Gatsby Chapter 1 and 2 Review

Find the words used to describe Daisy's most noticeable feature.

Daisy's most noticeable feature is she has a "voice that the ear follows up and down, as if each speech is an arrangement of notes that will never be played again." (9)

Daisy says "Tom is getting very profound." What do you think her tone might have been?

Daisy's tone was full and expressing sarcasm. (13)

Does Tom try to keep his affair with Myrtle a secret? Why or why not?

Tom does try to keep his relationship a secret some. He does this because East Eggers generally don't like Myrtle's type. (26)

What does Tom do when Myrtle screams Daisy's name?

Tom face palms Myrtle and breaks her nose. (37)

How is West Egg different from East Egg?

West Egg is the less fashionable of the two, not as classy, new money. (5)

The action in the story takes place over the course of one summer. What occurs that makes Nick feel that his life is beginning over again?

What makes Nick feel his life is beginning over again is a man asking him for instructions for West Egg Nate feels he fits in. (4)

In what way is the party in the apartment different from the dinner at the Buchanans' in Chap 1? In what way is it similar?

At the dinner party, things were a bit more elegant and civilized in a way, while at the apartment party there was a lot more casualness to it and people getting drunk. The two parties are similar in the sense that people were not fully themselves and there was gossip. (14-16, 29-37)

What does Nick say is "gorgeous" about Gatsby? (end of fourth paragraph)

Gatsby has great optimism. (2)

Compare/Contrast George Wilson and Tom, and Myrtle Wilson and Daisy.

George is an old, submissive man who acts more passive while Tom is probably younger and is very gruff and boss-like. Daisy is a very talkative lady who is pretty stupid rich, dead inside, while Myrtle is a big lady who is gruff like Tom. (25, 26)

Before meeting him, what do we learn of Tom Buchanan?

HE was very wealthy, football player, inherited his money, arrogant and peaked at college in arrogance. (7)

Do you think Tom will leave Daisy for Myrtle? Support your answer.

I do not think Tom will leave Daisy for Myrtle. I say so because he is not willing to let himself be seen with her even in a train car of strangers (26) and he hits Myrtle just cause she was saying Daisy's name, which could of been resolved in a much less violent way. (37)

What may be the significance of "The Eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg?"

I feel the significance of the eyes is how they appear to see everything as long as they exist. (23-24)

At this point, what is your opinion of Daisy?

I think Daisy is a fussy rich girl who is so rich she's dumb. Topic hopper. (9)

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

I think Daisy is sad with Tom, but acts happy. (17)

In the same paragraph, Nick tells us of his disillusionment with mankind. In your opinion, is it Gatsby or something else that causes the disillusionment?

I think disillusionment comes from when we just fail at our own expectations. Gatsby seems to me as someone who actually shaped themselves based on their failures, when we usually do on our successions. (2) Dust of Gatsby's dream

In Chapter One, we meet the narrator, Nick Carraway. These first four paragraphs serve as a prologue that introduces the rest of the story. What information does Nick give us about himself in this prologue?

In chapter one, we learn that Nick went to college, was accused of being a politician, served in the Great War, and his dad told him from a young age that he has had advantages others haven't. (1)

Who is Jordan Baker, and what has Nick heard about her?

Jordan Baker is a friend of Daisy who is in pictures of the spring life at Asheville and Hot Springs and Palm Beach. Nick has heard a critical, unpleasant story about her in the past. (18) Pro golfer who cheats and lies.

We found out that Tom has a woman in New York. What unflattering feature of Jordan Baker's personality revealed?

Jordan Baker's unflattering trait is she's dishonest and gossips. (15)

The description of the "valley of ashes" opens Chapter Two. On a literal level, what is the valley of ashes? What might it represent on a symbolic level (think about how Nick describes Gatsby's dreams in Chap 1)

Literally, the valley of ashes is a road which joins together and runs next to the railroad. Symbolically, the valley of ashes is a farm of dust which is like a blockage to temporary happiness to men. Dead dreams. (2, 23)

Explain the puppy episode and why it is significant.

Myrtle wants to buy a puppy from a man so she asks for a police dog. The man hands over an Airedale and says it's a boy. Tom disagrees and says it's a girl then he and Myrtle depart. This is all significant because it was really easy for Myrtle to get the puppy from Tom, but it's not discussed how the puppy will be taken care of. (27, 28)

When Nick returns from the war, why does he decide to go East?

Nick decides to go East to live where it's busy, to get a "thrill". (3)

As Nick drives away from their house, he experiences a number of conflicting emotions. Why does he feel touched? Why does he feel confused and disgusted?

Nick feels touched because he talked to old friends on their interests. He was confused and disgusted though because it seemed that the thing for Daisy to do was rush out of the house, child in arms, but she didn't have the intentions to do that in her head. (20) People actually caring about him touched him then he realized they're awful people.

What is Nick's socio-economic background?

Nick has grown in a family who has done well with a passed down hardware company. He went to prep school, lives in a shack, got money from buisness which grandpa sent substiute to start buisness during Civil War (3)

What gossip about Gatsby does Nick learn at the party?

Nick learns that Gatsby is supposedly a murderer and the nephew or cousin of Kaiser Wilhelm. (32)

When the telephone rings a second time, why does Nick say, "No one was able utterly to put this fifth guest's shrill metallic urgency out of mind"?

Nick says, "No one was able utterly to put this fifth guest's shrill metallic urgency out of mind," because he's emphasizing how everyone instantly paid attention to the phone, instead of ignoring it and continuing their conversations. (13-14)

Throughout the chapter, we see Myrtle's lack of intelligence and sophistication. What examples show that?

On page 35, Myrtle appears to be giving pretty personal information about her marriage to those who might not even be that close and she is continually getting drunk. She also gets in a physical fight with Tom by shouting Daisy's name over and over until hit. (37)

What three sentences indicate that Nick thinks Daisy's cynical outburst is fake?

The three sentences indicate that Nick thinks Daisy's cynical outburst is fake is, "The instant her voice broke off ceasing to compel my attention, my belief, I felt the basic insincerity of what she has said. It made me uneasy, as Go the whole evening had been a trick of some sort to exact a contributory in motion from me. I waited, and sure enough, in a moment she looked at me with an absolute smirk in her lovely face, as if she had asserted her membership in a rather distinguished secret society to which she and Tom belonged." (17)