THE GREAT
GATSBY
CHAPTERS 3-4, PGS 39-80
GATSBY’S PARTIES
Chapters 3 & 4
Who are the people that attend the parties? What seem to be some
shared characteristics of these people?
“… the air is alive with chatter and laughter, and casual innuendo and
introductions forgotten on the spot, and enthusiastic meetings between
women who never knew each other’s names,” (40).
The narrator refers to the socializing women as gypsies – why?
GATSBY’S PARTY
Why do you think that Nick was initially uncomfortable at the party?
Nick’s first impressions & observations of Gatsby:
What does Gatsby do for a living?  Suspicious?
-He doesn’t want trouble with anyone (new dress)
-Received phone call from Chicago and Philadelphia (keep in
mind that it is late at night)
AT THE END OF THE PARTY…
How are the guests behaving? What does this behavior reveal?
Accumulated Gatsby rumors by the end of the night:
-cousin of ruler of Germany during WWII
-killed a man
-German spy during War
-In American army during War
-Is an Oxford man
NICK’S REFLECTION
“Reading over what I have written so far, I see I have given the impression
that the events of the three nights several weeks apart were all that
absorbed me. On the contrary, they were merely casual events in a
crowded summer, and, until much later, they absorbed me infinitely less
than my personal affairs,” (55-56).
What could Nick mean when he uses the word absorbed?
Do you think his reflection above is true? Why or why not?
“I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known,” (59).
CHAPTER 4
Why does Nick spend so much time describing the
guests? Recall the theme of appearances versus
reality.
GATSBY’S “REAL” LIFE STORY
“I don’t want to give you the wrong idea of me,” (65).
What details does Gatsby tell Nick about his life?
Does Nick believe his story? Why or why not?
VILLAGE OF ASHES
What happens when Gatsby is pulled over by the police in the village
of ashes? What does this say about his character?
Why is the setting of this scene important and what might this
situation represent?
WOLFSHEIM
Who is Meyer Wolfsheim?
How does he shed light on Gatsby’s character?
THE STORY
What important story does Jordan tell Nick about Daisy?
GATSBY’S INTENTIONS
Gatsby bought his house so that Daisy would be right across the bay.
Why is Gatsby so insistent about having tea with Daisy at Nick’s
house?
How do you think Nick’s perception of Gatsby has changed by the end
of the chapter?