The Great Gatsby EVERYTHING
How does Nick describe himself at the beginning of the novel? - Answer- Nick begins
the story by telling us that he does not pass judgment on people.
How does Nick describe Tom Buchanan? - Answer- Nick describes Tom as
enormously wealthy, violent, forceful, aggressive, sturdy, supercilious, arrogant,
aggressive, and cruel
Who is Jordan Baker? - Answer- Jordan is described as the "balancing girl" - the girl
Nick originally thought was snobbish but later came to like for her confident air.
What is Gatsby doing when Nick first sees him? - Answer- Gatsby's reaching out
towards something, staring at a green light across the water which Nick says could
come from a light at the end of a dock
Describe the ambiguity in Nick's initial descriptions of Gatsby. - Answer- Nick's initial
encounter with Gatsby is made at a distance.
How does the tone of Nick's description of Tom reveal Nick's feelings about Tom? -
Answer- Nick isn't very fond of Tom. He sees him as dangerous, violent, threatening,
and pompous in a way
How would you describe Daisy's state of mind during dinner? What does she say
and so that helps reveal her inner conflicts? - Answer- Daisy seems flighty and
struggling for attention at the beginning of the dinner, however there's a painful
awkwardness that sets in after the phone call when she and Tom disappear into the
house.
Nick thinks that, given the state of their marriage, Daisy should leave Tom, but it is
clear to him that she has no intention of doing so. What indication is there that
Tom and Daisy are closely linked despite their marital difficulties? - Answer- Tom
and Daisy seem to be pretty set in their ways. They're both used to money and
attention. Both are a part of the advanced, sophisticated, elite crowd which views the
world in a scorned, cynical way.
What indications are there that the green light will have a powerful emotional
significance to Gatsby? - Answer- Gatsby is so near and yet so far away from a
green light. He is stretching out his arms toward an elusive goal that he cannot quite
reach
How does Nick meet Tom's mistress? - Answer- Tom takes Nick into the city and on
the way there stops off at her house/her husband's garage to meet her. They then go
into the city and have a party at the apartment Tom rents for Myrtle and their
indiscretions
,How does Myrtle react to Tom's arrival? - Answer- Myrtle seems exuberant and
vivacious. She walks sensually down the stairs; she's full of life and very sexual and
she makes passionate eye contact with Tom. She was clearly awaiting his arrival.
Describe George Wilson. How does he react to Tom's arrival? - Answer- George has
blond hair and light blue eyes; he is spiritless, anemic (lacking power, vigor, vitality,
or colorfulness; listless; weak), and only faintly handsome. He seems hopeful for
something that Tom may bring (we're led to believe it has something to do with a car
that Tom was going to sell him).
How does Myrtle behave as the party progresses? - Answer- Myrtle is no longer as
full of life (vitality) as she was when he first met her. Now she's displaying a hauteur
which is growing more and more over the night, displaying a fake superiority which
she has no right to claim
Describe the setting of the valley of ashes where George and Myrtle live. What
aspects of the setting imply that it is intended to have a symbolic meaning as well
as a literal one? - Answer- Desolate; full of ashes, strange gardens, and smoke; dim
and crumbling; full of people more like ghosts than men; gray, cloudy, obscure, and
bleak. Fitzgerald takes a lot of time to describe this setting in a detailed and poetic
way. He focuses on the specifics of this area which is just a setting but must play a
larger role in the story than just that if he's devoting this much time to its detailed
description
How does Fitzgerald describe Myrtle Wilson? Does her physical appearance
reflect her character in any way? - Answer- Myrtle is described as a thick, stout,
sensuous woman in her mid thirties; she's no real beauty but she has a smoldering
vitality. The passion and liveliness of her body over any other characteristics shows
she's controlled by her bodily impulses.
Compare the setting of the party in this chapter with the setting of the party in
Chapter One. - Answer- The apartment party is raucous, smoky, and loud. The
earlier dinner party was quiet, reserved, and all tension amongst the characters was
under the surface
Why does Tom attach Myrtle at the end of the party? How does this exemplify
Fitzgerald's description of Tom in Chapter One? - Answer- She says Daisy's name.
To assert his power and contempt over Myrtle; he does it simply because he can. It
shows him as a violent man (which Nick's tone described).
Describe the two ways in which Nick differs from the other guests at Gatsby's party. -
Answer- Nick is actually invited to the party; everyone else just shows up. Nick is
dressed more casually in white flannels and everyone else is in elegant suits and
gowns.
What does Nick think of Gatsby when he first meets him? - Answer- Nick is
impressed with Gatsby's smile. It seems so genuine and reassuring. Nick thinks
Gatsby's formality of speech and actions are almost to a level of absurdity
, Describe the events and atmosphere of the party - Answer- There is extreme
decadence and luxury: there are huge bands, lots of food (two dinners), flowing
cocktails, etc.
Everyone is dancing and enjoying themselves. As the night goes on, women become
flirtier and begin playing with the men more and enjoying themselves
What does the owl-eyed man in the library find extraordinary about Gatsby's
library? - Answer- The owl-eyed man discovers that the books have not been 'cut'.
The books are there to show us, hopefully to make us believe, that Gatsby is well-
read, educated, and wealthy
What does Nick learn about Jordan Baker after he has sent some time with her? -
Answer- Nick learns that he is very attracted to Jordan Baker BUT Jordan is
extremely cynical, with a masculine, icy demeanor that Nick initially finds compelling
Why does Fitzgerald describe the party (in the passage beginning "By seven
o'clock the orchestra has arrived") in the present tense? - Answer- The effect of
describing one of Gatsby's parties in the present tense is to create the impression
that the same thing is happening over and over.
How does Nick characterize the guests at Gatsby's party? What do his
characterizations tell us about how Nick feels about most of these people? What
sense of life in the Jazz Age do we get from the description of this party? - Answer-
Nick becomes an observer rather than an active participant. Nick is repulsed by the
shallow superficiality of the people at the party. THe people have no other interest
other than money and the illusion of happiness rather than happiness itself.
Describe the ambiguity in Gatsby's character that strikes Nick. - Answer- Nick has
always been impressed by Gatsby's confidence yet, as he examines Gatsby further,
he big gins to see this confidence as superficial.
Describe two incidents involving automobiles in this chapter. What role do
automobiles seem to play in the novel so far? - Answer- In this novel, cars are a
symbol of the attitudes of the rich. Practically everyone in the story is a bad driver,
especially the rich people. They do not seem to care about anything -- their lives are
empty. This is symbolized by their driving.
What does Gatsby tell Nick about himself? - Answer- He's from the Midwest and
comes from a wealthy family. He attended Oxford because it was a family tradition
What accomplishments of Meyer Wolfshiem's does Gatsby describe to Nick?
How does Nick react? - Answer- At lunch, Gatsby introduces Carraway to Meyer
Wolfsheim, a disreputable character who proudly calls their attention to his cufflinks,
which are made from human molars. Wolfsheim is an infamous gambler, and claims
responsibility for fixing the 1919 World Series
According to Jordan, what did Daisy do on her wedding way? Why? - Answer- She
received a letter from someone and got completely drunk.
Why does Gatsby want to have tea with Daisy in Nick's house? Why doesn't
