great gatsby study guide

T H E G R E A TG A T S B Y

Study Guide

by Calvin Roso

For the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Grades 10–12 Reproducible Pages #414

TT HH EE GG RR EE AA TTGG AA TT SS BB YYStudy Guide

by Calvin Roso

© 1998 Progeny Press 1

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The Great Gatsby Study GuideA Progeny Press Study Guideby Calvin Rosowith Andrew Clausen, Michael Gilleland

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Table of Contents

Note to Instructor .....................................................................................................4

Synopsis ....................................................................................................................5

Background Information ..........................................................................................6

About the Author ......................................................................................................7

Ideas for Pre-reading Activities ..................................................................................8

Chapter 1 ...............................................................................................................10

Chapter 2 ...............................................................................................................19

Chapter 3 ...............................................................................................................27

Chapter 4 ...............................................................................................................33

Chapter 5 ...............................................................................................................39

Chapter 6 ...............................................................................................................45

Chapter 7 ...............................................................................................................51

Chapter 8 ...............................................................................................................57

Chapter 9 ...............................................................................................................61

Summary ................................................................................................................66

Essays .....................................................................................................................70

Additional Resources ..............................................................................................71

Answer Key .............................................................................................................72


The Great Gatsby Study Guide

Note to InstructorHow to Use Progeny Press Study Guides. Progeny Press study guides are designedto help students better understand and enjoy literature by getting them to notice andunderstand how authors craft their stories and to show them how to think throughthe themes and ideas introduced in the stories. To properly work through a ProgenyPress study guide, students should have easy access to a good dictionary, a thesaurus, aBible (we use NIV translation, but that is up to your preference; just be aware of somedifferences in language), and sometimes a topical Bible or concordance. Supervisedaccess to the Internet also can be helpful at times, as can a good set of encyclopedias.

Most middle grades and high school study guides take from eight to ten weeksto complete, generally working on one section per week. Over the years, we havefound that it works best if the students completely read the novel the first week, whilealso working on a prereading activity chosen by the parent or teacher. Starting the sec-ond week, most parents and teachers have found it works best to work on one studyguide page per day until the chapter sections are completed. Students should beallowed to complete questions by referring to the book; many questions require somecross-reference between elements of the stories.

Most study guides contain an Overview section that can be used as a final test,or it can be completed in the same way the chapter sections were completed. If youwish to perform a final test but your particular study guide does not have anOverview section, we suggest picking a couple of questions from each section of thestudy guide and using them as your final test.

Most study guides also have a final section of essays and postreading activities.These may be assigned at the parents’ or teachers’ discretion, but we suggest that stu-dents engage in several writing or other extra activities during the study of the novelto complement their reading and strengthen their writing skills.

As for high school credits, most Christian high schools with whom we havespoken have assigned a value of one-fourth credit to each study guide, and this alsoseems to be acceptable to colleges assessing homeschool transcripts.

Internet ReferencesAll websites listed in this study guide were checked for appropriateness at the time ofpublication. However, due to the changing nature of the Internet, we cannot guaranteethat the URLs listed will remain appropriate or viable. Therefore, we urge parents andteachers to take care in and exercise careful oversight of their children’s use of the Internet.



Synopsis

“Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, every-thing was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. . . .

And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man’s envy of his neighbor. Thistoo is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”

—Ecclesiastes 2:11, 4:4

Having recently returned from military duty overseas during the Great War, NickCarraway is restless and tired of his provincial life in the Midwest. He moves East toget into the bond market and soon finds himself living among the wealthy on LongIsland.

Nick reacquaints himself with his cousin Daisy Buchanan and her husbandTom, and through them he meets the “incurably dishonest” Jordan Baker, for whomhe begins to develop a romantic interest. Nick soon learns of Daisy’s deep unhappi-ness and Tom’s affair with Myrtle Wilson, a married woman. Before long, Nick isdrawn inextricably into their lives.

Nick’s next-door neighbor is the extravagantly wealthy, but mysterious, JayGatsby. Even at his own lavish parties, Gatsby is the subject of rumors and specula-tion. Nick learns that Gatsby’s single dream, for which he has amassed all his wealthand possessions, is to win back the love of Daisy Buchanan, with whom he had a rela-tionship some years earlier. Gatsby enlists Nick’s help in reuniting with Daisy, butGatsby’s single-mindedness becomes his undoing as he seeks to relive the past.

The Great Gatsby is considered a masterpiece of American literature, filled withsymbolism and beautiful, well-crafted passages. Through it we are given a glimpseinto the characters’ moral emptiness, selfishness, and narcissism.



Background Information

World War I made many Americans question the validity of traditional ideals.Literature and art denied the foundations of the past and strove to express the ideas ofa new age. These new ideas were expressed during the “Jazz Age,” through a new phi-losophy called “modernism.”

The Jazz AgeDuring the Jazz Age, or the “Roaring Twenties,” the standard of living increased formost Americans. America experienced a general abandoning of the small-town, ruralpast in exchange for an urban, cosmopolitan lifestyle. The United States experiencedenormous economic growth as Americans sought to forget the troubles of the war.The way many chose to do this was by simply enjoying life. Many enjoyed lifethrough frivolous spending, illegal liquor, and immorality. Although the 18thAmendment to the Constitution prohibited the manufacture and sale of alcoholicbeverages, thousands turned to bootlegged liquor. Mob activity in the United Statesincreased to supply the demand for what was once legal. The literature, art, and musicof this time period reflected the nation’s changing values. Many authors attacked tra-ditional values, while others, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway,Sherwood Anderson, and Ezra Pound, moved to Paris for some time, becominglabeled as “the lost generation,” or “expatriates.”

ModernismModernism is an artistic trend that sought to find new ways to communicate in aworld where past traditions, values, and ideals no longer applied. Modernist writersoften sought to strip away descriptions of characters and setting while avoiding directstatements of theme and resolutions. This “fragmented” style of writing theoreticallyenabled the reader to choose meaning for himself, while understanding that life itselfwas fragmented and without meaning.



About the Author

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1896. He grew upwith middle-class parents who constantly overextended themselves financially. In highschool, Fitzgerald published fiction in the school magazine. While attendingPrinceton University, he also published fiction, and in addition, wrote amateur musi-cal comedies. After Princeton, Scott left to join the Army. During his time in theService, he wrote and published his first short story. It was also during this time thathe fell in love with Zelda Sayre, a young southern belle who refused to marry himuntil he could prove that he could support her financially.

It was the success of his first novel, This Side of Paradise (1920), which por-trayed undergraduate life at Princeton, that convinced Zelda that he could be success-ful. The subject and success of this novel also established Fitzgerald as the “goldenboy” of the Jazz Age, whose writing epitomized the spirit of the time. The Fitzgeraldsbecame a part of the wealthy, extravagant society that characterized the Roaring 20s.Spending time living in both New York and Europe, the glamorous couple mingledwith famous celebrities, attending countless parties and spending money recklessly.

The decline of Fitzgerald’s personal and artistic life coincided with the end ofthe 1920s. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s reputation as a writer declined by the end of the 1920sand he was often forced to write “hack work” to make the money necessary to supportthe couple’s extravagant lifestyle. During this time, his addiction to alcohol alsoincreased. In addition, rumors surfaced of Zelda’s having an affair in Europe. Later,Zelda suffered several nervous breakdowns and was eventually institutionalized withschizophrenia. She died in a fire in the hospital in 1938. After several attempts toregain his voice in literature through short stories, novels, and film writing, Fitzgeralddied of a heart attack at age 44.

F. Scott Fitzgerald is best known as the leading writer of the Jazz Age, a manwho was remarkably able to both live the life of the Roaring Twenties, yet write as adetached observer of it. His works include: This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby,The Beautiful and the Damned, Tender is the Night, and The Last Tycoon (unfinished).In addition, he published four volumes of short stories and a selection of autobio-graphical pieces.



Ideas for Pre-reading Activities

1. Art work: Research clothing styles in 1920s America. Draw pictures or make acollage of clippings illustrating what men and women from the “Jazz Age”dressed and looked like.

2. The Lost Generation: Research American authors and artists from the post-WWI era who were considered part of “the lost generation.” Write a one-pagepaper discussing who these artists were, why they left America, and what theybelieved regarding life, literature, and art.

3. Prohibition: Write a one-page informative essay regarding prohibition in the1920s.

4. The American Dream: Write a one-page paper defining “the American Dream.”Discuss how the idea of the American Dream has changed through time.Conclude by discussing whether or not you think the American Dream is stillpossible to achieve, or whether it exists at all.

5. Materialism: Write a three- to five-paragraph personal essay about how you seematerialism influencing society. How does the desire for money and possessionsaffect the way people think and plan? Do you find materialism influencingyour own plans for college or your career?

6. As you read this novel, pay particular attention to the relationships between thepeople. Note how they treat each other, how they speak to each other, or howthey seem to think about each other. On what are these relationships based?How do these relationships turn out?



7. The Great Gatsby is known for its lavish descriptive passages. With just a fewchoice words Fitzgerald turns a small decrepit village into a metaphor for decayand death, or turns a small afternoon party into a near nightmare of smoke,babble, and motion. Look up the terms personification, metaphor, and simile,and see how Fitzgerald uses these literary devices throughout the novel.



Chapter 1

“Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it was what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dustfloated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive

sorrows and short-winded elations of men.”

Vocabulary:Explain the meaning of the underlined word in each sentence below based on howthat word is used in the sentence. You may need to use a dictionary.

1. Frequently I have feigned sleep, preoccupation, or a hostile levity when I real-ized by some unmistakable sign that an intimate revelation was quivering onthe horizon. . .feigned:

levity:

2. Now he was a sturdy straw-haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth anda supercilious manner.

3. There was a touch of paternal contempt in it, even toward the people heliked—and there were men at New Haven who had hated his guts.



4. The other girl, Daisy, made an attempt to rise—she leaned slightly forwardwith a conscientious expression—then she laughed. . .

5. Slenderly, languidly, their hands set lightly on their hips, the two youngwomen preceded us out onto a rosy-colored porch. . .

6. Sometimes she and Miss Baker talked at once, unobtrusively and with a banter-ing inconsequence that was never quite chatter . . . . .unobtrusively:

bantering:

7. “This idea is that we’re Nordics. I am, you are, and you are, and—” After aninfinitesimal hesitation he included Daisy with a slight nod, and she winked atme again.

8. Something was making him nibble at the edge of stale ideas as if his sturdyphysical egotism no longer nourished his peremptory heart.



Character Study:We learn about characters through what they say, what they do, what others say aboutthem, and how others react to them. We also learn about characters through the toneof the author and the narrator. In order to grasp the text, your goal should be tounderstand the main characters: their strengths, weaknesses, growth, etc. For each ofthe passages below, write down in one or two sentences what the passage reveals orsuggests about the character listed.

1. Nick Carraway:

. . . I’m inclined to reserve all judgments, a habit that has openedup many curious natures to me and also made me the victim ofnot a few veteran bores. . . . Reserving judgments is a matter ofinfinite hope. I am still a little afraid of missing something if I for-get that . . . a sense of fundamental decencies is parceled outunequally at birth.

2. Nick Carraway:

. . . after boasting this way of my tolerance, I come to the admis-sion that it has a limit. Conduct may be founded on the hard rockor the wet marshes but after a certain point I don’t care what it’sfounded on. When I came back from the East last autumn I feltthat I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moralattention forever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with privi-leged glimpses into the human heart.



3. Jay Gatsby:

No—Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed onGatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that tem-porarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men.

4. Jay Gatsby:

. . . he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone—he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way,and far as I was from him I could have sworn he was trembling.Involuntarily I glanced seaward—and distinguished nothingexcept a single green light, minute and far away, that might havebeen at the end of the dock.

5. Tom Buchanan:

. . . [Tom was] one of those men who reach such an acute limitedexcellence at twenty-one that everything afterward savors of anti-climax. . . . Now he was a sturdy straw-haired man of thirty with arather hard mouth and a supercilious manner. Two shining arro-gant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave himthe appearance of always leaning aggressively forward. . . . [His]was a body capable of enormous leverage—a cruel body.



6. Daisy Buchanan:

. . . her low, thrilling voice. It was the kind of voice that the earfollows up and down as if each speech is an arrangement of notesthat will never be played again. Her face was sad and lovely withbright things in it, bright eyes and a bright passionate mouth—but there was an excitement in her voice that men who had caredfor her found difficult to forget: a singing compulsion, a whis-pered, “Listen,” a promise that she had done gay, exciting thingsjust a while since and that there were gay, exciting things hoveringin the next hour.

7. Jordan Baker:

The younger of the two [Jordan] was a stranger to me. She wasextended full length at her end of the divan, completely motion-less and with her chin raised a little as if she were balancing some-thing on it which was quite likely to fall. If she saw me out of thecorner of her eyes she gave no hint of it—indeed, I was almostsurprised into murmuring an apology for having disturbed her bycoming in.

Questions:

1. In the opening lines of the novel, Nick, the narrator, recalls advice that hisfather gave him. What was this advice?



2. Describe West Egg, where Nick lives. How does West Egg differ from EastEgg? Which of the book’s characters live in each?

3. How is Nick related to Tom and Daisy Buchanan?

4. What does Nick learn about Tom, Daisy, and Jordan during the dinner party?

5. When Nick first sees Gatsby, where is Gatsby, and what is he doing?

Analysis:

6. What does Nick mean when he says that tolerance has a limit?

7. What does Nick say “preyed” on Gatsby? What do you think Nick means bythis?



8. What words or phrases suggest that Nick is initially optimistic about goingEast?

9. Personification is a common technique Fitzgerald uses in The Great Gatsby.Personification is the giving of human attributes to nonhuman things. Forexample, the sentence “The sun smiled down on the children at play” paints animage of the sun smiling—a human characteristic.

Nick’s description of the Buchanan’s lawn when he first arrives at theirhome is a perfect example of personification. Reread this description in thenovel. What words or phrases give the lawn a sense of life and motion?

10. Note the imagery Fitzgerald uses to describe Daisy and Jordan when Nick firstsees them:

The only stationary object in the room was an enormous couchon which two young women were buoyed up as though upon ananchored balloon. They were both in white, and their dresses wererippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back in aftera short flight around the house. . . . Then there was a boom asTom Buchanan shut the rear windows and the caught wind diedout about the room, and the curtains and the rugs and the twoyoung women ballooned slowly to the floor.

What do you think Fitzgerald is suggesting about these two women throughthis imagery? What other evidence is given in the chapter to support your idea?



11. What ideas about race does Tom express? What does this reveal about Tom’scharacter?

12. How well do you think Nick fits in with those around him? Explain youranswer.

13. How does Jordan respond to the idea of Tom’s affair? What does this say abouther attitude toward marriage?

14. With what you have seen in the first chapter, how significant of a role do youthink Tom and Daisy’s daughter plays in their lives? Why do you thinkFitzgerald chose to give this couple a child?

Dig Deeper:

15. When Daisy and Nick are alone in the porch, Daisy explains her view of life:

“You see I think everything’s terrible anyhow. . . . Everybodythinks so—the most advanced people. And I know. I’ve beeneverywhere and seen everything and done everything.”



Read Ecclesiastes 2:1–2, 10–11. How does Daisy’s statement compare with thestatement in these verses? Why do you think the pursuit of pleasure might havethis effect on people?

Optional Exercises:

• An allusion is a reference to an historical or literary person, place, or event withwhich the reader is assumed to be familiar. In Nick’s discussion of his journeyEast, he makes an allusion to “the shining secrets that only Midas and Morganand Maecenas knew.” Research who these characters were and what their“secrets” were. What do these characters have to do with Nick’s career possibili-ties?



Chapter 2

But above the grey land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive,after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg are blueand gigantic—their retinas are one yard high. . . . his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless

days under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground.

Vocabulary:Choose the correct meaning of the underlined word in each sentence below based onhow that word is used in the sentence. You may need to use a dictionary.

1. . . . ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and finally,with a transcendent effort, of men who moved dimly and already crumblingthrough the powdery air.

In the context of this passage, transcendent means:a. extremeb. performedc. beyond comprehensiond. confusing

2. The only building in sight was a small block of yellow brick sitting on the edgeof the waste land, a sort of compact Main Street ministering to it and contigu-ous to absolutely nothing.

In the context of this passage, contiguous means:a. indicativeb. adjacentc. opposingd. compared



3. It had occurred to me that this shadow of a garage must be a blind and thatsumptuous and romantic apartments were concealed overhead . . .

In the context of this passage, blind means:a. window shadeb. obstructionc. decoyd. darkness

4. . . . a tin of large hard dog biscuits—one of which decomposed apathetically inthe saucer of milk all afternoon.

In the context of this passage, apathetically means:a. impassivelyb. endlesslyc. disgustinglyd. loosely

5. She came in with such a proprietary haste and looked around so possessively atthe furniture that I wondered if she lived here.

In the context of this passage, proprietary means:a. uninterestedb. aggressivec. plannedd. owned or managed

6. The intense vitality that had been so remarkable in the garage was convertedinto impressive hauteur.

In the context of this passage, hauteur means:a. performanceb. arrogancec. frivolityd. intensity



7. “My dear,” she told her sister in a high mincing shout, “most of these fellas willcheat you every time.”

In the context of this passage, mincing means:a. dainty or delicateb. irritating/annoyingc. concise or pithyd. youthful/childish

8. “Crazy about him!” cried Myrtle incredulously. “Who said I was crazy abouthim? I never was any more crazy about him than I was about that man there.”In the context of this passage, incredulously means:a. nervouslyb. amazinglyc. ironicallyd. skeptically

Questions:

1. List some of the descriptive words and phrases used to describe the setting inthe first two paragraphs of Chapter 2.

2. Who, or what, is “Doctor T.J. Eckleburg”? Where is he seen? What doesDoctor T.J. Eckleburg stare over?



3. What is the proximity between the Wilsons’ home and the “valley of ashes,” orthe “waste land?” What do you think this relationship says about their lives?

4. What does Myrtle’s sister tell Nick about Gatsby? What impression of Gatsbydoes this give you?

5. Why does Tom break Myrtle’s nose?

Analysis:

6. A symbol is something physical that represents something abstract. We identifysymbols in literature through the author’s emphasis and the author’s use of repe-tition. We understand what symbols mean through the author’s tone andimagery.

In the beginning of Chapter 2, considerable time is spent describing the“valley of ashes.” What ideas or concepts does one generally associate withashes? What do you think the “valley of ashes” between West Egg and NewYork symbolizes?



7. Many analyses of The Great Gatsby suggest that the eyes of Doctor T.J.Eckleburg are a symbol for God. What evidence in Chapter 2 is there to sup-port this idea? If this is “God” in the novel, what do you think Fitzgerald is say-ing by depicting God as a man-made advertisement overlooking a valley ofashes?

8. Twice Nick mentions the photograph on the wall of Myrtle’s apartment. Howdoes he characterize or personify the photograph? How is the photograph simi-lar to the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg?

9. The exterior of Myrtle’s apartment is described as “one slice in a long whitecake of apartment houses.” What does this positive imagery imply? How doesthe outward appearance differ from the relationships within? Compare this ideawith Christ’s imagery of the Pharisees as “whitewashed tombs” (Matthew23:27, 28). What was Jesus implying through this comparison? How is Myrtle’sapartment, and Tom and Myrtle’s affair, like a “whitewashed tomb”?

10. What books and magazines does Nick find at Myrtle’s apartment? What mightthe titles of these books and magazines suggest?



11. Dramatic irony is when the reader sees a character’s mistakes which the charac-ter is unable to see himself. What is ironic about Myrtle’s negative attitudestoward the “lower classes”?

12. An author’s tone is the way he presents his subject matter to readers. Throughhis use of language, the author can influence the way readers view certain char-acters or events in a novel. Examine the tone with which Fitzgerald writesabout George Wilson. How does he present George Wilson to the reader? Doyou think Fitzgerald wishes for readers to sympathize with George Wilson?Explain your answer with examples from the book.

Dig Deeper:

13. Read Matthew 6:25–34. What do these verses tell us about where our prioritiesshould be in our careers, possessions, and relationships?

14. Three times during Chapter 2 Nick finds himself unable to leave the companyof Tom and Myrtle. First, when the train stops on the way to New York, thenin the taxicab on the way to the apartment, and finally during the party. Howis Nick unable to leave in each case?



15. How do these three attempts to leave show a progression toward Nick becom-ing a willing participant in the clandestine meeting?

16. Read 1 Corinthians 5. Do you think that by remaining with Tom and Myrtlethroughout the chapter Nick is showing his approval of the affair? Explain youranswer.

17. Using evidence from the novel, analyze the relationship between Tom andMyrtle. Why are Tom and Myrtle having an affair? What do you think they arehoping to gain from it? Do you think it has made them happier?

18. Near the end of Chapter 2, Nick comments to the reader, “I was within [theapartment] and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inex-haustible variety of life.” How does this statement compare with Paul’s state-ment in Romans 7:14–25. Have you ever found yourself being both“enchanted and repelled” by what you know is wrong? How did you deal withit? What is promised in Romans 8:1–11, 26–39 for those who struggle?



Optional Exercises:

• Read and discuss excerpts from T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land (1922).

• Draw a picture portraying the imagery of the ash heaps and Doctor T.J.Eckleburg.

• Search out scripture passages dealing with marriage and discuss the Biblicalview of marriage. Some good starting points are Proverbs 5, Malachi 2:13–16,Ephesians 5:22–33, and Hebrews 13:4.



Chapter 3

It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you maycome across four or five times in your life. It faced—or seemed to face—the whole externalworld for an instance, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in yourfavor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as youwould like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you

that, at your best, you hoped to convey.


1. On buffet tables, garnished with glistening hors d’oeuvre, spiced baked hamscrowded against salads of harlequin designs and pastry pigs and turkeysbewitched to a dark gold.

2. The bar is in full swing and floating rounds of cocktails permeate the gardenoutside until the air is alive with chatter and laughter and casual innuendo andintroductions forgotten on the spot and enthusiastic meetings between womenwho never knew each other’s names.permeate

innuendo



3. Laughter is easier, minute by minute, spilled with prodigality, tipped out at acheerful word.

4. A momentary hush; the orchestra leader varies his rhythm obligingly for herand there is a burst of chatter as the erroneous news goes around that she isGilda Gray’s understudy from the “Follies.”obligingly

erroneous

5. . . . wandered around rather ill at ease among swirls and eddies of people Ididn’t know . . .

6. Instead of rambling this party had preserved a dignified homogeneity, andassumed to itself the function of representing the staid nobility of the country-side—East Egg condescending to West Egg, and carefully on guard against itsspectroscopic gayety.homogeneity

staid

spectroscopic



7. I had expected that Mr. Gatsby would be a florid and corpulent person in hismiddle years.florid

corpulent

8. The hall was at present occupied by two deplorably sober men and their highlyindignant wives.

Questions:

1. What rumors do people at the party tell about Gatsby?

2. Why do you think that the man with the “owl-eyed spectacles” is so surprisedto find real books in Gatsby’s library?

3. What was the story involving a golf tournament that Nick had heard aboutJordan? What does Nick say about Jordan’s honesty?



Analysis:

4. In the fourth paragraph of Chapter 3, Fitzgerald abruptly changes his gram-matical style, writes differently for three paragraphs, and then abruptly changesback to his previous style. Identify the change that takes place in these para-graphs. Give several examples that demonstrate this grammatical change.

5. Generally, a grammatical change like this is considered a mistake and poorwriting, but Fitzgerald obviously did it on purpose and for a very specific effect.Why did Fitzgerald change his grammatical style?

6. The party sequence in Chapter 3 is really made up of a series of vignettes, shortscenes, connected only by Nick’s wandering around the party. What mood doesthis give the chapter? Compare this to the scenes in the last page or two of theprevious chapter. What connection might there be?

7. How have all the rumors and stories about him developed the character ofGatsby? Why do you think an author would keep his title character a mystery?



8. A paradox is a statement that seems contradictory, but actually presents a truth.What might be the truth in Jordan’s paradox: “I like large parties. They’re sointimate”? How can large parties be intimate?

9. In the following passage, what might Fitzgerald be saying about the significanceof the gathering and the lives of those there?

We were sitting at a table with a man of about my age and arowdy little girl who gave way upon the slightest provocation touncontrollable laughter. I was enjoying myself now. I had takentwo finger bowls of champagne and the scene had changed beforemy eyes into something significant, elemental and profound.

10. Nick says that the three parties central to the first three chapters of the novelwere “merely casual events in a crowded summer,” and that they “absorbed meinfinitely less than my personal affairs.” Nevertheless, what is suggested aboutthe novel’s plot by focusing the action of the story on these parties? Why doyou think Fitzgerald chose to structure the first three chapters in this way?

11. If no one seems to appreciate Gatsby for his parties and Gatsby doesn’t seem toknow most of the people attending or participate much, why do you think heholds such huge, lavish gatherings?



Dig Deeper:

12. Read Proverbs 10:18, 19 and Proverbs 23:29–35. What do these verses sayabout drunkenness and foolishness? How do the verses apply to the charactersin the novel?

13. At the end of Chapter 3, Nick says, “Every one suspects himself of at least oneof the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people thatI have ever known.” What are “cardinal virtues”? What is ironic about Nick’suse of the word “suspects” when talking about virtue?

14. How does Nick’s statement about his rare honesty affect your opinion of him?Why do you feel this way?

For Discussion:15. How does society generally view the party scene (such as that depicted in The

Great Gatsby )? Does society depict it as an attractive lifestyle? If so, why do youthink this lifestyle would be attractive to people? With what tone does theauthor write of the parties in The Great Gatsby? How does he communicate thistone?



Chapter 4

On Sunday morning while church bells rang in the villages along shore the world and itsmistress returned to Gatsby’s house and twinkled hilariously on his lawn.

Vocabulary:Choose the word that most closely defines the underlined word in each sentencebelow.

1. ___ This quality was continually breaking through his punctilious manner inthe shape of restlessness.

a. traditional b. conventional c. uneasy

2. ___ “. . . and when the infantry came up at last they found the insignia of threeGerman divisions among the piles of dead.”

a. sign b. uniform c. emblem

3. ___ Over the great bridge, . . . with the city rising up across the river in whiteheaps and sugar lumps all built with a wish out of non-olfactory money.

a. dirty b. unscented c. new

4. ___ Gatsby took an arm of each of us . . . whereupon Mr. Wolfsheim swalloweda new sentence he was starting and lapsed into a somnambulatory abstraction.

a. hypnotized b. drowsed c. sleep-walking

5. ___ “This is one of his sentimental days. He’s quite a character around NewYork—a denizen of Broadway.”

a. alien b. inhabitant c. actor



Questions:

1. List words and phrases used to describe Gatsby’s car. What do you thinkGatsby’s car expresses about him?

2. Paraphrase Gatsby’s story about his life.

3. What parts of Gatsby’s story sound false to Nick? What does Gatsby show Nickthat causes Nick to believe his story—at least in part?

4. List two things associating Meyer Wolfshiem with crime.

5. Summarize Jordan’s story about Gatsby and Daisy.

6. Why, according to Jordan, did Gatsby buy his particular house?



7. After hearing Jordan’s story, Nick says that Gatsby “came alive to me, deliveredsuddenly from the womb of his purposeless splendor.” What does Nick recog-nize as the purpose for Gatsby’s fine mansion and all his parties?

Analysis:

8. What is suggested or implied when the author writes, “On Sunday morningwhile church bells rang in the villages along shore the world and its mistressreturned to Gatsby’s house”?

9. About the names on the timetable, Nick says,

. . . I can still read the gray names, and they will give you a betterimpression than my generalities of those who accepted Gatsby’shospitality and paid him the subtle tribute of knowing nothingwhatever about him.

What is Nick saying, sarcastically, about those who attended Gatsby’s parties?

10. Look at the list of names on the timetable from the first few pages of Chapter4. What impression of these people are you given? What about the list influ-ences your impressions?



11. Juxtaposition is the placing of two ideas side by side so that their closeness sug-gests a new meaning. For example, following the end of Chapter 1 (Gatsbyreaching hopefully toward the green light) with descriptions of the “valley ofashes” at the beginning of Chapter 2 suggests that Gatsby’s dream is somehowconnected to or will result in ruin.

What might Fitzgerald be suggesting by the juxtaposition of “Gatsby’ssplendid car” being passed by “a dead man . . . in a hearse heaped withblooms”?

12. The dead man in the hearse is followed by “more cheerful carriages for friends,”and Nick says he is “glad that the sight of Gatsby’s splendid car was included intheir somber holiday.” Do you see any symbolism or foreshadowing in thisscene?

13. When Jordan tells Nick the story of Daisy and Gatsby, Nick relates that Jordanwas “sitting up very straight on a straight chair.” Considering that Jordan is ear-lier characterized by phrases like “lying on the sofa,” “languid,” “sauntering”what might this suggest about the validity of her story?

14. Compare Gatsby’s story about himself with Jordan’s story. How well do they fittogether? Describe elements of the stories that do or do not fit well.



15. Given the very romantic stories Gatsby and Jordan tell, and the implied incon-gruities between them, what does the juxtaposition of the scene with MeyerWolfshiem imply about Gatsby? How does this scene make you feel aboutWolfshiem?

16. How does Nick’s view of Gatsby change over the course of Chapter 4? How hasyour view of Gatsby been affected or changed by this chapter?

Dig Deeper:

17. Read Ecclesiastes 4:9–12; Acts 2:44–47; Romans 15:1, 2; and 1 Corinthians13:4–7. According to these verses, what is the purpose of fellowship and friend-ship? What characteristics of a true friend are listed in these verses? Who in thenovel, if anyone, exhibits these characteristics?

18. Read Proverbs 6:16–19; Proverbs 14: 7–9; 1 Corinthians 15:33, 34; and 2Peter 2:17–19. How do many of the people we’ve met so far in the novel com-pare to these verses?



19. Think about your friends and acquaintances. Are they more like thosedescribed in the first group of verses above, or the second? Do they try to buildeach other up, or do they more often lie and cause dissension? Why do youthink someone would choose to associate with a group like Gatsby’s instead ofone that fits the first set of verses?



Chapter 5

There must have been some moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of hisdreams—not through her own fault but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion. It

had gone beyond her, beyond everything. . . . No amount of fire or freshness can challengewhat a man will store up in his ghostly heart.


1. Two o’clock and the whole corner of the peninsula was blazing with lightwhich fell unreal on the shrubbery and made thin elongating glints upon theroadside wires.

2. At first I thought it was another party, a wild rout that had resolved itself into“hide-and-go-seek” or “sardines-in-the-box” with all the house thrown open tothe game.

3. . . . the sound of a motor turning into my lane. We both jumped up and, a lit-tle harrowed myself, I went into the yard.

4. His head leaned back so far that it rested against the face of a defunct mantel-piece clock . . .



5. They were sitting at either end of the couch looking at each other as if somequestion had been asked or was in the air, and every vestige of embarrassmentwas gone.

Questions:

1. How and why does Gatsby offer to “help” Nick? Why does Nick say that“under different circumstances that conversation might have been one of thecrises of my life”?

2. What weaknesses regarding Gatsby’s story about his life are suggested in thischapter?

3. How does Daisy act when she meets Gatsby at Nick’s house? How does Gatsbyact?

4. How does Daisy act at Gatsby’s mansion?



5. How, according to Nick, does Gatsby revalue “everything in his house.”

6. What three “states” does Gatsby goes through while he is with Daisy?

Analysis:

7. What is the history behind Gatsby’s mansion and its former owners? Whatmight be symbolic about Gatsby purchasing a house with a black wreath on itsdoor?

8. Read the passages below.

Sometimes, too, he stared around his possessions in a dazed way asthough in her actual and astonishing presence none of it was anylonger real.

Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance ofthat light had now vanished forever. Compared to the great dis-tance that had separated him from Daisy it had seemed very nearto her, almost touching her. It had seemed close as a star to themoon. Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count ofenchanted objects had diminished by one.



How have Gatsby’s possessions—all that he has built in order to attain hisdream—been changed by the reentry of Daisy into his life?

9. When Gatsby takes Daisy on a tour of the many rooms of his mansion, why doyou think Fitzgerald ended the tour in Gatsby’s personal living quarters?

10. Read the following passage:

He took out a pile of shirts and began throwing them one by onebefore us, shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine flannel . . . .the soft rich heap mounted higher—shirts with stripes and scrollsand plaids in coral and apple green and lavender and faint orangewith monograms of Indian blue.

As the final event of the “tour,” what do you think this display of his shirts saysabout Gatsby?

11. Nick says “there must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisytumbled short of [Gatsby’s] dreams—not through her own fault but because ofthe colossal vitality of his illusion.” What is Nick saying about Gatsby’s dreamsin this passage?



12. Do you think Nick’s admiration for Gatsby has grown stronger or weaker inthis chapter? Explain your answer.

Dig Deeper:

13. In this chapter, Fitzgerald implies that one’s dreams are often bigger than can bereasonably, or even possibly fulfilled. Do you agree or disagree? Explain youranswer.

14. Read Psalm 37: 4–11; Matthew 6:24–34; and Ephesians 3:17–21. What dothese verses have to say about the pursuing of one’s dreams?

15. For what purpose did Gatsby ask Nick to invite Daisy to Nick’s house? Whydid Nick invite Daisy? How does this act square with Nick’s earlier assertionthat he is “one of the few honest people that I have ever known”?



Optional Exercises:

• Define “success.” Write a brief essay explaining how success or the desire forsuccess influences and applies to your daily life. Discuss how and when you willknow if you have lived a successful life.

• In Chapter 5, Nick says he stared at Gatsby’s house “like Kant at his churchsteeple.” To help understand this allusion, research information regardingImmanuel Kant. Write a one-page essay summarizing Kant’s philosophies anddiscussing how they might differ from the modernism depicted in The GreatGatsby.



Chapter 6

The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic concep-tion of himself. He was a son of God—a phrase which, if it means anything, means just

that—and he must be about His Father’s Business, the service of a vast, vulgar andmeretricious beauty.


1. He had changed [his name] at the age of seventeen . . . when he saw DanCody’s yacht drop anchor over the most insidious flat on Lake Superior.

2. The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from hisPlatonic conception of himself.

3. He knew women early, and since they spoiled him he became contemptuous ofthem . . .



4. A universe of ineffable gaudiness spun itself out in his brain while the clockticked on the wash-stand and the moon soaked with wet light his tangledclothes upon the floor.ineffable:

gaudiness:

5. Each night he added to the pattern of his fancies until drowsiness closed downupon some vivid scene with an oblivious embrace.

6. For a while these reveries provided an outlet for his imagination . . .

7. The none too savory ramifications by which Ella Kaye, the newspaper woman,played Madame de Maintenon to his weakness . . .savory:

ramifications:

8. . . . for Dan Cody sober knew what lavish doings Dan Cody drunk might soonbe about and he provided for such contingencies by reposing more and moretrust in Gatsby.lavish:

contingencies:

reposing:



9. I remember the portrait of him up in Gatsby’s bedroom, a grey, florid man witha hard empty face—the pioneer debauchee, who during one phase of Americanlife brought back to the eastern seaboard the savage violence of the frontierbrothel and saloon.florid:

debauchee:

10. [Gatsby] was left with his singularly appropriate education; the vague contourof Jay Gatsby had filled out to the substantiality of man.contour:

substantiality:

Questions:

1. Summarize the story of James Gatz.

2. Who was Dan Cody?

3. What does Gatsby want Daisy to do? What would this accomplish? How realis-tic, or fair, do you think it is for Gatsby to require this?



4. How does Gatsby respond when Nick tells him “You can’t repeat the past”?

Analysis:

5. Read the passage and answer the questions.

His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people—hisimagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all.The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprangfrom his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God—aphrase which, if it means anything, means just that—and he mustbe about His Father’s Business, the service of a vast, vulgar andmeretricious beauty. So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby thata seventeen year old boy would be likely to invent, and to thisconception he was faithful to the end.

What does Nick mean by Gatsby’s “Platonic conception” of himself, and bycalling Gatsby “a son of God”? What does the last sentence imply aboutGatsby’s maturity as an adult?

6. Does learning the truth about Gatsby’s childhood change your impression ofhim? Explain your answer.



7. What is ironic about Gatsby inheriting his “education” from Cody?

8. What is significant about the placement of Gatsby’s true story in Chapter 6,directly following his attaining Daisy in Chapter 5? Why do you thinkFitzgerald waited to tell readers this story until after Gatsby reunited withDaisy?

9. What is ironic about Tom’s statement that “women run around too much thesedays.” What does this statement reveal about Tom’s character?

10. Nick tells us that, five years earlier, Gatsby knew if he kissed Daisy, “and foreverwed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would neverromp again like the mind of God.” Why do you think Fitzgerald used this par-ticular imagery? What does the idea of “never romping again like the mind ofGod” remind you of?



Dig Deeper:

11. A number of the characters in The Great Gatsby seem to believe they are betterthan other people or for some reason deserve to be privileged. In this chapterwe find that Gatsby has imagined himself to be better than his parents, and, infact, almost perfect.

Read Deuteronomy 8:17–19; Romans 12:3; 1 Corinthians 4:6, 7; andPhilippians 2:3, 4. Where do these verses say our worth and wealth come from?What do they say about how we should view ourselves?

12. What does it mean to be naive? Is Gatsby naive? As Christians, what things, ifanything, do you think we should be naive about? How do Romans 16:17–19and 1 Corinthians 14:20 relate to this question?

13. How is Gatsby trying to “repeat the past”? Do you think it’s possible to repeatthe past? Why or why not?

14. Read Isaiah 43:18, 19 and Philippians 3:7–14. What do these verses suggestabout living in the past?



Chapter 7

But with every word she was drawing further and further into herself, so he gave that up andonly the dead dream fought on as the afternoon slipped away, trying to touch what was no

longer tangible, struggling unhappily, undespairingly, toward that lost voice across the room.


1. “I wanted somebody who wouldn’t gossip. Daisy comes over quite often—inthe afternoons.”

So the whole caravansary had fallen in like a card house at the disap-proval in her eyes.

2. He was calling up at Daisy’s request—would I come to lunch at her house to-morrow? . . . . And yet I couldn’t believe that they would choose this occasionfor a scene—especially for the rather harrowing scene that Gatsby had outlinedin the garden.

3. Jordan and Tom and I got into the front seat of Gatsby’s car, Tom pushed theunfamiliar gears tentatively and we shot off into the oppressive heat leavingthem out of sight behind.



4. He paused. The immediate contingency overtook him, pulled him back fromthe edge of the theoretical abyss.

5. Angry as I was, as we all were, I was tempted to laugh whenever he opened hismouth. The transition from libertine to prig was so complete.libertine:

prig:

6. “She does [love me], though. The trouble is that sometimes she gets foolishideas in her head and doesn’t know what she’s doing.” He nodded sagely.

7. I was thirty. Before me stretched the portentous menacing road of a newdecade.

8. As we passed over the dark bridge her wan face fell lazily against my coat’sshoulder and the formidable stroke of thirty died away with the reassuring pres-sure of her hand.wan:

formidable:

9. The circle closed up again with a running murmur of expostulation; it was aminute before I could see anything at all.

10. Only the Negro and I were near enough to hear what [Tom] said but thepoliceman caught something in the tone and looked over with truculent eyes.



Questions:

1. Who is Pammy? How does Gatsby react when he sees her? How does her exis-tence complicate Gatsby’s dream?

2. How does Tom suddenly come to realize that Daisy loves Gatsby? How does hereact?

3. What important discovery does Wilson make in this chapter? How does he react?

4. What things has Tom discovered about Gatsby’s business dealings?

5. Why was Myrtle running towards Gatsby’s car? Who was driving the car thathit Myrtle Wilson? Who does Tom think was driving?

6. How does the accident seem to affect Jordan?



Analysis:

7. What has changed about Gatsby’s house? What might this change symbolize orforeshadow?

8. What does the author mean when he writes that Tom looked at Daisy “as if hehad just recognized her as someone he knew a long time ago.”

9. Why do you think Fitzgerald refers to Daisy as “the golden girl”? What doesGatsby say Daisy’s voice is “full of”? What does this comparison suggest aboutwhat really attracts men to her?

10. How has Gatsby’s dream died in this chapter? How has everyone else sufferedloss in this chapter?

11. After the confrontational scene in the hotel room, why do you think Fitzgeraldhas Nick report that he has turned thirty that day? What is ironic about Nickturning thirty in this particular chapter?



12. In this chapter, Gatsby’s car is described as the “death car.” If his car symbolizesmaterialism, how does this add meaning to that symbolism? Identify other“deaths” found in Chapter 7.

13. Why is Nick disgusted with Jordan in the end of the chapter? What has shedone or said that irritates him?

14. Chapter 7 parallels Chapter 1 in many ways. One example is the initial settingat the Buchanans’; a second example is the heat. Identify at least three othersimilarities. What might be Fitzgerald’s purpose for this parallelism?

15. How are Tom Buchanan and George Wilson alike? What might Fitzgerald besuggesting through these similarities?

16. How how does Fitzgerald draw comparisons between Tom and Gatsby? Whatmight he be suggesting through these similarities?



17. Compare and contrast the following two images. Identify where each occurs inthe story and discuss the meaning behind the similarities and differences.

He put his hands in his coat pockets and turned back eagerly tohis scrutiny of the house, as though my presence marred thesacredness of the vigil. So I walked away and left him standingthere in the moonlight—watching over nothing.

But I didn’t call to him, for he gave a sudden intimation that hewas content to be alone—he stretched out his arms toward thedark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I couldhave sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward—and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute andfaraway, that might have been the end of a dock.



Chapter 8

No telephone message arrived . . . . I have an idea that Gatsby himself didn’t believe itwould come and perhaps he no longer cared. If that was true he must have felt that he had

lost the old warm world, paid a high price for living too long with a single dream.

Questions:

1. Summarize Gatsby’s story about his early romance with Daisy. What otherstory did Gatsby tell Nick during this night?

2. By the end of the chapter, what has happened to both Gatsby and Wilson?

Analysis:

3. Gothic imagery creates a picture of darkness, gloomy castles, mazes, mystery,nightmares and death. Identify the Gothic imagery found in the first few para-graphs of Chapter 8. Why do you think Fitzgerald uses Gothic imagery todescribe Gatsby’s mansion?



4. The author writes that Gatsby had committed himself to “the following of agrail.” What is the author suggesting about Gatsby’s quest through the use ofthis image?

5. The last thing Nick said to Gatsby was, “They’re a rotten crowd. You’re worththe whole damn bunch put together.” Why do you think he said this when headmits that he disapproved of Gatsby “from beginning to end”?

6. Read the following passage:

Wilson’s glazed eyes turned out to the ashheaps, where small greyclouds took on fantastic shape and scurried here and there in thefaint dawn wind.

“I spoke to her,” he muttered, after a long silence. “I toldher she might fool me but she couldn’t fool God. I took her to thewindow—” With an effort he got up and walked to the rear win-dow and leaned with his face pressed against it, “—and I said‘God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve beendoing. You may fool me but you can’t fool God!’”

Standing behind him Michaelis saw with a shock that hewas looking at the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, which had justemerged, pale and enormous from the dissolving night.

“God sees everything,” repeated Wilson.“That’s an advertisement,” Michaelis assured him.

What do you think Fitzgerald is saying about God in this passage?



7. At the end of the chapter, Nick says Gatsby “must have felt that he had lost theold warm world, paid a high price for living too long with a single dream.”What was this price? What do you think Fitzgerald is saying about holding onto a single dream?

8. Do you think Gatsby believed in his dream to the end? Give examples from thechapter to support your answer.

9. The last line of Chapter 8 says “the holocaust was complete.” Define the wordholocaust. Why do you think the author uses the term “holocaust” at this point?(Remember that this novel was written prior to World War II.) How does theuse of the term “holocaust” relate to the earlier idea that Gatsby was “a son ofGod”?

Dig Deeper:

10. Read Romans 5:1–5, Hebrews 11:7–40, and 1 Peter 1:3–9. What do these pas-sages suggest as an appropriate goal in life? According to these verses, what isthe likely price of this pursuit? Do you think this price is too high? Explainyour answer.



11. The author writes that “Wilson had no friend: there was not even enough ofhim for his wife.” Nevertheless, how does Michaelis demonstrate friendshiptoward George Wilson? How does this compare with the story of the GoodSamaritan (Luke 10:29–37)?

12. Read 1 Corinthians 3, 4. List some ways you can comfort someone who isgoing through a difficult time of trial or sorrow.

13. In Mark 8:36, Jesus says “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world,yet forfeit his soul?” How does Gatsby’s life reflect the truth in this statement?



Chapter 9

. . . as I sat there brooding on the old unknown world, I thought of Gatsby’s wonder whenhe first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. He had come a long way to

this blue lawn and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to graspit. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity

beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night.

Questions:

1. What is concluded about Wilson’s motive for killing Gatsby?

2. What happened in the “missing hours” of George Wilson’s journey to Gatsby’shouse?

3. Why wasn’t Nick able to contact the Buchanans about Gatsby’s death?



4. According to Nick, how were he, Tom, Daisy, Jordan, and Gatsby all alike?

Analysis:

5. While searching for people to come to the funeral, Nick addresses Gatsby: “I’llget somebody for you, Gatsby. Don’t worry. Just trust me and I’ll get somebodyfor you—”

Later, Nick imagines Gatsby pleading with him, “Look here, old sport,you’ve got to get somebody for me. You’ve got to try hard. I can’t go throughthis alone.”

What do these passages indicate about Gatsby’s character, and the char-acter of Gatsby’s associates.

6. Why do you think Henry Gatz took such great pride in his son?

7. Nick comments that the worn photo of Gatsby’s house “seemed more real to[Mr. Gatz] now than the house itself.” Compare this statement with Nick’scomment about “the colossal vitality of [Gatsby’s] illusion” near the end ofChapter 5 and the passage about Gatsby’s “Platonic conception” of himself atthe beginning of Chapter 6. What do these things tell us about the extent towhich Gatsby and his father are able to dream and how they view reality?



8. Mr. Gatz produces a list of Gatsby’s resolves from his boyhood. “It just showsyou, don’t it?” Gatz tells Nick. What does this list “show” about Gatsby?

9. What does the idea that Wolfshiem, a Jew, working in an office labeled “TheSwastika Holding Company,” and whistling “the Rosary” suggest about hischaracter? (Keep in mind that this novel was written and published prior toWorld War II and the Jewish Holocaust. However, by the novel’s publication in1925, the German Nazi Party was gaining influence with its ideas of racialsuperiority, anti-Semitism, and German strength.)

10. Why might it be significant that “Owl-eyes” was the only person from all ofGatsby’s many parties to attend the funeral?

11. What might be symbolized by Nick’s fantastic dream:

. . . a night scene by El Greco: a hundred houses, at once conven-tional and grotesque, crouching under a sullen, overhanging skyand a lustreless moon. In the foreground four solemn men in dresssuits are walking along the sidewalk with a stretcher on which liesa drunken woman in a white evening dress. Her hand, which dan-gles over the side, sparkles cold with jewels. Gravely the men turnin at a house—the wrong house. But no one knows the woman’sname, and no one cares.



12. Jordan tells Nick:

“You said a bad driver was only safe until she met another bad dri-ver? Well, I met another bad driver, didn’t I? I mean it was carelessof me to make such a wrong guess. I thought you were an honest,straightforward person. I thought it was your secret pride.”

How, according to Jordan, was Nick a “bad driver,” and, in essence, dishonest?Consider their conversation outside the Buchanans’ house after Myrtle’s death(near the end of Chapter 7) and their telephone conversation the next day(middle of Chapter 8). What does Jordan seem to be asking of Nick in thesetwo scenes that might reveal Nick to be dishonest in some way?

13. What does Nick mean when he says that Tom and Daisy were “careless”?

14. Look at the last four paragraphs of the novel. What dream do you think Nick istalking about? What is Nick saying about the ability to achieve one’s dreams?



Dig Deeper:

15. What are your dreams for your life? Make a brief list of some of them.Consider the spiritual, physical, relational, educational, vocational, and finan-cial areas of your life. Be specific and reasonable. Then, for each dream or goal,write a sentence explaining how you hope to attain it.

16. Nick suggests at the end of the novel that it may be impossible to achieve ourdreams. What types of dreams might be difficult or impossible to attain? Whatinterferes with reaching your dreams?

17. Read Romans 5:1–5, 1 Timothy 6:17–19, and Hebrews 10:23, 11:1. What isthe “hope” described in these verses? Why should we have this hope? How isthe hope described in these verses different from worldly hopes and dreams?



Summary

Questions:

Title:1. Explain the significance of the book’s title: The Great Gatsby. Was Gatsby

“great”? If so, how? If not, what does the title mean?

Plot:2. Conflict is the struggle between opposing forces that acts as the basis of the plot

in most literature. Conflict can take five forms:

• Man vs. Man: characters struggle against each other• Man vs. Nature: characters struggle against the natural world• Man vs. God (or Fate): characters struggle against the supernatural or

destiny• Man vs. Society: characters struggle against the laws or constrictions of

their social environments• Man vs. Himself: characters undergo an internal struggle between their oppos-

ing tendencies (temptations to do wrong, for example)

Rarely is only one conflict evident in a work of literature. Considering thesefive forms, how would you characterize the conflict(s) Nick faces in the novel?



3. How would you characterize Gatsby’s conflict(s)?

4. Within the first few pages of the novel, what problem or question is presentedto readers that drives the story forward?

5. The climax of a novel is the turning point of the action. It is the point of thestory where interest and intensity peak. Where is the climax in this novel?

6. The resolution of a novel follows the climax. In the resolution plot complica-tions are drawn to a close, problems are usually resolved, and questions are gen-erally answered. What is resolved in the resolution of The Great Gatsby?

Characters:7. In Chapter 1, Nick tells us that after his experiences out East, he “wanted no

more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart.”Discuss what “glimpses” Nick experienced. What, if anything, did Nick dis-cover about the human heart?



8. 1 Timothy 6:10 says that the “love” of money is the root of all evil. Do youthink any of the characters “love” money? If not, what do you think that theydo love? In addition, do you think that Fitzgerald agrees with the idea that thelove of money is the root of all evil? Why or why not? What things do youthink Fitzgerald sees as evil?

9. Has Nick changed or grown in this novel? Explain your answer.

10. How does Gatsby differ from the rest of the characters in the novel, particularlythe other “Westerners”?

11. In literature, a character’s tragic flaw is a defect of character that ultimatelybrings about his downfall. (Recall Nick’s statement that he and the other“Westerners” possessed some “deficiency” which made them “unadaptable toEastern life.”) Slightly different from the tragic flaw is a character’s hamartia.Hamartia, the Greek word for error or failure, refers to a person’s fatal mistakeor false step that leads him to ruin.

Was Gatsby’s tragic end caused by a fatal mistake—or hamartia—or didhe have some tragic flaw that caused him to meet his end? Explain your answerwith examples from the novel.



12. Who do you think the novel is about: Nick Carraway or Jay Gatsby? Explain.

Symbolism:13. In the context of the novel. what might each of the following characters or

things symbolize? Explain each response.

a. The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock

b. The eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg

c. Jay Gatsby

d. Gatsby’s possessions (particularly his car, his house, or his shirts)

Themes:14. The theme of a story is the main idea or message communicated by a story.

Themes often reflect an author’s perceptions of life or the human condition.What theme (or themes) do you see present in The Great Gatsby? Give exam-ples to show how that theme is communicated through the story.



Essays

Select any two of the following topics and write a one- to two-page essay discussingeach subject.

1. Some analyses of The Great Gatsby view it as a novel about the pursuit of theAmerican Dream. If it is, what does Fitzgerald conclude about the AmericanDream in this novel? Use examples from the text to back up your conclusions.

2. Many people believe the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg represent God or the eyes ofGod. If this is so, what do you think Fitzgerald is saying about God and Hisrelationship to the characters of the novel?

3. The Great Gatsby is full of descriptive passages that make use of color. ExamineFitzgerald’s use of color as he associates it with one of the characters or one ofthe scenes (for example, Daisy as the “golden girl,” or the long “white cake” ofapartment houses). How does he use color to affect your impressions, or to cre-ate subtle associations.

4. Read 2 Timothy 3:1–9 and Isaiah 5:11–17. Compare these verses with thecharacters and events in The Great Gatsby. Why do you think God speaks soharshly in these verses? Why are these things displeasing to God?

5. Have any of the characters in The Great Gatsby changed for the better by theend of the novel? Discuss why you believe the characters have or have notlearned and benefitted or grown from their experiences.

6. Trace your reactions and feelings about one or two of the following charactersthrough the novel. Discuss points in the story that illustrate or change yourimpressions of the characters.

Nick Carraway Jordan Baker George WilsonJay Gatsby Tom Baker Meyer Wolfshiem



Additional Resources

Other Books by F. Scott Fitzgerald:

Afternoon Of An Author published by Simon and SchusterBabylon Revisited and Other Stories published by Simon and SchusterThe Beautiful and the Damned published by Simon and SchusterFlappers and Philosophers published by Simon and SchusterThe Last Tycoon published by Simon and SchusterThe Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald published by Simon and SchusterTender is the Night published by Simon and SchusterThis Side of Paradise published by Simon and Schuster

Books of Related Interest:

The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy, published by BantamDeath of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, published by BantamThe Financier by Theodore Dreisler, published by PlumeThe Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, various publishersThe Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, published by BantamDoctor Faustus Christopher Marlowe, various publishers

Internet Resources:

The F. Scott Fitzgerald Centenary www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/index.html

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