SOCRATIC DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: The Great Gatsby

Respond to each question thoroughly in complete sentences. This is in preparation for our
in-class Socratic discussion. You will be graded on your participation in the discussion,
including the quality of your responses and your ability to build on the ideas of others.

1. A prevalent thematic topic of the novel is the American Dream. How does Fitzgerald
address this throughout the novel? Think of the character’s actions, motives, interactions
with each other, and their outcomes when determining your response.

Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald conveys the message of the American dream by using
the character's storylines. Gatsby was a poor American who grew up on a farm in the
Midwest. After becoming fascinated with the wealthy lifestyle and perks of status,
Gatsby devoted his time and energy to realizing his dream of upward mobility. This is a
similar attribution to the American dream in which Americans believe that with enough
hard work, anything is achievable. However, in Gatsby’s case, the dream fails as he
attributes the dream to obtaining the love of the wealthy woman Daisy. This is where the
idea of the American dream is actually achieving the satisfaction of one's life rather than
material wealth itself. Material wealth is a common theme as well in this novel as the
main characters are either of new money or old money. Old money people look down on
the new money people who worked their way to success via the American dream. Each
character has their own idea of this dream. Daisy believes it is the stability and comfort of
family. Gatsby thinks it is money and love. For Tom, it is status and dominance above
others. Each character is trying to achieve the best possible version of their lives and of
themselves.

2. The novel is titled, The Great Gatsby. Why would Fitzgerald call it that? What exactly
makes Gatsby great?

Fitzgerald uses the word Great as Gatsby is trying to achieve greatness in this story. He
makes himself wealthy and popular with the public. Gatsby has a flashy personality as he
throws extravagant parties and shows off his expensive belongings. He is creating a fake
persona of an educated and prestigious man who is capable of providing for Daisy.
During his parties, rumors would spread about Gatsby creating this distance between the
guests and Gasby as they put him on a pedestal. Gatsby is a topic of great curiosity and
interest to people which draws them to his house. The Great also stands for the grand
dream that Gatsby is trying to achieve. In most circumstances, the money Gatsby has
accumulated based on the humble origins of his past is a close to impossible task. Gatsby
is still yet satisfied with his life and continues to want more. His dream is so “Great” that
he never achieves it in the end.

3. It is easy to sympathize with Gatsby, but what about Daisy? In what ways can we
sympathize with her? Who should we feel more sympathy for: Daisy or Gatsby? Who
had the more difficult life, Daisy or Gatsby? Explain why you feel so.

Daisy grew up in a stable and comfortable household so naturally, she wants the same for
her life in the future. Gatsby originally gave her that sense of security but after he left for
war Daisy was unsure and worried. She needed to be reassured and provided for so Tom
was an appealing option for her. However, Gatsby deserves more sympathy than Daisy.
Gatsby came from a poor and struggling background. He just happened to fall in love
with Daisy who had her own standards. He utilized all his resources and experiences to
create the perfect sutor for Daisy in hopes of providing for her in a family setting. Daisy
was impatient despite promising she was going to wait for Gatsby breaking his heart and
devaluing his hard work. Gatsby became obsessed with the idea of Daisy and she made
things worse by having an affair with him further feeding his ambition. If Daisy truly
loved Gatsby she would have waited or would further pursue Gatsby after the car
accident.
4. Explain how Nick changes throughout the course of the novel. Who or what is
responsible for this change? Explain.

Nick at the beginning of the novel is timid and is cautious of getting too involved in the
world of the wealthy, he reserves his judgment. However, by the end of the story, he is
fully involved in all the drama of the old and new money circles, and is incredibly
judgemental in the open, with him even saying to Gatsby he thinks of the old money
crowd as “rotten”. He also seems to gain an air of confidence as he hangs around the
upper class. Of course, the people he is always around are responsible for his change. The
wealthy crowd who are shallow and materialistic are definitely for him becoming more
judgemental, but the constant parties they throw have definitely given Nick his
confidence.

5. Tom cheated on Daisy with Myrtle, while Daisy cheated on Tom with Gatsby. Is one
character (Tom and Daisy) morally better than the other? Or are they both equally
immoral? Explain.

They are both equally immoral. They both cheated on each other. Tom chose to cheat
despite having a good relationship with a child in the mix. Daisy chooses to use Gatsby in
order to get vengeance on Tom. Tom lied to Daisy and tried covering up their cheating,
and Daisy also does the same thing. Tom ruined Myrtle’s marriage with George Wilson
and also George Wilson’s life. Myrtle was married for 12 years with her husband and
should have stayed committed to him and Tom should have stayed loyal to his marriage.
Daisy ruins Gatsby’s life by feeding into his delusions and leading him astray.

6. How did understanding the color symbolism enhance your overall understanding of the
novel? Be sure to have several textual examples to defend your reasoning.

The color symbolism gives the reader ideas about the themes of the book. Whatever
messages and lessons the author is trying to convey all come in the symbols that
Fitzgerald drops throughout the novel. It gives descriptions and details of characters. For
example, with Daisy the flower is white on the outside and yellow on the inside which
symbolizes Daisy having that initial perception of innocence and charm but on the inside
what she really wants is money.

7. Does the novel have any heroes or villains? Who fits into these categories and why?

The novel does have protagonists and antagonists but whether or not it has heroes and
villains is debatable. The protagonists are definitely Gatsby and Nick. The reader actively
roots for Gatsby, while Nick is the narrator. On the other hand, the antagonist is definitely
Tom. He has all the traits of a villainous character, he’s racist, misogynistic, and abusive
and couldn’t care less when Gatsby was killed. The reader is supposed to dislike Tom.
However, the important takeaway is that there are really no heroes or villains. All the
characters have flaws. Fitzgerald’s point is that the world is not black and white, but
rather all different shades of gray.

8. Why do you think this novel is considered a classic? What is its value in a high school
curriculum today?

This novel is considered a classic because it has several important life lessons and
messages throughout. The theme also of the American Dream and living life forward and
not backward are important themes and lessons that apply to life. The messages of the
book can be applied to real life. Also, the novel is extremely dense with complex
symbolism and deep meaning. Its intricacies as well as the book being a very good book
to read in general make it a classic piece of literature. As mentioned the lessons can be
applied by highschool students to their lives.

9. Jesmyn Ward’s introduction to The Great Gatsby juxtaposes the interpretation of the
novel from a teenager’s perspective and an adult’s perspective. How does she distinguish
the two experiences? Do you agree with her description of what it is like reading the
novel as a teenager?
10. What is Jesmyn Ward’s overall argument about the downfall of Gatsby? Explain
whether you agree or disagree with Ward’s analysis.