Key+Study+Questions+-+Gatsby

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** Key Gatsby Study Questions ** **__ The Great Gatsby – Study Questions __** [The opening introduction from Nick]
 * Chapter 1 **
 * How are we introduced to Nick?
 * How do we know he is going to be a reliable narrator?
 * What does he have to say about Gatsby?

[The rest of the chapter 1]
 * What tone is set? And how?
 * What glimpses do we get into Fitzgerald’s message for the novel?
 * How is Tom described?
 * How is Daisy described?
 * What do we learn about the importance of place? Both in terms of East vs West and East Egg vs West Egg.
 * Why does Daisy want her daughter to be a ‘beautiful little fool’?
 * To what extent is Gatsby’s reaching out for Daisy achievable?


 * Chapter 2 **
 * What do we learn about Tom in chapter 2?
 * o Focus on his two relationships (with Daisy and Myrtle)
 * What do we learn about marriage in this society?
 * How do these people pass their time?
 * What is the Valley of Ashes synonymous with? And why is it so important?


 * Chapter 3 **
 * How are large parties intimate? And what does it tell about those that frequent them?
 * Who is Gatsby?
 * o What are the rumours that fly around about him?
 * o What is the //truth// about him?
 * Compare Nick’s opinion of Gatsby to his preconceived notion.
 * What did Gatsby’s “understanding smile” convey and why is it of consequence?
 * How does Jordan’s comment and careless people reassure us about Nick? What does it tell us about her? What does it tell us about her social strata?
 * How does Nick’s honesty take on a greater importance considering those he socialises with?


 * Chapter 4 **
 * How much of what Gatsby says is true?
 * How many of the rumours about Gatsby may be true?
 * What light is shed on Daisy’s past?
 * What is Gatsby’s raison d’etre?
 * “‘And Daisy ought to have something in her life.’ Murmured Jordan.” How is this quotation important?


 * Chapter 5 **
 * How is the weather used symbolically in this chapter?
 * Why does Gatsby tell Nick that it took him three years to earn the money to buy his house?
 * Chart the three stages that Gatsby passes through. Why is this transition important? Find a quotation to justify each stage.
 * Why does Daisy cry over Gatsby’s shirts?
 * Explain, using quotations from towards the end of the chapter, why Gatsby’s dream of Daisy is doomed to failure.


 * Chapter 6 **
 * How does Gatsby want what Daisy cannot give?
 * What was the point of all the summer parties?
 * How has Gatsby tried to recreate the past?
 * What is Gatsby’s true past?
 * What role does Nick appear to play in Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship?


 * Chapter 7 **
 * Explain the symbolic importance and meaning of the following:
 * o The colour white and the colour yellow
 * o Cars
 * Explain the importance of the weather in Chapter 7.
 * Chart the ways in which Daisy’s voice is described in this chapter.
 * What is the truth about how Gatsby became wealthy?
 * How does Gatsby’s dream fall apart?
 * How does Daisy’s perception of Gatsby change here – and to what end?
 * What is the importance of it being Nick’s 30th birthday?


 * Chapter 8 **
 * What finally brings out Gatsby’s honesty?
 * What do we learn of Daisy’s past and of her ideals?
 * How is Gatsby “worth more than the whole damn bunch put together”?
 * How, and why, does Nick disapprove of Gatsby?
 * o And what effect does this have on the reader?
 * How is T.J. Eckleberg important in this Chapter?
 * How are auditory images used effectively in Chapter 8?
 * o Think about the telephone specifically. What could it symbolise?
 * Why does much of this Chapter take place in the Valley of Ashes?
 * What price has Gatsby paid for “living too long with a single dream”?


 * Chapter 9 **
 * How does Gatsby “turn out alright in the end”? (p.8)
 * Why does no-one come to Gatsby’s funeral?
 * What has the East come to symbolise for Nick?
 * What is Nick’s considered opinion of the Buchanans?
 * What is Nick/Fitzgerald saying about The American Dream?
 * What if the message behind the final words of the novel?

**__ Essay Questions __**
 * Discuss the role of the Doctor T. J. Eckleburg as a symbol of the society in which he is placed.
 * Discuss the role of money as the motivating force of this novel.
 * What is Fitzgerald’s view of illusion versus reality in this novel?
 * To what extent does Nick as narrator influence your perception of Gatsby’s world?
 * To what extent are women in this novel victims of a sexist society?
 * Compare the beginning and the ending of the novel. Has Gatsby changed?
 * Prove that Gatsby is worth more than “the whole damn bunch put together”.
 * Discuss how Fitzgerald effectively conveys the theme of waste in the American Dream.
 * The reunion of Daisy and Gatsby, a rather sordid relationship, signals simultaneously the beginning and the end of Gatsby’s dream and of his success. Justify this statement.


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