Great Gatsby Chapter Questions

describe Tom's "girl" in 3-4 sentences

Thickish, middle thirties, stout, not very pretty...it's no secret but it tis to the husband..he just hasn't figured it out yet

describe Tom and Daisy's relationship

Tom is mean and controlling. They like to hurt each other by their actions. They want everyone else to think they are the perfect couple.

about what has Tom been reading? what does the book's philosophy indicate about Tom's views? what does this day about American society at the time?

Tom is reading The Rise of the Colored Empires. The book suggest that Tom is a racist. There is still racism in America at that time.

what is the lie Tom told Catherine? why do you think he lied?

Tom told Catherine that Daisy was Catholic and that's why she wouldn't leave her husband.

describe Tom in 3-5 sentences

Tom was wealthy and strong. He was mean to people. He attended school with Nick. He was a cheater and is racist.

why do you think Tom is attracted to Myrtle?

While Tom and Daisy are members of the social elite and upper class in the novel, Fitzgerald wants the reader to be aware that they are not morally elite or upper class - they are actually immoral and selfish people. Tom's attraction to Myrtle is a reflection of this. Myrtle is not a good person - that can be why Tom is attracted to her.

what are the advantages/ disadvantages of having Nick narrate the story of The Great Gatsby, rather than having Gatsby tell the story by himself?

advantages- Nick will tell the story from an outsiders view. disadvantages- It gives too much detail about how nick is doing and what he's doing...if it were gatsby we could get straight to the point and know how gatsby feels about stuff

what rumor had Daisy heard about Nick?

that Nick was engaged

from what point of view is the story being told? in what tense?

the story is being told from the point of view of Nick (the narrator) and in first person point of view.

how does Nick compare East and West Egg? Who is Nick's neighbor? How does Nick describe his neighbor's house?

- East egg- is old money and -west egg new money. Mr. Gatsby. It was like a machine. - Nick lives next to Gatsby - Nick says his neighbor's house is a mansion and is

why is the ending of chapter 2 so disjointed? what had Nick been doing all evening that might have caused this strange narrative?

- The end is disjointed because Nick got drunk and then couldn't remember what happened, and was all over the place - Tom had been drinking all evening

what does Tom do to Myrtle when she repeats Daisy's name? what do you think of Tom's reaction? why do you think he did it? was it appropriate? what hints from the first chapter indicated Tom was capable of this behavior?

- Tom punches Myrtle in the face making her nose bleed - I think Tom overrated in this situation - it was not appropriate - Tom was mentioned as very muscular in the first chapter

chapter 1 begins with a quote, " Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had" what does this quote mean? what conclusions/predictions can you make about the narrator from this quote?

- this quote means don't forget to be grateful for the advantages given to you - the narrator seems to have been influenced (by his father) to be a grateful individual

compare/contrast the personalities and physical characteristics of Myrtle and Daisy. be sure to list 3-5 similarities and/or differences.

Daisy is fun and bouncy and slim and pretty and charming and alluring. Myrtle is mean, thick, older, snappy, to the point.

describe Daisy in 3-5 sentences

Daisy was Nick's cousin. She was beautiful and rich. She was a socialite. She was a party girl. She ignores that her husband is having an affair.

what do we learn about Tom from the phone call? how does Daisy deal with the interruption?

He is having an affair but Daisy ignores it.

what strange sight does Nick see at the end of chapter 1?

He sees Gatsby staring at the stars, with his arms out.

describe the valley of ashes. what might the ashes symbolize?

It is a trashy place where things are dumped. It symbolizes the work force and lower class. It is where the ashes of mills and factories are dumped (in New York)

what business transaction is going on between Tom and Mr. Wilson?

Mr. Wilson is trying to buy Tom's car.

list 5-7 important details that we learn about the narrator from this chapter

Nicks family was rich and he judged other people by how much money they had. You will never know the value of a person by judging them by how much money they have.

what does Daisy mean when she says "And I hope she'll be a fool-that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful fool"?

She hopes her daughter does not see evil in the world. She hopes she will learn someday to ignore her husband's wrong doings.

describe Mr. and Mrs. Wilson's relationship. how did Myrtle know she made a "mistake" when she married Wilson?

She that he was a gentlemen, but she knew it was a mistake when she found out he borrowed a man's best suit.

explain how Tom and Myrtle met

She was heading to New York City to see her sister. She and Tom ended up on two little seats on the train facing each other "that are always the last ones left on the train." Myrtle was attracted initially by Tom's patent leather shoes and dress suit. This suggests she was attracted by his money. She says she kept pretending to look at the advertisement over his head, but apparently she was able to signal her interest--or Tom saw her as ripe for the plucking--because he ended up sitting next to her. Again, it is his clothes that she remembers. She never provides any physical description of him, because it's his wealth, not himself, that interests her. She recalls his "white shirt front" pressed against her arm. She tells him she is going to call the police, but he knows she is lying. Myrtle describes being so excited when she gets into the taxi with him that she hardly knows it's not a "subway train." She tells Nick that she kept thinking, "You can't live forever, you can't live forever."

make a comparison of the homes of Nick, Gatsby, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, and George and Myrtle Wilson. how does each home reflect the personality of its owners?

The Buchanans have the biggest house out of the three as they are old money. Due to this they have the most materialistic house, and the only things they buy is the most expensive thing in the shop. Gatsby has the second biggest house, but as he is new money the house means more to him and is therefore not as materialistic . The smallest house out of the three is Nick's. As he is the most modest and has the most values out of the three he does not want a big materialistic house.

describe the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg. what might they represent (or symbolize)

The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are a pair of fading, bespectacled eyes painted on an old advertising billboard over the valley of ashes. They may represent God staring down upon and judging American society as a moral wasteland, though the novel never makes this point explicitly.