Plot
Why did Gatsby choose to live in the mansion next to Nick's house?
Because he had a view of Daisy's house across the bay.
Which part of the Hamptons designated for the New Money crowd, and which part is designated for Old Money?
New Money = West Egg
Old Money = East Egg
What does the green light symbolize?
Gatsby's love for Daisy and the unattainability of the American Dream.
Who said it?
"You can't repeat the past."
Nick Carraway
How might the hot weather be interpreted when Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby are invited to the Buchanans on a "broiling" day?
The hot weather imitates the rising emotions and anger among the characters.
George Wilson discovers that his wife has been having an affair when he finds...
An expensive dog leash
What is the American Dream?
The ideology that each American citizen has the right and freedom to seek prosperity and happiness, regardless of where or under what circumstances they were born.
What does the Valley of Ashes symbolize?
The lower-class, and the the repercussions they face at the hands of the wealthy.
"I love you now—isn't that enough?"
Daisy Buchanan
In Chapter 8 of The Great Gatsby, how might Daisy's actions be interpreted when, during the night, "she came to the window, stood there ... and turned out the light"?
She chose Tom Buchanan over Gatsby. Turning out the light signifies the finality of her decision.
When Nick meets Meyer Wolfsheim, he is hesitantly hopeful that he is a dentist. Why?
He was wearing a set of cufflinks made from human molars.
What is an example of the "Past vs. Present" theme at play within the novel?
- Gatsby wanting to recreate the past with Daisy
- Nick implying that you cannot escape the past—that it will always catch up to you—at the end of the novel
- Nick being afraid of the future (calling it a "portentous menacing road"), and barely even realizing that he turned thirty
- Tom peaking at the age of 21 and having everything else seem anticlimactic in comparison
- The billboard of Dr. T.J Eckleburg being from the past
- Daisy crying over the shirts and the lost time with Gatsby
What do the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg symbolize?
God's gaze which only watches over and condemns the lower class, leaving those who were born rich to live their lives without repercussions or punishment.
Who said it?
"Absolutely real—have pages and everything. I thought they’d be a nice durable cardboard. Matter of fact, they’re absolutely real."
Owl-Eyes
"Gatsby and I in turn leaned down and took the small reluctant hand. Afterward he kept looking at the child with surprise. I don't think he had ever really believed in its existence before."
Why does Gatsby react so strangely to meeting Daisy's daughter, Pammy?
His idealized version of his future with Daisy is being threatened by the fact that Daisy has a family with Tom.
After Gatsby's death, Klipspringer, a regular attendee at Gatsby's parties, calls the house; Nick answers the phone. Why did Klipspringer call?
To ask about a pair of shoes he left at the house during one of Gatsby's parties.
Which theme does the following conversation between Jordan and Nick allude to?
"You're a rotten driver... Either you ought to be more careful or you oughtn't to drive at all."
"I am careful."
"No, you're not."
"Well, other people are."
"What's that got to do with it?"
"They'll keep out of my way... It takes two to make an accident."
The carelessness of the upper class...
"Suppose you meet somebody just as careless as yourself."
"I hope I never will... I hate careless people..."
Besides Gatsby's infamous and lethal yellow car, what is another example of the colour yellow/gold present in the story?
- Dr. T. J. Eckleburg's glasses
- Daisy's name (daisies are yellow and white)
- The orchestra at Gatsby's party is playing "yellow cocktail music"
- Also at Gatsby's party, on the buffet table, the turkeys are described as being "bewitched to a dark gold"
- Still at Gatsby's party, there are twin girls in yellow dresses
- Jordan Baker's arms are described as slender and golden
- Nick describes Daisy as a golden girl
- Gatsby's tie is yellow when he reunites with Daisy for the first time
Who said it?
"He had a big future before him, you know. He was only a young man but he had a lot of brain power here."
Henry Gatz
What does the following passage (the final lines of the book) imply?
Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter–to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther…And one fine morning—
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.
No matter how hard we strive to get ahead in life, the past will always catch up to us.
Why didn't Daisy enjoy Gatsby's party?
The people are loud, coarse, and offensive to her; she’s used to a much more proper crowd. She judges the New Money crowd, because she comes from Old Money.
Describe what the American Dream might be from the perspective of a character other than Gatsby.
Nick: Making money on his own selling bonds (despite being financed for a year by his father)
Myrtle: Marrying a rich man who can support a more leisurely and luxurious lifestyle
George: A new life in the American west, away from the Valley of Ashes, where he can start fresh with his wife
There is a motif of cheating at play in the novel. What is an example of this motif, besides the characters' infidelity in their marriages?
- Jordan cheating at golf
- Nick's ancestor cheating his way out of fighting in the war
- Gatsby cheating his way into his wealth (through bootlegging)
- Daisy cheating death by letting Gatsby take the blame for running over Myrtle
"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."
Jordan Baker
Why is it relevant that Owl-Eyes is the only party guest that attended Gatsby's funeral? (Besides Nick)
He was one of the only ones who saw him for who he was, deeper than the theatrical party host that everyone else took advantage of and spread rumours about. Owl-Eyes recognized that Gatsby was an intellectual.