The Great Gatsby
Study Questions
Chapter 1
1. What is the advice that Nick’s father gave him when he was younger than he
“turns over in his mind” since he received the advice?
2. What happens with Nick since he followed that advice?
3. How does Nick feel about Gatsby?
4. What does Nick mean when he says, “life is much more successfully looked at
from a single window, after all?
5. What is West Egg, how does it compare to East Egg, and why are they both
important?
6. Who is Tom Buchanan?
7. Who is Daisy Buchanan?
8. How does Tom treat Daisy? There is a specific physical event that Daisy
mentions that seems to reveal something about Tom.
9. What was Tom’s telephone call he received over dinner about?
10. Nick’s reaction is important. What was his reaction to the events that occurred
over diner?
11. What is evidence of Daisy’s cynicism?
12. What do we know about Miss Baker?
Chapter 2
1. What is half way between East Egg and New York?
2. What might this place symbolize in the novel Why is the place in the novel?
3. What is the odd thing that Nick describes in the Valley of Ashes that took you a
little time to figure out?
4. Why does Nick meet Tom’s mistress even though he has not desire to meet her?
5. Nick mentions some physical contact between himself and Tom. What
conclusions can you continue to draw about Tom from Nick’s comments?
6. How does Tom deal with public reaction to his affair?
7. Who is George Wilson and what is his occupation?
8. What does Myrtle want to purchase when they get into the city?
9. What happens to Myrtle when she “changes her costume”?
10. Who is Catherine?
11. What do we find out about George and Myrtle’s marriage and what rumor does
she tell about Tom and Daisy’s marriage?
12. What does Tom do to Myrtle at the end of the chapter and why?
Chapter 3
1. There is quite a lengthy description at the beginning of the chapter that describes
the setting for the entire chapter. What is going on in that setting?
2. How did Nick come to attend the party?
3. What was required to attend one of Gatsby’s parties? If you answered this
question specifically from the novel, what does this mean exactly.
4. Why do you think that Gatsby throws these parties, especially if he does not dink
and seems not to socialize very much?
5. How did Nick feel at the party initially?
6. What is the general attitude of the guests at Gatsby’s parties? There are multiple
attitudes, what is the most common one mentioned?
7. What was the kind gesture from Gatsby to one of his guests that had an accident
at one of his previous parties?
8. What is the speculation of the guest as to why Gatsby took this action?
9. What does this complicated quote say about Gatsby – “It was testimony to the
romantic speculation he inspired that there were whispers about him from those
who had found little that it was necessary to whisper about in this world.”?
10. What does the “stout, middle-aged man with enormous owl-eyed spectacles” find
while sitting in the library? What does this reveal about people in Gatsby’s social
circle that is different about Gatsby?
11. What happened to Nick when he drinks?
12. What was it rumored that Gatsby had done?
13. How did Nick feel Gatsby acted as the “hilarity increased”?
14. Jordan and Gatsby spend time together. What does Jordan tell Nick after she
finishes her visit with Gatsby?
15. What does Nick take time to reflect upon near the end of the chapter when he says
he has read what has written so far?
16. Nick begins spending time with Jordan. What does he figure about her?
17. Do you think that Nick is an honest person?
Chapter 4
1. What are the speculations made about Gatsby in the beginning of the chapter?
2. How is Gatsby’s car described?
3. What does Nick say that he knows about Gatsby through their conversations?
4. When Gatsby begins to reveal information about himself to Nick, what is Nick’s
reaction?
5. What is the event that Gatsby relates to Nick about himself?
6. Gatsby’s souvenirs “prove that he is someone.” What does all of this reveal?
7. Gatsby says he finds himself “among strangers” and “drifts” for a reason. What is
that reason?
8. Gatsby revealed something to Nick about himself to make an impression. Then
he set up the meeting between Jordan and Nick. Why did he do this?
9. What is revealed in their visit with Mr. Wolfshiem?
10. What does Gatsby do when Tom enters the scene?
11. What does Jordan reveal to Nick?
12. What is implied by Nick and Jordan’s proximity to one another at the end of the
chapter?
13. Why did Gatsby purchase the house he is in?
Chapter 5
1. What change seems to have come over Gatsby in the beginning of the chapter?
2. As events progress up to the meeting between Gatsby and Daisy, how would you
describe Gatsby’s continued change?
3. It even appears that Nick is on better footing with Gatsby. What is different
between the two of them?
4. How does the meeting between Gatsby and Daisy go initially?
5. What does this meeting lead to?
6. What does it appear that Gatsby is trying to do to Daisy?
7. What was the meeting like initially?
8. Nick expresses specific changes that came over Gatsby. What were those
changes? Do you notice anything about Daisy during the visit?
9. Daisy begins to cry over his shirts. What explanation can you give for this?
10. The symbol of the green light was, at once, important. How has this symbol
changed?
11. Nick reflects on the intensity of Gatsby’s dream of meeting Daisy again. How
does he feel that Daisy has measured up to his dream?
12. What is meant by the quote found on page 101 that says, “No amount of fire or
freshness can challenge what a man will sore up in his ghostly heart”?
13. One characteristic of Daisy that Nick mentions more than once is her voice. What
does he say about her voice at the end of the chapter?
Chapter 6
1. What can you say about Gatsby’s reputation?
2. How did Gatsby come to be?
3. What conclusions do you draw from Nick’s perception of the party that Tom
attended? How does Tom’s reaction add to this perception?
4. Daisy begins to develop an attitude about her surroundings, especially West Egg.
How might this play a part in the plot that is being created?
5. How is Gatsby’s plan working out?
6. What did you get from the final paragraph on page 117? Specifically, I would
like you to focus on the line that says, “…his mind would never romp again like
the mind of God.” What kind of affect did Daisy have on Gatsby?
Chapter 7
1. Nick said that the curiosity about Gatsby was aroused to its height and then it
appears that Gatsby has shut down. What do you think has really happened?
2. What do you think is significant about the heat?
3. What is the mood when Gatsby and Tom are in one another’s company?
4. As they continue to more and shake about, Tom seems to become aware of what
is happening and Mr. Wilson seems to be getting some sort of notion about his
wife. What seems to be building with all of this knowledge?
5. What do they mean on the top of page 127 when they say, referring to Daisy, that
her “voice is full of money”?
6. Why do you think that T. J. Eckleburg’s eyes return to the picture again?
7. What does Gatsby want Daisy to admit and is she able to comply with his wishes?
8. After the big fall out between the couples, Tom sends Daisy home with Gatsby.
What is the catastrophic event that happens on the way home? What is significant
about this event with regard to Daisy?
9. How is Tom reacting to what happened on the road?
10. How is Gatsby reacting to what happened on the road?
Chapter 8
1. In a previous chapter, it is revealed that Gatsby “created” himself. One of the
major influences was the tycoon named Cody. It is in this chapter that the other
major influence of his creation is revealed. Who is the other influence and what
part do you think he or she played in the creation of Gatsby?
2. On page 157, there is a line that says, “…Gatsby was overwhelmingly aware of
the youth and mystery that wealth imprisons and preserves.” What do you make
of this quote? How would you interpret it?
3. What do you think Daisy could not continue to wait for Gatsby?
4. What might cause you to believe that Gatsby is obsessed? Would it be
appropriate to use the word delusional to describe Gatsby?
5. What is the compliment that Nick pays Gatsby and what do you think he means
by it?
6. What did Wilson speculate once he calmed down and began muttering about the
accident?
7. How do the eyes of T. J. Eckleburg factor into all of this?
8. There is lots of foreshadowing in this chapter, as well as chapters past. What do
you make of the following quote and what in it reveals foreshadowing, “A new
world, material without being real, where poor ghosts, breathing dreams like air,
drifted fortuitously about…like that ashen, fantastic figure gliding toward him
through the amorphous tree.”
9. What happened at the very end of the chapter?
Chapter 9
1. Nick describes the fascination with Gatsby even after his death. There could have
been a complicated, ugly story. One person, however, seemed to keep it all in
check. Who is that person and what did she do?
2. On page 172, Nick says that he was “responsible.” What does he mean by this?
Would you says that he is referring to being responsible before or after the
accident? Why would be responsible and for what?
3. Nick spent some time trying to “get someone” for Gatsby. What was the reason
he was trying to “get someone”? How difficult was it? What does this reveal
about his society and Gatsby’s life?
4. Who finally met Nick at Gatsby’s house? Describe the character a little and
discuss the connection between Gatsby and the man.
5. During the graveside ceremony, someone arrived to pay his final respects. What
did this person think of the situation with careful regard to bath?
6. Nick points out that one of the major factors that he has been observing is East
Egg and West Egg. Can you tell me the differences between the two and how
these two cultures may have played a role in Gatsby’s demise?
7. When Nick and Jordan had their talk, they mention Nick’s metaphorical advice
about a bad driver. Was this exchange significant?
8. What are Nick’s opinions of Tom and Daisy at the end of the novel?
9. Please interpret the final two paragraphs of the final chapter?