Chapter 1/2
How is Gatsby seen in the story so far and what factors contribute to how the reader sees Gatsby.
Gatsby is seen as a mysterious character as he has not yet been fully introduced and hasn't made an appearance yet. A factor that contributes to this aura of mystery surrounding Gatsby is the party scene as we hear the Gatsby is the subject if gossip among the guests.
what is the difference between West Egg and East Egg that's been made clear to use in chapter 2.
The west represents the people who have just attained money, while the east represents people who have had money for a long time and money that been passed down. The West Egg lack the refinement, manners, and the taste that the East Eggers have.
How does Nick feel when Gatsby offers to pay him/give him a job?
Nick is offended that Gatsby is offering to pay/give him a job for arranging the meeting between Gatsby and Daisy because he sees it as doing a favour for a friend.
What does Dan Cody represent?
Dan Cody represents the attainment of everything that Gatsby wants and the start of Gatsby's obsession with amassing wealth and status.
What are Nick's values. In what way has Nick's values helped him throughout the book?
Throughout the book Nick's values he learned from his father which were not to Judge others and that not everyone had the same moral “privileges", has helped him make sense of everything going on around him.
What does the green light at the dock symbolize?
The green light symbolizes Gatsby's hope for the future and his disillusioned fantasy of him living a life together with Mary as his wife.
What about Gatsby is Nick impressed by?
Nick is impressed at Gatsby's optimism, vitality and the fact that he is remarkably hopeful in the brilliance of the future.
What does Gatsby knocking down Nick's clock symbolize?
Gatsby knocking down Nick's clock serves to symbolize his nervousness about the present and about Days reaction towards meeting him after all this time. It also symbolizes the clumsiness of his attempt to go back to the past when he was still with Daisy.
What big event lead to Gatsby's dreams dying?
Summarize the big event?
After research into the accumulating rumours about Gatsby’s criminal activity, Tom confirmed his suspicions and tells everyone of Gatsby’s illegal activities in an attempt to disgrace him. Gatsby's disillusioned fantasy of the past cause him to tell Daisy that she has never loved Tom but Tom brings up their personal history to remind her that she has had feelings for him. in doing so he won her over and feels secure enough to send Daisy back to East Egg. This whole confrontation scene lets the readers know that Gatsby's dreams of reliving that past have been shattered.
How has Nick's character changed from the beginning of the book to the end?
In the beginning of the book, Nick is an optimistic character who had just moved to New York and was a person who sees people without judgement. Nearing the end of the book Nick perception of people has changed and he thinks that wealthy people, such as Tom and Daisy, are careless people who solve all their problems with money without any regard to the people surrounding them.
What is an important motif in the Great Gatsby so far?
An important motif in the Great Gatsby is the relationship between geography and social values.
What/Who was chapter 3 dedicated to?
Chapter 3 was dedicated to the actual appearance of Gay Gatsby because even though we have heard people talking about him and Nicks own thoughts about Gatsby we have yet to see him.
How does Gatsby's character change when conversing with Daisy?
When Gatsby is with Daisy his theatrical quality that he has been projecting so far falls away and he becomes more genuine in the way he acts and talks. He is at his purest and most revealing as we finally start to see him for who he really is, which is a man in love.
What does Gatsby's decision to take the blame for Daisy killing Myrtle show the reader about his character.
Gatsby's decision to sacrifice himself for daisy demonstrates how much he actually loves Daisy and the nobility that defines his character. It makes the reader look past his criminal activities and pity Gatsby.
What does the last line of the Great Gatsby that Nick says mean: “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”?
Nick has come to the conclusion that sometimes no matter how hard you try you can never obtain something that you once had in the past. He's saying that it is futile to try and recreate what you once had.
How does Nick see himself from what we've read so far?
He sees himself as tolerant and nonjudgmental and is aware of the fact that he is morally privileged taking into consideration that he has a better sense of right and wrong from most people?
In Chapter 4, what does Nick obviously find peculiar about Gatsby?
Nick finds it peculiar that Gatsby has proof of his grand upbringing and heroic exploits, like the photograph and the medal, because they are things you usually wouldn't be carrying along with you everywhere you went.
What is Gatsby's house being frequently compared to?
Gatsby's house is frequently being compared to that of a feudal lords, and that his belonging, such as his imported clothes, antiques, etc all display the lifestyle of a British aristocrat.
How does Nick’s parting from Gatsby at the end of this chapter parallel Nick seeing Gatsby for the first time at the end of chapter one.
In Nick's first sighting of Gatsby, he has his arms out stretched in front of him reaching towards the green light and he is optimistic and hopeful about the bright future, whereas now, he has gone beyond that green light and has realized that he can never return to the blissful past with Daisy.
Nick writes that Gatsby must have realized “what a grotesque thing a rose is.” How does Nick compare the rose to Daisy?
Nick states that although roses have been a conventional symbol of beauty throughout centuries of poetry, they are not inherently beautiful. people only view them that way because they just choose to do so. He compares his depiction of roses to Daisy because he believes the only reason Daisy is so beautiful to Gatsby and the reason why he wants her so badly is because he has made her the object of his dreams. by placing that much value into someone it's only natural to think their beautiful.
what was the purpose of introducing the undefined significance of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg’s monstrous, eyes gazing down from their billboard?
Its purpose was to give the reader a sense of unease and to make the reader questions its significance in the book.
What clear assumption about Gatsby helps contribute to Fitzgerald efforts in portraying the spirit of the 1920s in America.
The fact that Gatsby is seen one of the wealthiest person in the whole story but is surrounded by rumours that he seems to have ties to the world of bootleg alcohol makes him a perfect symbol for depicting the optimism and vitality of the 1920s in America.
What theme is evoked in Chapter five?
The past’s significance to the future, since it starts to becomes clearer and clearer to the reader that Gatsby’s emotional frame is out of sync with the passage of time.
What have we learned in chapter 6 that makes Gatsby great and how does it connect to his view of Daisy? what does Daisy represents to Gatsby.
What makes Gatsby great is his power to makes his dreams reality and because of this his conception of Daisy is a dream itself. He's power of making his dream come true has enabled him to build a fantasy were Daisy picking her social status and wealth over him would never happen. Daisy represents everything "Jay Gatsby" wants to achieve.
How does Nick think Gatsby's ambitions have been impacted by making Daisy his main focus in life.
Gatsby ambition and his extraordinary power of visionary hope for becoming great have been sacrificed and turned into the simple task of just amassing wealth. His dream has been reduced to the act of material gain since Daisy is not worth his gift of dreaming.