The Great Gatsby Study Guide

Chapter One
1. What are the recent events in Nicks life, which have most vividly affected his personality?
The Great War and his time living in the East.
2. How does Nick perceive himself?
As a none judgmental person
3. Describe the Buchanans house.
Mansion - beautiful.
4. How does Nick know Daisy and Tom?
He and Daisy are distant cousins.
5. Describe Tom. What is your impression of him?
Athletic, large, rough, racist, snobby, a cheater
6. What kind of person is Daisy?
Sad, beautiful, gossipy, air-head, sarcastic
7. How does Nick feel about Daisy and Tom after his first visit with them?
Disgusted, the visit was a little awkward, over-whelmed
8. How does Nick fit into East Egg and West Egg societies?
He left his home town for a new beginning. He does exactly fit in because he is not among the
super rich and he is not an Easterner.
9. How does Fitzgerald introduce the theme of gesture or superficiality?
Through elaborate description of the homes and personalities of Tom and Daisy. The implied
is that they are very stuck on themselves.
10. How much do we know about Gatsby at the end of this chapter?
Very little - he likes to be left alone, and he lives in West Egg.

Chapter Two
1. What kind of place must one pass through on the way between East/West Egg and New York
City?
An industrial zone called the Valley of Ashes
2. What symbolic significance does the oculists billboard play throughout the rest of the novel?
Symbolic of a moral conscience! The idea that God is always watching. The fact that it is
weathered and beat up is part of the symbolism, suggesting that morals and ethical living are
not being preserved.

3. Identify Myrtle and George Wilson.

They live in the Valley of Ashes. They are the working class. George literally gets his hands
dirty for a living. They are foils (literary characters that directly contrast each other) to Tom
and Daisy.
4. How does the get-together in the New York apartment highlight the theme of the American
Dream?
For Myrtle it is an escape from low class to money, luxury, and classy living the Dream of
having it all.
5. What reason does Myrtle give for marrying George Wilson?
She thought he was a gentlemen (had money) and could supply her with a comfortable life, when
in reality, he was poor working class.
6. How is Myrtle contrasted with Daisy?
Myrtle is poor & in working class/aggressive and loud. Daisy is upper class/golden girl,
passive/quiet/thin/pretty
7. What does Tom do to Myrtle when she mentions Daisys name? Why?
Punch/smacks her. He doesnt want to be reminded of what he is doing. Power & control
8. Why does Nick agree to go along with Tom to New York to meet Myrtles friends?
Tom emphasizes how important is to Myrtle-

Chapter Three
1. What symbolic correspondence is Fitzgerald asking us to make between the preparations for
Gatsbys party and the arrival of guests?

2. What kinds of people come to Gatsbys parties?

Rich, Selfish, indulgent, gossipy, famous people
3. How does Nick meet Gatsby?
Talking to who he thought was a stranger about not meeting the host Gatsby.
4. Is Gatsby a phony?
5. What mystique has developed about Gatsby?
He killed a man. German spy.
6. What purposes do the two digressions (Owl-eyes in the library and the car wreck) serve?
It shows us people who have every advantage and opportunity in life being careless with what
they have a general sense of take it all for granted.

7. What is happening to Nicks reaction to Jordan Baker? What is their relationship?

He thinks he might be in love with her. Maybe. She is an untruthful person and a bad driver.

Chapter Four
1. What is the common denominator to all the stories about the people who meet at Gatsbys
parties?
People who are using him for his money and wealth
2. Who is Klipspringer?
He stays at Gatsbys so often, he is nicknamed the boarder.
3. What matter does Gatsby have Jordan Baker discuss with Nick?
Gatsby asked Jordan to ask Nick to invite Daisy over for tea so that he, Gatsby, can be reunited
with her.
4. Who is Wolfsheim? Where does Nick meet him?
In the city, Nick has a lunch with Gatsby and Wolfshiem is there. He is an associate of Gatsbys,
a mobster, who fixed the 1919 World Series.
5. What does Wolfsheim tell Nick about Gatsby?
That he is a gentleman of good breeding, not the type to go after anybodys wife or anything.
(FORESHADOWING!!!)
6. How does Nick know that Gatsby is lying when he starts his recitation of his life-story?
Gatsby says educated at Oxford, just a little too quickly. Nick notices he hurries through the
sentence, and it appears as Jordan said, Gatsby isnt being truthful.
7. What is the essence of Gatsbys materialistic dream?
He wants DAISY to complete the dream!!!
8. What symbolic value does Daisy hold for Gatsby, and how is it the culmination of all his
dreams?
Once he is with Daisy, he will have made it! It represents his complete achievement of the
American Dream: the money, the material possessions, and the perfect, old-money, upperclass woman!

Chapter Five
1. Describe the meeting between Gatsby and Daisy. Why is he so nervous?
Gatsby is nervous because he has waited five years for this moment, to be reunited with her. He
is in love with her and has been attaining all his wealth for chance to win her over!
2. How does the Gatsby faade start to fade when he comes over for tea?
He is nervous, shaking, clumsy, tripping over stuff, and completely un-composed.

3. How long did it take Gatsby to make the money to buy the mansion?
3 years
4. Why does Gatsby want Daisy to see the house and his clothes?
He wants to show off, proving to her that he can give her anything she wants, fulfill her every
want and desire. Thus, Daisy would have no reason to reject him.
5. What is significant about the scene with Gatsbys shirts?
The shirts are silver, gold, expensive material, symbolizes Gatsbys wealth and that money is no
object; that like the upper class should, he has the best of everything just because he can
afford it.
6. What had the green light on the dock meant to Gatsby?
The Green light is a symbol of hope. It literally means go. Its blinking at the end of that dock
is representative of how close Gatsby is to fulfilling his dream. He just needs to go for it
with Daisy.
7. How does Daisy begin to fail Gatsby as a dream-girl?
He realizes now that he is with her again, that the reality of being with her is not as fantastic and
perfect as the dream of being with her. Very often our fantasies are much more perfect than
the reality of a situation.

Chapter Six
1. Why does Nick tell us the story of James Gatz now instead of earlier in the book?
Nick is telling the story in the order in which the events happened and the same order in which
he learned information so that we can experience the events as he did.
2. What is Gatsbys real history? Where is he from?
Jay Gatz from Michagan; poor parents. He wanted to separate himself from that and recreate
himself as he wants to be. He was digging clams and getting by, using women, living day
to day until he met Dan Cody.
3. What did Dan Cody do for Gatsby?
Cody introduced Gatsby to the world of money and fine living. He dressed him, traveled with
him and exposed him to how to conduct himself as a man of wealth and power.
4. How did the materialistic vision get its start in Gatsby?
While poor and working along the shore of Lake Superior, he dreamed of a life of grandeur,
feeling destined for a life of greatness.
5. What is Daisys opinion of Gatsbys party? How does this affect him?
She doesnt seem to like it it seems vulgar to her. She does enjoy the time she is off with
Gatsby alone. Gatsby is deeply disappointed she didnt like his party and he stops having
them after that.

6. What does Gatsby mean by his fierce reaction to Nicks statement about not repeating the
past? Gatsby truly believes that if the setting is created, the past can be recaptured: the
feelings, the situation, the intensity of moments can be relived. Nick tells him this isnt true.
Gatsby responds strongly that you certainly can because his whole reason for all the money
and everything he has done for the past 5 years has been riding on that idea that reliving the
past is possible.
7. How do we see Nicks coming to understand the totality of Gatsbys vision?
Nick realizes that Gatsby is a dreamer. He is a person who is chasing an ideal, that has a level of
perfection that doesnt really exist.
8. What does Gatsby want from Daisy?
He wants her to leave Tom but specifically telling him she never loved him. Her saying that to
Tom, in Gatsbys mind, undoes her marriage to him. Gatsby needs to believe that Daisy
never wanted anyone but himself. The idea that Daisy loved another man is unbearable to
him.

Chapter Seven
1. Why is Gatsby so disconcerted when he sees the Buchanan child?
It is a reality check!!! The child does not fit into Gatsbys vision of the ease with which Daisy
can simply leave Tom and cancel that part of her life. The child is a complication to his
dream.
2. How deftly does Fitzgerald handle the mechanics of getting the people to New York?
They have cars and ability. The idea is presented as something to do, to relieve awkward
tension.
3. What does Wilson do to Myrtle? Why?
He locks her in their apartment. He has become aware that Myrtle is up to something, most
likely an affair, and he isnt going to let her out.
4. What does Gatsby think about Daisys relationship with Tom?
He thinks it is a sham, that she married Tom because she tired of waiting for him to return from
the war.
5. Why does Gatsby insist that Daisy say she never loved Tom?
Because that is a crucial piece to his vision of he and Daisy being together, that there was never
an interruption in their love.
6. What happens on the way home from New York?
Gatsby hits Mrytle and kills her.
7. How does Tom react to the death of Myrtle?
He is shocked and blames Gatsby. He also will not leave Wilsons garage until he is sure Wilson
knows that the big yellow car isnt his, that is belongs to another man so that Wilson wont
think Tom himself killed her.

8. Why does Gatsby take the blame about the accident?

He is trying to protect Daisy from Tom.
9. What is ironic about Gatsbys watching the window for a signal, to make sure that Tom is not
abusing Daisy? Daisy and Tom are in the kitchen having beers and eating cold chicken. They
are talking intimately and repairing their relationship.
10. What is the true relationship between Daisy and Tom by the end of this chapter?
They have made up, and their marriage is back in tact.

Chapter Eight
1. What does Gatsby tell Nick about his past? Is it true?
He tells about the relationship he and Daisy had, the actual time spent together and how he had
to go off to war, and Daisy was supposed to wait for him to return. He also let Daisy believe
that he [Gatsby] was from the same social class as her. He let her be deceived because he
loves her.
2. How satisfactory is Nicks explanation of Gatsbys attraction to Daisy?
Very intense and specific.
3. How do you explain Gatsbys remark that Daisys love for Tom was insignificant because it
was just personal?
Daisy was supposed to love someone like Tom, someone who was from her social class and met
her parents and societys expectations.
4. What does Michaelis believe caused Myrtle to run?
5. Why did she run?
She thought Tom was driving that car because he was driving it earlier in the day.
6. Why does Wilson believe Gatsby is a killer?
He was hunting for the owner of the big yellow car. He knew Tom knew because Tom was
driving it as the beginning of that fateful day. So, Tom told Wilson who owned the car.
7. What does Wilson do?
He goes to Gatsbys house, shoots and kills him, and then shoots himself.
8. Do we accept as coming from Fitzgerald himself Nicks pronouncement that Gatsby is worth
the rest of the others?
Well, Nick has proven to be a reliable narrator for sure. Gatsby seems to have romantic and
sincere intentions, however, he still did many immoral things to get money and reconnect
with Daisy.

9. What is ironic about Gatsbys demise?

Daisy is the who actually killed Myrtle; she was the one who was driving.

Chapter Nine
1. What is saddening about Wolfsheims not coming to Gatsbys funeral?
He spoke so highly of Gatsby and claimed to be one of his closest friends.
2. Why does Fitzgerald introduce the character of Mr. Gatz?
It gives the reader a new perspective of Gatsby. Instead of a smooth-talking, aloof, wealthy
many, we see Gatsby as someones son, a loved child of humble people. It takes away some
of the mystique
3. What do we learn about Gatsbys dream-future in his ledger in his copy of the Western novel?
He was DRIVEN, even as a young man. He has self-discipline and a very early understanding
that dreams take work!
4. What does Nick say about people like Daisy and Tom? How are we to judge Nicks reaction to
Tom and Daisy?
He says they are careless people who make big messes and leave others to clean up after them.
Nicks reaction is based on the actions he observed throughout the summer.
5. What happens between Nick and Jordan Baker?
They part company, break up. Nick is so disgusted with all their unethical, immoral behaviors.
There is no ugly fight, rather, they just stop talking.
6. Why does Nick return to the Midwest?
He has to get away from all the memories of the drama, the disgusting things he saw in people.
7. What significance lies in the passage about the Dutch sailors, about the boats going against the
current? Gatsby spent a lot of timing trying to be someone he is not, a wealthy, upper class
person. All the money, all the possessions, cant make him fit in, like boats going against
the current. It is futile.
8. How does this book show the destructive power of the American dream?