THE GREAT GATSBY – CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS

CHAPTER 1

1: When Nick returns from the war why does he decide to go east

After Nick returned home from the war he described himself as restless and wanting to escape the traditionalism of the West to someplace more important and exciting where he can learn the bond business. He expresses his reasons in the following quote “I came back restless. Instead of being the warm centre of the world, the Middle West now seemed like the ragged edge of the universe – so I decided to go East and learn the bond business”

2: How is the West Egg different from the East egg

In the Great Gatsby, the West and East egg cities are distinguished by their inhabitants. Both cities host two very different classes of wealth, new and old. East Egg has people living in it that come from old money, meaning that they inherited their wealth and have grown up in a culture dominated by the family money that they would one day inherit. People of old money are born into their riches, whilst the new money society has had to work to get the riches that they possess today.      

3: If you were going to pick one colour to associate with Daisy Buchanan what colour would it be? Explain your reasoning    

Daisy’s real colour is white because as Nick states she is “possessed by turbulent emotions” this could imply that Daisy is a mixture of various different feelings. All colours have their meanings, white is a symbolic representation of innocence and purity and makes up all of the colours of the spectrum. Daisy does not hold purity, white represents something different for her, it is her turbulent emotions and actions. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light, White on television and computer screens is created by a mixture of red, blue and green light. So the colour white for Daisy represents fire, blood, energy, war, danger, strength, power, passion, desire, love, greed, jealousy, hope, money and depth.

4: What’s the name of the book that Tom wants to discuss as dinnertime? What does the content of the book tell us about Tom’s character?

During dinner, Tom tries to discuss the book “Rise of the Colored Empires” with his guests. The following quotation expresses Tom’s racist nature and white-supremacist attitude “Well, it’s a fine book, and everybody ought to read it. The idea is if we don’t look out the white race will be—will be utterly submerged” He seems to find the concept of the book very intriguing and while the others are not as intrigued by the book as he is, Daisy sees this as a chance to tease him about the book, which in turn ends the conversation. This also reveals the mindset towards coloured people that society had at the time and how they discriminated against people that were not of the white race.

5: What is the reader left to think about Daisy’s emotional state and her relationship with Tom?

During the dinner party, the phone begins to ring and Tom leaves the room to take it, Daisy follows after him hurriedly, leaving Nick and Jordan on their own. Jordan tells Nick that the call is from the woman that Tom is having an affair with in New York. Daisy’s emotional state is dominated by nervousness and frustration and Tom realizes this when he says the following quote “I saw that

turbulent emotions possessed her” Her relationship with Tom appears to be extremely close to failing and is held together by the fact that they have a child together. She seems to pretend that nothing is happening but her voice, actions and body movements do not support her claims. Tom may also be physically abusing her as shown through her hurt finger, that Tom injured while he was “Hulking” which may also contribute to the failure of her relationship with Tom.

6: At the end of the chapter Nick sees Gatsby on the lawn and is about to call out and introduce himself, but he does not. What stops Nick? What does Gatsby’s trembling suggest?

After Nick returns from his dinner party at the Buchanan residence, he sees his neighbour Gatsby out on his lawn. As he previously had a discussion with Jordan about him, he thinks of introducing himself but decides against it when he realizes that his neighbour is content to be alone. Nick sees      Gatsby do something rather strange, he reaches his hand out towards the water and begins to tremble. This trembling may suggest that Gatsby is fearful of something to come. Fearful of something to come or maybe still in pain about something that happened in his past.

7: The green light that Gatsby is staring at becomes an important symbol in the book. What symbolic associations do you connect with the colour green?      

The colour green is most commonly associated with money, desire, greed and jealousy and luck. In the Great Gatsby, this can be related back to the concept of old and new money and the morals of society at the time. “Green With Envy”.      

CHAPTER 2

1. The description of the “valley of ashes” opens this chapter. Literally, what is the valley of ashes? What might it represent on a symbolic level?  

The valley of ashes is a “barren wasteland” in which the ashes and waste of upper-class society are dumped. Its inhabitants are among the poorest of society and are described as somewhat grey and bland. On a symbolic level, the valley represents the moral and social decay of society at the time and how their non-restrained pursuit of wealth and riches has led them to disregard the damage that they have caused. The people living in the Valley of Ashes are “ash-grey men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air”.

2. How do we know that Myrtle Wilson is not an intellectual?

Because of her background, in the early 1900s, the poorer people among society did not receive a proper education and even if they did it did not even compare to the education that upper-class society received. You can tell that Myrtle did not receive a decent education through the events of chapter 2. “I told that boy about the ice, Myrtle raised her eyebrows at the shiftlessness of lower orders. These people! You have to keep after them all the time” In this quotation, it appears that Myrtle is putting on a persona. She appears to be completely naive to the life of upper-class society and may believe that a fake aura can make her come off as richer than she actually is. The second reason that Myrtle is not an intellectual is the fact that she truly believes that Tom will leave Daisy for her that she boasts about it to her friends and family. The following quotation said by Myrtle’s sister, Catherine supports these claims. “It’s really his wife that’s keeping them apart. She’s a Catholic and they don’t believe in divorce”. We can tell from this quote that Tom is willing to make up a lie and blame Daisy for his unwillingness to divorce. This portrays Myrtle as a naive person who, with little intellect will believe anything that other people tell her. The next reason that Myrtle is portrayed as a naive and shallow person is the fact that she has misjudged her relationship with Tom. “The fact that he had one [a mistress] was insisted upon wherever he was known. His acquaintances resented the fact that he turned up in popular restaurants with her and, leaving her at a table, sauntered about, chatting with whomever he knew”. Although Tom shows Myrtle off in public to his family and friends he still wouldn’t leave Daisy for her and only thinks of her as his mistress. He expresses this when he breaks Myrtle’s nose that evening. Him being drunk on alcohol would lead him to let his guard down and express his feelings through his actions in hitting Myrtle when she started mentioning Daisy. Finally, even though Tom physically abused her, Myrtle still continues her affair with Tom which leads us to continually believe that she is not an intellectual as much of upper-class society is.  

• Backround and how low class people did not receive a very god eduction
• She is very naive about life in upper class society
• She believes that Tom would leave Daisy for her
• She thinks that her relationship with Tom means something to him but in actuality she is just his mistress
• She continues the affair even after Tom broke her nose
• She wants to buy a puppy for here apartment in New York
• She does not consciously think about the world around her

3. In the apartment, Nick states that “Mrs Wilson had changed her costume”What does this imply about Myrtle? Hint: possibly the quotation “With the influence of the dress her personality had also undergone a change”  could support my answer.

This reveals something new about Myrtle’s character, it implies that she puts on a fake persona depending on what she is wearing. She thinks highly of herself and believes that she means something to Tom when really she is just a mistress to him, without any class, decency or intellect, as can be seen in chapter one when she phones Tom at dinnertime. When Myrtle changes he dress during chapter 2, Nick describes how in changing her dress, Myrtle was transformed from a working-class woman to a rich man’s mistress, and how a personality change was accompanied with this transformation. Myrtle appears to be very materialistic in this chapter as it shows how single clothing change into something more extravagant and luxurious can completely change one’s personality and behaviour. Wearing certain clothing does represent the kind of person you are, but you don’t have to change your personality depending on the clothes you wear, however in Myrtle’s character, it is a vital part of her persona and aura.

• Double Life
• Materialistic and Shallow      

4. We are also treated into a small insight into our main character, Gatsby. “He’s a nephew of Kaiser Wilhelm’s” “I’m scared of him, I’d hate to have him get anything on me” What do these snippets imply about Gatsby’s character?

These fragments of chapter 2 imply that Gatsby is a man that is feared by many among the old and new money and lower-class society. The connection to Kaiser Wilhelm and Germany are most likely just rumours that have circulated around. As Germany was a country that other countries were fearful of after World War Two, people may connect Gatsby to this country as he appears to be feared by many members of society. “I’d hate to have him get anything on me” Implies that Gatsby may be known for blackmail and manipulation. This could mean that he has been involved in some potentially dangerous situations in his life, maybe dealing with people that are looked down upon in society.

• Scared of The Unkown
• People Dont Actually Know Him.      

5. Nick mentions that he was “Within and without simultaneously enchanted by the inexhaustible variety of life” What does this reveal about his character?

This is another oxymoron since there are two words that have opposite meanings “within and without”. What this implies about Nick’s character is that he is both enchanted and repulsed by the way of life for these people, the fake auras that they put on and the way that they speak about one another. This reveals that Nick’s character is never truly “within” the story, however, he is always somewhat involved leading him to be “within and without” the story and the lives of the characters. This, in turn, protects him from the full extent of brutality that the other characters feel.

• Notices all of the differences in life
• Within and Without of consciousness      

CHAPTER 3

1: “after that they conducted themselves according to the rules of behaviour associated with an amusement park”?

In chapter 3, Nick describes the behaviour of Gatsby’s party guests as somewhat “associated with amusement parks”. This may be implying that the party guests behaviour is rude and inappropriate and that they may be acting in a way that is comparable to kids playing in an amusement park. Nick probably dislike the way that they are acting and that may be the reason that he makes this comparison between the party guests and how they obey the rules of an amusement park and nothing less. This also draws attention to the atmosphere of Gatsby’s party, the riotous partying and wild environment where everything is happening at once just like an amusement park.      

2: Who is Owl Eyes? What surprises him about Gatsby’s library? Why would this impress him?

While Nick and Jordan are searching for Gatsby, they enter Gatsby’s library to see Owl Eyes, a drunk man wearing spectacles marvelling at Gatsby’s book collection. He is surprised about Gatsby’s library as in the time of the 1920’s people used to use cardboard cutouts in the form of books for that “Perfect Library Look”. He is surprised because every one of Gatsby’s books are real.

3: I was looking at an elegant young roughneck,…whose elaborate formality of speech just missed being absurd. Sometime before he introduced himself I’d gotten the strong impression that he was picking his words with care”?      

What Fitzgerald may be implying here is that Gatsby may be trying extremely hard to make everything seem real and genuine. By “Choosing His words carefully” he may be hiding something about himself to his guests in order to appear a certain way. This related back to the library having books that are all real and not cardboard cutouts. This is implying that Gatsby has an eye for real-life detail. He may be trying to put on a an act that appears genuine but only leaves his guests more suspicious and curious of what his true nature really is. He is speaking in a way that is not entirely natural to him which must mean that it is a fake act or a persona or an aura.  

4: Fifty feet from the door a dozen headlights illuminated a bizarre and tumultuous scene. In the ditch beside the road, right side up but violently shorn of one wheel, rested a new coupé which had left Gatsby’s drive not two minutes before. .

It may imply that the people in this time were careless and free willed and did not want to think about the consequences involved in their actions. They were in the present so they thought about the present and nothing else, not the past and certainly not their future. The wives and husbands arguing about leaving now or later or if she should have left before and the drunk guys crashing their cars are not thinking about how their decisions will impact them later in life, so they choose to live in the now and their morals reflect the way that society thought and acted back in the 1920s. It also reflects how the rich upper classes behaved no better than the lower classes

5: He smiled understandingly-much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced–or seemed to face–the whole eternal world for an instant”

This quote and passage show how F Scott Fitzgerald pays attention to one specific detail about a person when he is describing their physical appearance. By paying attention to Gatsby’s smile he is further showing us how Gatsby may be putting on a fake persona just to behave a certain way that is appropriate for society at the time. His smile is eternally reassuring you that you do not need to have any more doubts about him.

CHAPTER 4

1. What is weird about Nick’s drive into New York City with Gatsby? List at least three things that strike you as odd.      

When Nick is driving across to New York with Gatsby, he notices several odd things during the drive. During the drive, Gatsby begins to open up about himself, however, when he tells Nick about his Oxford days, he begins to falter, hurrying the phrase “educated at Oxford” which leads Nick to believe that he is lying and that there may be something sinister about Gatsby after all. When Gatsby gets pulled over by the policeman, he takes a white card from his wallet and waved it before the officer’s eyes. Realization sets in and the policeman waves them off with a “right you are”. Nick is curious and asks Gatsby what the little card was “what was that …… the picture of Oxford”. Gatsby explains that he was able to do the police commissioner a favour once and that he sends Gatsby a Christmas card each year. Later on in the drive, Gatsby and Nick pass over the Queensboro bridge, here Nick observes how a limousine driven by a white chauffeur is carrying three modish negroes. This is not a usual site as in the 1920s blacks were the minority and considered to be part of the lower classes. He has props to back up his stories which is unusual for someone to have.      

1. Who is Meyer Wolfsheim? and what do we know about him?

Meyer Wolfshiem joins Gatsby and Nick for lunch. He is described as a “flat-nosed Jew” with a large head. During lunch, we learn that he is a business associate and a friend of Gatsby. Additionally, he is an inhabitant of New York’s underworld, a gambler to be precise and claims to have fixed the 1919 world series, which is one of his greatest accomplishments. He gives Nick the impression that the source of Gatsby’s wealth might be unsavoury, and that Gatsby may even have ties to the sort of organized crime with which Wolfshiem is associated.  

1. Gatsby disappears when which other character unexpectedly arrives at lunch? Take a guess as to why Gatsby doesn’t want to see this character?

As the lunch between Gatsby, Major Wolfsheim, and Nick comes to a close, Nick spots Tom Buchanan from across the room. He tells Gatsby that he has to say hello to someone and says to “come along with me for a second”. Tom sees Nick and begins to walk in their direction. Nick introduces Gatsby to Tom and “a strained, unfamiliar look of embarrassment came over Gatsby’s face”. I believe that Gatsby does not want to see Tom because he once fell in love with Daisy, Tom’s wife. He feels embarrassed to be around Tom as he is still in love with Daisy.      

1. Jordan recalls the time in 1917 when she saw Gatsby and Daisy together. From Jordan’s description, do you think that Daisy was genuinely interested in Gatsby?     

After Nick’s lunch in New York, he meets Jordan Baker at the Plaza Hotel, who begins to explain the details of Gatsby’s life that she was told at his most recent party. Nick is told that Gatsby is in love with Daisy. According to Jordan, before the war all the military officers in Louisville, Kentucky were in love with Daisy, however, she fell in love with a young lieutenant named Jay Gatsby, who was stationed at a base near her home. Though she chose to marry Tom after Gatsby left for the war, Daisy drank herself into numbness the night before her wedding, after she received a letter from Gatsby, which leads me to believe that she is genuine about her feelings for Jay Gatsby.      

5. “Then it had not been me merely the stars to which he had aspired on that June night” When Nick first spotted Gatsby reaching out across the bay. What does Gatsby now realize about that night and about Gatsby’s real estate purchase?    

The green light that he was reaching out towards, trembling represents Daisy and how Gatsby is in pain about the past. He bought his house in West Egg solely to be across the bay from Daisy because he still loves her, hoping that one night she may turn up to one of his parties. In addition, Gatsby has asked Jordan to convince Nick to arrange a reunion between himself and Daisy because he is terrified that she will refuse to see him. Gatsby wants Nick to invite Daisy to tea at his house. Without Daisy’s knowledge, Gatsby intends to come to the tea at Nick’s house as well, surprising her and forcing her to see him.      

CHAPTER 5

1.  Why does Gatsby take Nick and Daisy the long way around his house to the front door instead of cutting through the back lawn?      

The reason why Gatsby takes Nick and Daisy the long way around his house is that he wanted Daisy to feel the full effect of his house. She may have left him for money and now he wants her to know that he is rich and able to afford such luxurious things. Gatsby does not just walk across the lawn, he makes an obvious attempt to show off his house to Daisy so that she can see what-what she missed out on. He wants her to see the house in its entirety. Daisy is a very materialistic person and Gatsby thinks that by showing her his house in its entirety she will be impressed.

2. When Nick asks Gatsby what business he is in the replies “that’s my affair” why is this considered rude and why does he give this as an answer?

It must be a very sensitive subject for Gatsby to talk about. He has worked very hard to cultivate his current image and could ruin it by telling others how he acquired his money. This may imply that Gatsby is hiding something about how he got his money. He must find it hard to lie to Nick so he makes up an excuse that seems rude but it is just to cover up how he really got his money. This indicates that Gatsby may be up to illegal activity. He doesn’t want to ruin his posh image by one simple question. He has worked very hard for his image and is fearful that if his past is revealed it will be ruined. It additionally adds to Gatsby’s mysterious image.      

3. Why does Daisy cry into Gatsby’s “Beautiful Shirts” support your reasoning

After Gatsby has shown Daisy and Nick his house, they reach his bedroom where he begins to talk about his clothing. Daisy then begins to cry into his shirts. She must be aware of everything that she has lost in choosing Tom over Gatsby, a real romance. Gatsby’s shirts represent the freedom that she simply can’t have. By crying into Gatsby’s shirts, Daisy is suddenly aware of her life choices and regrets not waiting for Gatsby. Daisy realizes that if she had waited for Gatsby to return from the war she could have had both wealth and a chance at a true romance, she expresses this by crying into his “beautiful shirts”.

CHAPTER 6

1.    Describe the interaction between Gatsby and Tom and his friends when they arrive at his house one day, what idea does this reinforce about the settings in the novel?

During Gatsby and Tom’s initial meeting together, they both appeared to be superficially friendly to one another. Gatsby seems nervous and agitated and tells Tom awkwardly that he knows his wife. Tom appears to be completely oblivious to Gatsby’s affections for Daisy. He invites Tom and the Sloanes to stay for dinner at his house but they politely refuse, instead they invite Gatsby to dine with them. Gatsby does not realize the insincerity of the invitation and gladly accepts. While Tom and the Sloanes are waiting for Gatsby to get his car, Tom rants to Nick about Gatsby’s lack of social etiquette and criticizes Daisy for visiting Gatsby without a supervisor. The idea that is reinforced through this setting is that the Old Money society tends to look down on those who have worked to gain their wealth. They belong to this Old Money society that

1.  What is Daisy’s opinion on Gatsby’s party?      

Gatsby hosts a party in which Daisy and Tom attend. Daisy tries to be polite at the start of the party, however, she is appalled by the West Egg society. She only enjoys herself when she is alone with Gatsby. According to Nick, she believes that the party is “more of a gesture than an emotion” and thinks of it as an amusement park. Daisy is quite blunt near the end about how she is offended by the party and reveals her snobbish side while doing this.

1.  Gatsby states at the beginning of the chapter that she is “giving out green” how does this develop the symbolism around the green light?    

“If you want to kiss me any time during the evening, Nick, just let me know and ill be glad to arrange it for you. Just mention my name. Or present a green card. I’m giving out green”

This quote is revealing that, in this extract, Daisy is suddenly cut short by Gatsby. For him, the green card acts as a reminder of the true nature of his and Daisy’s relationship. The “green light” at the end of the dock represents Gatsby’s hope and desire to be with Gatsby. Daisy’s green cards represent the fact that Daisy is unobtainable, and the only way that they can be together is through artificial means such as green cards and shallow social gatherings

1.   While the reader can have easily predicted Daisy and Tom’s reactions to his party, Gatsby cannot. Why not?

He still has the image of past Daisy, however, she is a completely new person from who she once was. East and West Egg have different expectations for society and while Gatsby is new money, tacky, flashy and showing off, Tom and Daisy were born into their priveledges and look down on Gatsby’s class. While Tom and Daisy are classy old money people with standards and sophistication, Gatsby is not and it appears that he believes that he is part of their inner circle. To Tom and Daisy, the party is beneath them but Gatsby does not understand this because he wasn’t born into the upper-class society like East Eggers were. This reveals Gatsby’s naivety in thinking that he is one of the elite. Daisy and Tom belong to a consummate old-money society and can see the party for what it is, while Gatsby cannot.      

1.  Daisy is appalled by the West Egg “its raw vigor that chafed” What does this description mean and how does it further develop the differences between the East and West Egg?      

Daisy was born into a society of inherited wealth and appears to have the typical East Egg reaction to West Egg. The upper-class society of old money looks down on new money and since Daisy is one of the elite she does too. The East Egg society is rubbed in the wrong way by the way that West Egg people behave. This passage is an example of a synecdoche, in which a term or a part reflects the entirety of something. The “raw vigor” represents the new money society while the “euphemisms” represent old money society, these two terms represent the distinctive difference between the respective societies. The new money finds themselves restricted and suffocated under the morals of the unwelcoming society of old money, and thus they chafe under it. The society of old money, over decades, have inherited their wealth from ancestors and feel some irritation and impatience for the ridiculousness and lack of forthrightness of new money, so they therefore, look down on them.      

 What is Nick’s view on repeating the past and what is Gatsby’s opinion? Why is Gatsby’s opinion unrealistic      

Time is a manmade concept, to travel back and relive the past is impossible and an unobtainable idea. This reflects back and reveals some of Gatsby’s naivety. The inability to understand his actual reality. The life that he is loving is an unfulfilled reality that is not enough for Daisy to love Gatsby now. Nick knows that you cannot and shouldn’t relive the past, but Gatsby believes that he can just erase the last five years and start over again. His idea of a perfect reality is unrealistic because it has been five years and both Gatsby and Daisy have changed. Daisy now has a daughter.

CHAPTER 7

1. Why do you suppose that Fitzgerlad links the behaviour of the characters to the hottest day of the summer?

On a symbolic level, being hot means to be furious, hotheaded, or not in the right headspace. Fitzgerald uses the hot weather to provide an oppressive atmosphere while also making an excuse for specific characters behaviour. The hot weather makes the characters more susceptible to telling the truth and causes them to not think straight. Their behaviour can be perceived as more loose than usual. The most intense day of the year and the most intense chapter in the book. The sun acted as a drug. Water represents the flow of time, the hot weather represents being in the present moment, time stopping. Rain is cold, water represents the flow of time so the intensely hot weather represents the opposite. Time does cold things to people, people change for better or for worse over time.

  What causes Tom to realize that his wife is having an affair with Gatsby?

When the five characters head to New York, Gatsby and Daisy make a point of going in the yellow car alone. This initially makes Tom suspicious however he gets confirmation of the affair when they are drinking at the hotel. Daisy and Gatsby gave over at each other often which further strengthens Tom’s suspicions. When Daisy says “You’re so cool” to Gatsby, she is basically saying that she is in love with him. This confirms Tom’s theory and causes tension between the characters.
 

What does Gatsby understand about Daisy’s voice that Nick does not?

While in the Plaza Hotel, Gatsby has a realization. When the others are out of hearing range, Gatsby tells Nick that Daisy’s voice is full of money. Even though Nick understands that Daisy may have married Tom for his money, this realization has never occurred to him before. He notes that she represents the American Dream to Gatsby and her voice symbolises money and wealth. Daisy’s voice us enticing and money is enticing too.  Money is just an illusion just as the American Dream/Daisy is for Jay Gatsby.

1.   Why do you suppose, that Tom finally lets Wilson buy the car that he has been promising him?

He feels guilty for Wilson. His wife was having an affair with Tom and he finally feels guilty for what he has done. This represents how upper-class society believe that money can fix anything when it can not. There are two main reasons as to why Tom decides to finally accept George Wilson’s request at this point in the book. Firstly he has just discovered that his wife and Jay Gatsby are having an affair, he feels weak and powerless as Daisy may leave him and is more inclined to feel empathy for others. George Wilson has also discovered that his wife is having an affair, only hours afterwards she is recklessly killed by a car that belongs to Tom. He feels extremely guilty and somewhat responsible for his car being the death of Myrtle’s death.

5.    Why is it so important to Gatsby that Daisy says that she never loved Tom

Gatsby wants to erase the past 5 years and start over. Even though Daisy is married and now has a child he desperately wants confirmation that she never loved him so that they can move on and get married. At one point Daisy loved both men. She is afraid that once she admits that she never loved Tom than she will be Gatsby’s entirely. Gatsby’s does not want to hear the truth even if Daisy did not love him, because it destroys the foundation of the illusion that he has lived since leaving Daisy in Louisville. Because Gatsby has spent years telling himself a certain story, that he and Daisy have a true, lasting love and were meant to be together from the beginning.  If Daisy stopped loving him, he has to throw that story out. … Gatsby gives Nick the impression that Daisy only married Tom because he was there and Gatsby wasn’t.

6.   What indication is there that Tom really as fond of Myrtle?

When Tom, Nick, and Jordan are driving back from New York to the West Egg, they pass by an accident beside George Wilson’s place of residence. Tom is worried that it is Myrtle. From this, we can draw the conclusion that Myrtle means something of a sort to Tom. He will only stop the car to see what happened if it is possibly Myrtle. He additionally cries a couple of tears after he realizes that it is Myrtle who has died. She was more than just a mistress to him, just because he wasn’t willing to leave Daisy for her does not mean that she did not mean anything to him.        

7.   How has Gatsby earned most of his money? What does Tom say that startles Gatsby? What is Daisy’s reaction to this news?

Gatsby and Major Wolsheim bought a lot of streetside drug stores and sold grain alcohol over the counter. Tom also says Gatsby has something big going on but Walter Chase won’t tell him because he’s afraid Wolfsheim will kill him. Daisy stares terrified between Gatsby and her husband and she starts to withdraw into herself. She’s never seen this side of Gatsby before and it scares her.      

CHAPTER 8

1. Why was the young Gatsby drawn to Daisy

When the young Gatsby met Daisy in Louisville, he was immediately drawn to her. She was the first “nice girl” that he had ever known. He loves her house, lifestyle and the fact that she had been loved before by other men. The fact that men have already loved her only increases her worth in Gatsby’s eyes, like she is a prize or stock. He had longed for a life filled with beauty, glamour and a heightened sense of possibility, along with a real romance, and his dreams defied the realities of his birth

1. In what context do Dr TJ Eckleberg’s eyes appear in this chapter

Dr TJ Eckleberg’s eyes are the symbol of God, he is always looking down on society and judging them, but can’t do anything about it. George Wilson is the first to indicate that the advertisement symbolises God’s eyes. Dr TJ Eckleberg’s advertisement has been placed in a desecrated wasteland, so this may symbolise God, like other things in this wasteland being thrown away to the ashes.

1. When Wilson disappears for three hours, where do you guess he may have gone?

The police suspect that Wilson may have spent time trying to track down the owner of the car that killed Gatsby. He suspects that the owner of the car intended to kill Myrtle “he killed her”, so he may have gone off looking for whoever killed his wife. He meets with Tom, who he has seen driving the car before. Wilson knows that there is a connection between Tom and the car so he must have gone to meet with him to investigate who killed his wife that is why later he says “he killed her”.

1. Gatsby asks the groundskeeper not to drown the pool, Why? In light of what happens at the very end of this chapter, how is this exchange symbolically meaningful?

Gatsby wants to take a swim since he hadn’t all summer. This may imply that he is holding onto summer or Daisy. Water is a symbolic reference to the flow of time in this novel. Before Gatsby goes swimming he strips himself of his “beautiful shirts” which could signify how he is shedding himself of the materialistic principles of society. “There was a faint, barely perceptible movement of the water as the fresh flow from one end urged its way toward the drain at the other with little ripples that were hardly the shadows of waves, the laden mattress moved irregularly down the pool. A small gust of wind that scarcely corrugated the surface was enough to disturb its accidental course with its accidental burden. The touch of a cluster of leaves revolved it slowly, tracing, like the leg of a compass, a thin red circle in the water” Gatsby’s death is romanticized by Nick. He dies when swimming in the water, which represents the past, one last notion of his obsession with Daisy. The artificiality of the pool imitates a real body of water, just like the books in his library. Gatsby has the ability to make a fantasy world or illusion seem almost authentic but not quite. Gatsby’s death is a symbol of the illusion that he has constructed throughout his lifetime. Once the pool is drained “his summer love” is gone, time has stopped, he has run out of time.

1. What were Nick’s final words to Gatsby? Why is this a fitting goodbye?

While Nick is leaving Gatsby’s house, which will be the last time he ever sees Gatsby, he says “They’re a rotten crowd……You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together”. Nick says this because he is disgusted by the lifestyle and actions of West Egg society. He thinks that they aren’t worth the trouble and heartache that they have brought upon Gatsby with their selfishness and drama. He is far better than them and deserves much more. This is a fitting goodbye as it is the first and last compliment that he ever gave Gatsby. It expresses Nick’s feelings about West Egg society and gives readers closure about his thoughts and feelings in the introduction.

CHAPTER 9

1. What does Young Gatz’s schedule say about him?

Young Gatz’s schedule reveals that he was working to be better, it shows his desire for self-improvement was very important to him. He had goals that he wanted to achieve and was serious about them. It shows that he has always had a strong work ethic and was determined to achieve more than what his life was destined to be. Young Gatz may have always wanted to achieve the American Dream and his daily schedule shows how hard he was willing to work for it.

2. Is Nick surprised that Daisy has not sent flowers or a message? Are You? Why or Why not?    

Nick is not really surprised that Daisy has not sent flowers or a message. At this point Nick expected it from her, he has realized that society in the West Egg is composed of bitter selfish people. That’s just who Daisy is, that’s how everyone in West Egg is. They don’t have a care in the world for other people and the moment that things get hard they disappear and don’t turn back.

3.   What shocking piece of information does Nick receive in his chance meeting with Tom? What is Nick’s final feeling about Tom and Gatsby?

By chance Nick meets Tom in town, there he directly asked him what he told Wilson after he disappeared for three hours. Tom appears to be dumbstruck, leading Nick to realise that he guessed correctly. Tom tells Nick that he told Wilson it was Gatsby’s car that ran over Myrtle. What makes this revelation shocking is that Tom not only admitted to his involvement in Gatsby’s death but also that Daisy seemed to have lied to Tom about what actually happened that evening. Nick was unforgiving, and Tom appears to think that his actions were justified. He concluded that Tom and Daisy are careless people who only think of themselves in the long run, and that because of their wealth they expect other people to clean up the messes that they make in life.