Review by Frequently Asked Questions
The Great Gatsby
Chapter 1:
Why does Daisy always speak in such
exaggerated phrases?
By overdoing her remarks she manages to
minimize everything she says. If she
describes s something minimal as
absolutely wonderful, she actually
diminishes its value. By exaggerating the
importance of everything, Daisy reveals
that nothing is very important to her.
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Why does Gatsby reach out to the
water?
He is so near and yet so far. It has taken
him five years to come this close to his
dream, so close that he can reach his arm
out to the green light across the bay. Our
first introduction to Gatsby is a moving
image that defines the man throughout the
novel; Gatsby stretching out his arms
toward an elusive dream that he cannot
quite reach.
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Chapter 2:
Why does Myrtle behave with such
hauteur, both toward her husband and
toward her guests in the city
apartment?
Her arrogance satirizes the arrogance of
the entire social structure of society. She
believes herself to be “somebody” and
looks down on her inferiors. Most of the
people in this novel are involved in
climbing the slippery ladder toward
social success, grasping frantically for the
rung above and kicking at those on the
rung below.
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Why does Tom break Myrtle’s nose?
Tom is a brute. This early act
foreshadows the vicious indifference with
which Tome will send the crazed Wilson
off to murder Gatsby. His behavior also
underscores the hypocrisy of class social
structure in society. It is all right for Tom
to humiliate and wound his wife with his
infidelity, but is unforgivable for Myrtle to
even mention Daisy’s name. Tom hit
Myrtle to teach her place.
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Chapter 3:
What is the significance of the owl-eyed
man?
He is tied to the enormous glasses of T.J.
Eckleberg, as a symbolic figure that sees beyond
the superficial facades. The owl-eyed man stands
in contrast to the aimless, pleasure seeking
crowds that attend Gatsby’s parties—crowds that
have abandoned civil decency for casual whims.
When the owl-eyed man sees the books in the
library, he seems to be the only one who
understands that Gatsby has depth. When the
owl-eyed man describes Gatsby as a real Belasco,
a famous theatrical producer, he realizes that
Gatsby has provided not a home for himself, but as
a background for a greater purpose. Later, Nick
realizes that Gatsby's home has been a stage set
for his reunion with Daisy. The owl-eyed man is
the only one of the countless party guests to attend
Gatsby’s funeral and pay his respects.
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What is the significance of Jordan’ lies?
Her dishonesty is part of her basic
character, just as it is a part of the social
hierarchy of which she takes an active
part. Her cheating at golf, part of her
drive to win, is the kind of dishonesty that
the wealthy and powerful of society can
accept. Ironically Gatsby’s drive to
succeed is considered unacceptable.
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Chapter 4:
Why is the long list of Gatsby’s party
guests included?
The long list of shallow party guests
combined with the insignificant trivia Nick
recalls about them stresses the
meaninglessness of the diversion seeking
crowds. These shady and shallow partiers
are the sort whom later Daisy finds
distasteful and for whom Tom shows
contempt. Ironically there is not a
significant difference between Gatsby’s
party guests and Tom and Myrtle’s party
guests from Chapter Two.
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Why does Gatsby continually use the
phrase “old sport”?
This is a reflection of the phony external
self Gatsby adopts in order to reinforce
his attempt to secure status and
particularly his claims to attendance at
Oxford. This specific expression is
significant in the book. Gatsby is a
“sport” in the true sense of the word, as
his ongoing gallantry toward Daisy
demonstrates. By using the term to
address others, Gatsby shows that he
trusts the world to treat him in a
sportsmanlike manner, which tragically, it
does not.
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Chapter 5:
Why was the history of Gatsby’s house
retold?
The mansion was constructed by a successful
brewer who wanted to make his mark in the social
world. The brewer had offered the cottage
owners near his home money to put thatched roofs
on their homes to look like his peasants. The local
cottage owners refused to put themselves in the
position of peasants, representing how in America
everyone dreams of the status of becoming
somebody. Ultimately, the brewer failed to make
his mark and later died. The brewers’
background is parallel to Gatsby, who makes his
fortune from bootlegging, buys the house to make
his social entry into wealthy society, and meets his
own death there.
Quote from the book:
Why does Fitzgerald include the scene
of Klipspringer’s song?
Gatsby calling on Klipspringer to sing a song
reinforces Gatsby’s desire to create the perfect
background for Daisy. Gatsby calls on a resident
musician like a king calls on a court to display the
wonders of his wealth. The song itself has
tremendous irony. The theme of the song is that
money is not necessary for happiness. However
the lyrics contrast to the actions of the majority of
the characters in the book. Klipspringer himself
abandons Gatsby as soon as he can no longer
sponge off an agreeable host, Daisy deserted
Gatsby in the war for a wealthier man, and Gatsby
himself has been trapped by the belief that
material possessions are the key to happiness.
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Chapter Six:
Why does Fitzgerald choose to reveal
the truth about Gatsby’s background at
this particular point in the novel?
The preceding chapter ended with the
hoped for fulfillment of Gatsby’s dream.
This chapter shows the source of Gatsby’s
dream. The sweetness of his possessing
Daisy in his mansion is somehow
intensified and made more poignant by
the revelation of Gatsby’s desire to win
back Daisy.
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Why is it mentioned that Gatsby never
receives the inheritance left to him by
Dan Cody?
Gatsby never gets the inheritance that he
is “entitled to,” --ideally either the
American dream that promises love,
status, and happiness as inseparable from
material happiness or symbolically in the
dream that Daisy represents.
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Chapter Seven:
In the midst of all of the dramatic
conflict, what is the significance of
Nick realizing it is his thirtieth
birthday?
Nick has matured during the novel and
the scene at the hotel has driven him to
make some absolute conclusions about
the shallowness of society. He no longer
sees the world as a nice place peopled by
ladies and gentlemen, where mannerly,
good-natured behavior is rewarded. He
accepts the reality of an unjust world.
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Why is Gatsby left standing outside his
mansion “watching over” nothing?
Gatsby is still trying to honor a dream that
no longer exists. Gatsby has spent the
past five years of his life achieving a
dream always beyond his reach. At the
crucial moment of truth, Gatsby’s dream
of Daisy hinders him from accepting the
painful truth of Daisy’s desertion of him
for the brutal and shallow Tom.
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Chapter Eight:
Why does Fitzgerald choose this point
in the novel to present a detailed
discussion of the initial love affair
between Gatsby and Daisy?
The juxtaposition between Gatsby’s past
and present create a telling contrast. The
beauty of Daisy and Gatsby’s firs
passionate devotion is doubly poignant
when contrasted with the reader’s
knowledge that the dream is finished.
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What is Gatsby’s response to Nick’s
compliment?
When Nick leaves, he tells Gatsby that the
Buchanans and their friends are a rotten group and
that Gatsby is a better person than any of them.
Gatsby at first seems to accept the compliment as
a simple pleasantry, but almost immediately he
grasps Nick’s sincerity and then the full truth of the
statement. He briefly knows that it does not
matter if the dream cannot come true, if Daisy is a
shoddy source of inspiration; what matters is that
Gatsby has been full of faith, he has been loyal to
the pure vision which motivated him. To Gatsby a
meaningful illusion is preferable to a meaningless
reality.
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Chapter Nine:
What is represented in the youthful
resolutions shared by Mr. Gatz with
Nick?
The resolutions reflect the American dream ideal
of working toward success; the sort of Benjamin
Franklin rags-to-riches story that will help make
Jay Gatsby a hero. But buried in the list of
resolutions is the reminder that Gatsby is not
merely a fortune hunter, he sincerely wanted to
become a better person. This is a poignant
reminder of how Gatsby did become better than
those around him, who ironically acted as if they
were superior to those around them because of
their social status.
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What is significant Nick’s rejection of
Jordan Baker and her comments about
the “bad driver”?
Jordan and her wealthy circle expect
others to stay out of their way and make
their lives smooth and comfortable.
Jordan’s mistake was assuming in that
Nick would go along with this corrupted
version of reality. After the tragic events
in Chapter Eight, Nick can no longer
accept Jordan’s alliance with the coldblooded upper class. Nick can no longer
“reserve judgement” about her basic
dishonesty. As demonstrated in Nick’s
final allegiance to Gatsby, Nick will judge
people on their basic worth as
individuals, not on their valuations of
themselves based on their social status.
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