Tom take Nick and Myrtle after they leave the garage?
An apartment in New York City.
How does the Valley of Ashes contrast with East and West Egg?
The Valley of Ashes represents poverty and hopelessness, while East and West Egg represents excessive wealth and dreams.
How does Myrtle try to achieve the American Dream?
By being with Tom, she believes she can escape poverty and become wealthy.
How does Myrtle try to act like she belongs to a higher social class at the apartment party?
She dresses in fancy clothes, changes her mannerisms, and looks down on her husband.
What role does alcohol play in the events of Chapter 2?
Excessive drinking leads to careless behavior, including Tom hitting Myrtle and Nick Carrawasy blanking out throughout the party.
Who is Catherine?
She is Myrtle Wilson sister
Who is Dr. T.J. Eckleburg?
A character on a billboard whose giant eyes watch over the Valley of Ashes.
How does Myrtle’s pursuit of the American Dream show that social mobility is not as easy as it seems?
Even though she tries to act wealthy, she is still treated as inferior and cannot truly escape her lower-class status.
Why is Tom’s relationship with Myrtle different from his marriage to Daisy?
He sees Myrtle as disposable and inferior (lower class), while Daisy is of the same class as him (Old Money, upper class).
How does Tom’s violence against Myrtle reflect the moral decay of the 1920s?
It shows how power and wealth allow the rich to act without consequences.
What shocking thing does Tom do to Myrtle during the party?
He hits her and breaks her nose.
What do the eyes of Dr. Eckleburg symbolize?
Moral decay, judgment, and possibly a godlike presence.
How does Fitzgerald critique the American Dream in Chapter 2?
He suggests that the dream is an illusion, only truly attainable for the wealthy, while the poor remain trapped in their circumstances.
What does the contrast between Tom and George Wilson reveal about the economic classes in the 1920s?
It shows that class divisions are rigid, and wealth can determine someone’s fate, making upward mobility nearly impossible.
How does Fitzgerald use Chapter 2 to criticize the Roaring Twenties?
He portrays a society obsessed with wealth and pleasure but lacking morality and empathy.
How does Myrtle justify her affair with Tom?
She claims she married the wrong man and thought George was a gentleman.
Why does Myrtle change into an expensive dress at the party?
To feel like she belongs in the wealthy class and separate herself from her real life.