Characters
What is the narrator's name?
Nick Carraway
The novel takes place after which war that Nick has just returned from fighting in?
World War I
Why does Nick move to West Egg, Long Island?
To learn the bond business in New York City.
What literary device does Fitzgerald employ when he refers to Yale University as "New Haven"?
Allusion
"Then where the gold hat, if that will move her; If you can bounce high, bounce for her too, Till she cry 'Lover, gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover, I must have you!"
What is the meaning of this quote that appears at the beginning of the novel? How might it point to an important theme of the story?
How does Nick know Daisy and Tom?
Daisy is Nick's second cousin once removed; Tom and Nick attended college together.
What "island" is the setting for the novel?
Long Island
Where did Nick attend college?
Yale University
What does the valley of ashes symbolize?
Poverty, despair, and the negative impacts of industrialization.
"They had spent a year in France, for no particular reason, and then drifted here and there unrestfully wherever people played polo and were rich together."
What is suggested about Tom's and Daisy's lifestyle in this quote from Chapter 1?
Tom and Daisy are wealthy and do not need to work to maintain their lifestyle. They come and go as they please and move around out of boredom rather than necessity.
What does the book Tom is reading reveal about him?
The Rise of the Colored Empire reveals Tom's white supremacist, racist attitudes.
Where is Gatsby when readers first meet him and what is he doing?
Nick sees Gatsby standing on his lawn and gazing out at the water. Gatsy extends his arm out toward what appears to be a green lightblinking at the end of the dock.
Who calls Tom during dinner?
His mistress.
Considering the imagery in the following passage, what sense does the language appeal to?
"Occasionally a line of grey cars crawl along an invisible track, gives out a ghastly creak, and comes to a rest."
Hearing.
"She told me it was a girl, and so I turned my head away and wept. 'All right,' I said, 'I'm glad it's a girl. And I hope she'll be a fool--that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool."
What does this quote said by Daisy in Chapter 1 suggest about society during the time of the novel?
During the 1920s, women's intelligence wasn't valued. In this context, it is better to be a fool if you are a women because your life will be easier.
Who is Jordan Baker? What is her profession?
Jordan is a friend of Tom and Daisy's. She is a professional golfer.
What is the Valley of Ashes?
An industrial area between West Egg and Manhattan.
What are the rumors Tom and Daisy have heard about Nick?
That he was engaged to be married. Nick responds that he is "too poor" to get married.
What mood or tone does the following imagery create?
"The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic–their retinas are one yard high. They look out of no face but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose."
Foreboding, like someone is always watching and judging.
"He borrowed somebody's best suit to get married in, and never told me about it, and the man came after it one day when he was out. I gave it to him and them I lay down and cried all afternoon." (Myrtle, Chapter 2)
Why does Myrtle care about George's suit? What is she suggesting about marriage?
Myrtle cares that George borrowed a suit for their wedding because it means he cannot afford to buy one. She is devastated that she married a man who led her to believe that he could take care of her. Money is very important to both male and female characters in the novel. Myrtle suggests that to be a good husband, one must be financially secure and that her marriage is a waste because George lacks wealth.
Who is Myrtle? Describe her.
Myrtle is Tom's mistress. Fitzgerald describes her as in her mid-thirties, stout, poor, and outspoken. She is married to George Wilson and uses coarse language.
How often does Gatsby hold parties at his mansion?
Every weekend.
What does Tom buy for Myrtle in New York City?
A puppy.
Why is the following quote ironic?
"I like large parties. They're so intimate. At small parties, there isn't any privacy." (Jordan, Chapter 3)
Jordan's comment is ironic because most people would argue that there is no privacy at large parties. Gatby's party is no intimate in any way because his guests don't even know him or what he looks like. None of them were personally invited to the party.
"It was one of those rare smiles with the quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced—or seemed to face—the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just so far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that at your best you hope to convey." (Nick, Chapter 3)
How does Nick's description of Gatsby set the host apart from the other people at the party?
Gatsby is warm and welcoming whereas the other guests are wild and improper. It gives readers a glimpse into Gatsby's character and charisma; however, his smile is a facade.