chapter1
18. What allusion is on page 12? What social issue does the allusion highlight?
"Have you read The Rise of the Colored Empires by this man Goddard?" is an allusion to Theodore Lothrop Stoddard's The Rising Tide of Color Against White World Supremacy. It suggests the prevalent racism in twentieth-century America,.
9. What is the relationship between Nick and Daisy and Tom Buchanan?
Nick is Daisy's second cousin once removed. Tom went to college with Nick.
16. What is the author's purpose in the use of the hyperbole on page 9?
The hyperbole "The whole town is desolate," and Nick's comment that follows it are used to add humor and to emphasize the superficial boredom of the upper class.
14. Who is the other person in the Buchanan home?
The other woman is a friend of Daisy's. Her name is Jordan Baker, a professional golfer.
5. What importance is there in Nick's statement that "My family have been prominent, well-to-do people...for three generations"? (Pg. 3)
This information makes Nick's participation with socialites, money, and privilege believable for the readers.
24. What is the reader left to think about Daisy's emotional state and her relationship with Tom?
While Daisy is something of a phony, she is genuinely disturbed by Tom's philandering.
13. Analyze Fitzgerald's method of creating mood inside the Buchanan's palace.
Fitzgerald creates a light, airy mood in the home by having the wind flowing through the room, lifting the curtains, ruffling the ladies dresses. He uses a simile comparing the couch to a balloon to add to the airy, light feeling. The girls feel paralyzed with happiness.
19. Why does Miss Baker refer to California after the discussion of white supremacy?
In the post-war era, immigration had risen to new heights. In California, the immigration of Mexicans—both legally and illegally—planted the seeds of issues the United States is still grappling with.
29. The green light that Gatsby is staring at is mentioned several more times and assumes symbolic significance. Where do you think the green light might be? What can it mean?
It is probably in East Egg, across the bay from West Egg. The green light may be associated with the general meaning of a green light, go; go after the American dream, or it may be symbolic of Gatsby's dream.
26. When Nick starts the engine of his car, Daisy stops him by making the statement, "We heard you were engaged to a girl out West." What does Nick's answer reveal about his character? (Pg. 19)
Nick's answer reveals that he is not a man who will be rumored into doing anything. He is a man with a backbone, able to think for himself, able to make decisions, able to stand without crowd approval. The rumors, in fact, were the very thing that caused him to cut things off. This might also suggest that Nick is overly sensitive to the judgments of others.
7. Interpret the meaning of the simile on page 4: "They [books on investments and securities] stood like new money from the mint."
The new books on the shelf could be there simply for show, as much of what happens in East Egg and West Egg are. It is interesting to note that the books are about investments and securities. The fact that Nick has some of these books and intends to read them makes one believe that he is going to earn his money legally. The author draws a comparison between the books and mint condition. Coming from the mint can signify new money. Gatsby represents new money, thus highlighting the theme of social stratification.
15. Cite the anaphoras on page 9 and explain their use.
There are two examples of anaphora in the same paragraph. The first, "Her face was sad and lovely with bright things in it, bright eyes and a bright passionate mouth." The second, " a promise that she had done gay, exciting things just a while since and that there were gay, exciting things hovering in the next hour." By forcing the reader to read these sentences rapidly, the anaphoras contribute to the light mood.
12. Describe Tom Buchanan. What tone does the author use in his description?
Tom is a straw-haired, bossy, muscular man in his thirties with arrogant eyes. Fitzgerald uses words with negative connotations such as arrogant, proud, hard, shifting, and cruel in describing Tom, causing the reader to immediately dislike him.
22. When the telephone rings, why does Nick say that no one "was able utterly to put this fifth guest's shrill metallic urgency out of mind"? (Pg. 15)
All four of the people at the table suspect that it is Tom's mistress calling back.
25. What did Daisy mean when she said of Pammy, "I'm glad it's a girl. And I hope she'll be a fool - that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool." (Pg. 17)
Daisy, although not a fool herself, is the product of an environment that does not value intelligent, thinking women. It is preferable, in the society of the 1920s, to simply be beautiful and simple.
28. How does Fitzgerald change the mood of the story in the second paragraph on page 20?
Fitzgerald changes the mood of the story by changing the sentence structure. The sentences become very long and rhythmic with hints of alliteration and end rhyme, which have a soothing effect on the reader. For example, "The wind had blown off, leaving a loud, bright night, with wings beating in the trees and a persistent organ sound as the full bellows of the earth blew the frogs full of life." (Pg. 20)
3. What other method does Fitzgerald use to persuade the reader that Nick is credible?
Fitzgerald places Nick both inside and outside of the dramatic action.
17. What annoys Nick about Tom's response to Nick's employment?
Nick is annoyed that Tom is quick to remark he has never heard of the bond company Nick works for. It is Tom's way of diminishing Nick, keeping him in his place.
23. Why is Nick's instinct "to telephone immediately for the police"? (Pg. 16)
Nick views the situation between Tom, Daisy, and Tom's woman as a nasty one that can lead to trouble. This can be a subtle foreshadowing.
11. Cite the device and the imagery that Fitzgerald uses on page 6 to make the Buchanan palace seem alive.
Personification is used to make the Buchanan palace seem alive. The lawn appears as a runner, starting at the beach, jumping over sundials, running up the wall of the house,drawing the reader and Nick towards the house, giving the impression things are alive here.
20. What unflattering feature of Jordan Baker's personality is revealed?
She is an unashamed eavesdropper.
6. What is the setting of the story?
The story is set in 1922, in West Egg and East Egg, approximately 20 miles east of New York City, near the Long Island Sound.
21. During the dinner conversation, Nick wanted to "look squarely at everyone, and yet to avoid all eyes." (Pg. 15) This statement is an example of what type of rhetorical device? What does this convey to the reader?
This is an example of antithesis: a contrasting relationship between two ideas. The author uses this in this conversation to convey to the reader a sense of complexity in a person, namely Tom.
27. 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?
He feels touched because Tom and Daisy seem genuinely interested in his life. He is confused about why Daisy does not act more maternal, more like a wife and mother. He is disgusted, but not surprised, by Tom's infidelity.
2. What advice does Nick's father give him? Why does Fitzgerald have Nick share his father's advice with the reader?
Nick's father tells him, "Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had." (p.1) Nick shares this advice because he wants the reader to know that he is not a man who jumps to conclusions, but has learned to give people the benefit of the doubt. Fitzgerald wants to establish Nick as a credible narrator and a sympathetic character.
1. What purpose do the first four paragraphs serve?
The first four paragraphs are used as a prologue to introduce the narrator, Nick Carraway.
10. Interpret the oxymoron on page 6: "two old friends whom I scarcely knew at all."
The phrase containing the oxymoron "Old friends" is a term used to indicate deep friendships, and, yet, Nick states he scarcely knows them. Perhaps this foreshadows the fact that even though he thinks he knows them, he will find out he knows little of them. It also suggests the superficiality of the upper class. Daisy is a relative of Nick's, and Tom is an old college friend. Nick has known them a long time (old friends), but he does not know them well. Their relationship has always been surface-level and superficial.
4. What does the statement "When I came back from the East last autumn..." tell you about the story to follow? (Pg. 2)
The statement tells the reader that Nick has returned to his home in the West and is telling the story of Gatsby through the filter of time.
8. How is West Egg different from East Egg?
They are dissimilar in every way but size and shape. East Egg is more fashionable; the residents are from old money. West Egg is nouveau riche, the newly rich, considered gauche and uncultured by the East Eggers.