Comprehension
What lengths does Gatsby go to to impress Daisy at Nick's house?
Gatsby's workers cut Nick's lawn in the rain and brought over a "greenhouse" worth of flowers.
What business did Gatsby claim to be involved in?
Gatsby claimed to be in the drug business and then the oil business.
"But there was a change in Gatsby that was simply confounding. He literally glowed; without a word or a gesture of exultation a new well-being radiated from him and filled the little room." Explain this quote's significance.
Gatsby had been brought back to life after being reunited with Daisy.
What is Gatsby wearing when he arrives at Nick's to meet Daisy? What is significant about this?
Gatsby was wearing a white suit, gold tie, and silver shirt when he arrived at Nick's. The connotation of white and gold (yellow) have reappeared as a symbol of wealth.
How is the theme of love shown in chapter 5?
Gatsby and Daisy have been reunited and their old love has been rekindled.
Why did Gatsby say that he was going home before Daisy arrived?
Gatsby was going home because he thought is was too late and Daisy wasn't coming.
How is there a discrepancy in how Gatsby claims he received his money?
He tells Daisy it only took him three years to make while his previously told Nick he inherited it.
Now that Gatsby has been reunited with Daisy, why is he described as “running down like an over-wound clock” (Fitzgerald 93).
Gatsby has been waiting to see Daisy again for five years, and now that time has finally come.
What is the "green light" a motif for?
The green light represents Gatsby's yearning for Daisy.
How can the attainment of the goal be less satisfying than the pursuit of the goal? Relate this to Gatsby’s pursuit of Daisy.
Gatsby's life has been devoted to impressing Daisy and winning her back for half a decade. Now that he finally has what he wants, will it meet his expectations?
How long has it been since Gatsby and Daisy saw each other? Be precise!
"Five years next November."
Nick returns to his house after leaving Gatsby and Daisy alone for some time and finds a change in Gatsby. Explain.
Gatsby had gone from nervous and embarrassed to glowing.
"[Gatsby] hadn't once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes. Sometimes, too, he stared around at his possessions in a dazed way, as though in her actual and astounding presence none of it was any longer real."
To Gatsby, Daisy has been the one object he has always desired yet could never attain, until now.
Daisy cries into a pile of Gatsby’s shirts during a tour of his house. Why is she crying? What are these shirts a symbol of?
She's says she's upset because the shirts are so beautiful, but she's truly upset about the life she could have had with Gatsby. The shirts are symbolic of a life of both wealth and love. (One that Daisy doesn't have.)
What significance does the theme of time have in chapter 5?
Daisy and Gatsby have changed since they last saw each other.
Who is in the photograph Nick sees on Gatsby's dresser?
Nick sees a large photograph of an elderly man in a yachting costume. Gatsby tells him it is Mr. Dan Cody.
Why does Gatsby continually use the phrase "Old Sport"?
Gatsby is attempting to portray the appearance of Old Money with his wealth and vernacular.
Explain why “the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever” and why Gatsby’s “count of enchanted objects had diminished by one.”
Now that Gatsby had Daisy in his life again, his dream and quest were now over.
Gatsby fumbles with the clock on Nick's mantle when he first sees Daisy again. What does the symbol of Nick's clock represent?
For Gatsby, time has been "out of his hands" while he and Daisy we apart. No one, even Gatsby can ever have control over time.
How is the theme of social status portrayed in chapter 5? Explain it's importance to the characters.
Gatsby is showing off his mansion and his wealth to Daisy is an effort to impress her and show her he is now worthy of her love.
Why don't Gatsby and Daisy want Nick to leave at the end of chapter 5?
They do not want to be alone for fear that each other is no longer the person they used to be.
What is the name of the character that plays the piano for Daisy and Gatsby at the end of the chapter?
Ewing Klipspringer
"There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams--not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion. It had gone beyond her, beyond everything. He had thrown himself into it with a creative passion, adding to it all the time, decking it out with every bright feather that drifted his way. No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart." Explain this quote's significance.
Gatsby has envisioned and imagined Daisy to be "larger than life" over his years without her. Nothing has made him change his mind about Daisy and likely nothing ever will.
What is symbolic of the weather in chapter 5?
Daisy and Gatsby's reunion is marred by rain showing the emotional element of this moment while also interrupting the "perfection" of the reunion between Daisy and Gatsby.
How is the theme of disillusionment shown in chapter 5?
Now that Gatsby has finally fulfilled his dream of reuniting with Daisy, the reality that she may no longer be the same person or no longer meets his expectations is recognized.