The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Short Answer: Please use at least one complete sentence to answer each question.
Incomplete sentences will not be considered.
1. How is Nick Carraway connected to Daisy? To Gatsby?
2. Why does Gatsby befriend Nick?
3. Why does Gatsby throw such lavish parties?
4. What habits of Gatsby suggest that his persona is carefully constructed?
Persona: (noun) one’s public image or personality, as opposed to the inner self.
5. What type of business is Meyer Wolfsheim involved in? What does this lead us to believe about
Gatsby?
6. What do Gatsby’s shirts represent to Daisy?
7. Why does Nick agree to set Daisy up with Gatsby over tea?
8. Why did Daisy marry Tom? Why didn’t she marry Gatsby?
9. What’s the difference between the Buchanans and the “new rich”?
10. Name two things that Tom and Daisy do that suggest that they don’t believe the rules apply to
them.
11. Why does Tom feel threatened by Gatsby, even before he knows about Daisy’s affair?
12. Is Gatsby’s opinion of Daisy realistic? Why or why not?
13. How does Myrtle die? Who kills her?
14. What choice did Daisy make that led to Gatsby’s death? What was her motive in making that
choice?
15. Why did readers of the 1930’s lose interest in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s writing?
Essay: Write at least 1 paragraph (3+ sentences) to answer each question.
16. How are the following symbols used in the movie?
* Colors (Daisy’s favorite color is white; Myrtle prefers orange; Gatsby has a yellow car and a
pink suit that Tom finds ridiculous)
* The industrial “waste land” between East Egg and West Egg (where Myrtle lives with her
husband)
* Eyes & Seeing (the eyes on the sign in the waste land, things that are witnessed, things that
are kept hidden, mistaken identity)
17. Explain the relationship of The Great Gatsby to the movement of Modernism. How does it reflect
Modernist ideas? Consider: fragmented societies and relationships, a rejection of traditional values,
restlessness, a search for meaning.
18. Compare and contrast Jay Gatsby and J. Alfred Prufrock. Consider their relationships to women,
their desires, the degree to which they act on their desires, and the importance of their social
standing.
19. How would you define The American Dream? In their search for their own versions of The
American Dream, each major character in The Great Gatsby behaves differently. Examine Nick
Carraway, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, and Jay Gatsby. Which characters (if any) personify a corrupt
version of The American Dream? Which characters (if any) personify a pure version of The American
Dream? Explain.
20. Who is the real person--Jay Gatsby or Jimmy Gatz? In other words, when he transforms himself
from Jimmy Gatz into Jay Gatsby, is he becoming the man he was meant to be or is he trying to be
someone he’s not? Explain & give examples.
BONUS:
List 2 of the rumors that were told about Gatsby.