The Great Gatsby:
Chapter 1 Notes
I. Introduction of Nick Carraway (narrator)
A. Characterization (direct and/or indirect)_______________________________
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B. Reliable/Unreliable Narrator? Why?_________________________________
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II. Dinner party at the Buchanan’s House
A. Setting_________________________________________________________
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B. Tom, Daisy, Jordan Baker Characterization (direct and/or indirect)_________
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C. Idea of race and gender:___________________________________________
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III. Describe the phone call:_______________________________________________
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IV. Nick and Daisy’s private conversation:
A. Characterization of Daisy (direct and/or indirect)_______________________
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B. Daisy and the idea of gender:_______________________________________
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V. Gatsby
A. Characterization (direct and/or indirect)_______________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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VI. The green light across the Long Island Sound
A. Color (green) symbolism?
1. __________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________________
The Great Gatsby:
Chapter 2 Notes
I. The Valley of Ashes (industrial, run-down area):
A. Describe the setting_______________________________________________
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B. Symbol________________________________________________________
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II. The eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg (billboard advertisement):
A. Symbol of______________________________________________________
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III. Introduction of Wilson and Myrtle:
A. Characterization of Myrtle_________________________________________
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B. Characterization of Wilson:________________________________________
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C. Daisy vs. Myrtle _________________________________________________
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IV. Myrtle’s Party:
A. Setting ________________________________________________________
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B. Nick’s reaction__________________________________________________
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V. The breaking of Myrtle’s nose:
A. Characterization of Tom __________________________________________
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B. Tom’s motives for doing this:_______________________________________
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The Great Gatsby:
Chapter 3 Notes
I. Gatsby’s parties
A. Description___________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
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B. Setting________________________________________________________________________
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II. Rumors about Gatsby
A. _______________________________________________________________________________
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B. _______________________________________________________________________________
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C. _______________________________________________________________________________
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III. Owl Eyes in the Library
A. Theme—appearances vs. reality________________________________________________
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IV. Gatsby and Nick meet
A. Characterization_______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
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V. Arrangement of Jordan and Nick’s date
A. Car crash_____________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
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B. Violence______________________________________________________________________
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C. Money leads to: _______________________________________________________________
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VI. General comments about Nick’s summer
A. Relationship with a girl from Jersey____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
B. Relationship with Jordan Baker
i) Characterization___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
ii) “it takes two to make an accident…I hate careless people…”__________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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VII. Nick’s cardinal virtue:_________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
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The Great Gatsby:
Chapter 4 Notes
I. Gatsby’s party
A. guest list—they all paid him the “tribute” of not knowing anything about him.
1. What do you think this means?______________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
a. who came
b. allusions
c. guests from both the East and West Egg
B. Guests’ names written on a train schedule
1. motif of ____________________________
2. July 5, 1922 (the day after Independence Day)
II. Gatsby drives Nick into town and reveals his history
A. description of car:___________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
1. motif of automobiles
a. cars represent:________________________________________________
b. cars unite: ___________________________________________________
c. cars display:_________________________________________________
B. Why is Gatsby concerned with what Nick thinks of him? Why might he go out of
his way to tell Nick the “truth”?___________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
1. son of wealthy mid-westerners
2. educated at Oxford (prestigious college in England)
3. lived like a young rajah (romantic/dramatic view of himself)
a. the phrases he uses are like lines from B-movies—Nick sees through them
4. WWI—tried to die
a. do you find it odd that he carries around a medal in his pocket or carries
around a picture from college? Why or why not?_____________________
____________________________________________________________
b. Nick buys this “proof” hook, line and sinker
C. Nick is unhappy that Gatsby’s request is going through Jordan—it reeks of
something immoral or fishy. Why?_____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
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D. the policeman acts deferential to Gatsby upon finding out his name—inference?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
E. symbol of passing over the bridge—“anything can happen now”
1. _______________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________
III. Gastby and Nick have lunch
A. Meyer Wolfsheim—_________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
B. The Metropole—____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
C. suggestion that Gatsby is involved in something illegal—“gonnegtion”
D. Wolfsheim perceives Gatsby as a man of class. Is this a compliment? Why or
why not?_____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
1. Gatsby is “the kind of man you take home to meet mom and sis”
2. Gatsby is “the kind of man who would never so much as look at a friends’
wife”
E. the fixing of the world series: __________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
F. Gatsby disappears before he can be properly introduced to Tom. What do you
make of this? _________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
IV. Nick and Jordan’s date/Jordan’s flashback
A. Daisy Fay=
1. fairy—unsubstantial; ethereal; otherworldly
2. faith
B. In the fall of 1917, Gatsby and Daisy Fay are involved. Briefly describe their
relationship:___________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
1. Who do you suspect the letter is from?________________________________
2. Why is this Daisy’s moment of crisis? What ultimately leads to its resolution?
Why does she choose Tom over Gatsby?_________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
C. Daisy and Tom’s marriage:
1. Daisy appears to be in love with Tom, doting on him, being a good wife
2. Tom begins to have affairs almost immediately (August)
3. Daisy gives birth to daughter Pammy in April
4. Daisy and Tom hang out with the young and fast crowd; Daisy’s reputation
remains intact, not because she doesn’t cheat, but she’s not sloppy about it.
“Perhaps because she doesn’t drink. It’s a great advantage not to drink among
hard drinking people…you can time any little irregularity of your own so that
everybody else is so blind that they don’t see or care…”
D. Gatsby buys the house to be near Daisy (right across Long Island Sound)
1. Invitation to Daisy to come over? ___________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. Nick is “shocked at the modesty of the demand”
3. Why does Gatsby throw parties? ____________________________________
E. Daisy should have something in her life according to Jordan
F. Nick and Jordan consummate their relationship; Nick has “no girl whose
disembodied face floated along the dark cornices and blinding signs”--meaning:
_____________________________________________________________________
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The Great Gatsby:
Chapter 5 Notes
I. Gatsby and Nick talk:
A. Nick will arrange ___________________________________________________
B. Nick rejects Gatsby’s offer to __________________________________________
1. because it was “tactlessly offered” he felt the need to reject the immoral request
2. how does this work in connection to Gatsby’s request to meet Daisy? _______
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
II. Gatsby and Daisy meet
A. symbolism of Gatsby’s silver shirt and gold tie ____________________________
B. when Daisy greets Gatsby there is “a clear artificial note” to it—foreshadowing?
_____________________________________________________________________
C. significance of Gatsby almost breaking the clock? _________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
D. Why does Gatsby think “This is a terrible mistake?” Does he mean it? ________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
E. Why does Nick accuse Gatsby of acting like a little boy? How is Gatsby still a
little boy? ____________________________________________________________
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III. The tour of Gatsby’s house
A. Theme—appearance v. reality
1. “My house looks good”
2. entering through the postern (the front entrance rather than the shortcut)
3. it seems to Nick that the guests are hiding, forced into silence by Gatsby
4. to Gatsby, the house seems unreal now that Daisy is in it
B. How can we tell that Gatsby is flustered at having Daisy near?
1. _______________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________
C. Daisy brushes her hair with Gatsby’s brush—intimate act foreshadowing …
_____________________________________________________________________
D. examples of motif of time?
1. ____________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________
IV. Theme of illusion vs. reality
A. can Daisy ever live up to Gatsby’s dreams?
B. should she have to try?
C. will Gatsby’s love compensate for the reality?
V. The affair begins:
A. Your thoughts/predictions?____________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
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The Great Gatsby:
Chapter 6 Notes
1) A reporter comes to Gatsby’s house
a) again, characterizes Gatsby as a shadowy and mysterious figure
b) why does the reporter come? __________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2) History of James Gatz (as told by Gatsby through Nick)
a) Parents?___________________________________________________________
Gatsby’s attitude of/toward them?______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
b) he was loafing around Lake Superior when he saw Dan Cody anchor his yacht in
an unsafe location. At this moment, “Jay Gatsby” is born and goes out to help
Cody—17 years old (creates what a 17 year old would consider to be the perfect
man)
i) Gatsby’s “Platonic conception of himself” = creation of man rather than birth
ii) independent, self-willed
iii) self-creating—you can be and are whatever you want to be
c) Cody is an entrepreneur who was part western pioneer, debauchee, and shrewd
businessman
d) Cody takes Gatsby under his wing and teaches him everything he knows
e) Cody leaves Gatsby $25,000, but ______________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
f) Recall the picture in Gatsby’s room; he apparently felt real affection for the man
and what he did for him
3) Nick claims to tell us this to clear up the rumors about Gatsby but he could have done
this a lot earlier. This construction reflects Nick’s changing attitude toward Gatsby.
How?_______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
a) theme—self-discovery
4) Tom arrives at Gatsby’s house
a) suspicious of Daisy’s relationship with the man. Opinion of “women these
days”?___________________________________________________________
b) Gatsby is aggressive toward Tom, “I know you wife.” How is this different from
Gatsby’s behavior the first time he encountered Tom?______________________
____________________________________________________________________
c) Tom and the Sloanes deliberately snub Gatsby
i) message—you are not part of us; you are not welcome here; East Egg vs.
West Egg
5) Daisy and Tom attend one of Gatsby’s parties
a) Nick is uncomfortable with the intrusion of East Egg into West Egg. What does
this tell us about Nick’s character? _________________________________
________________________________________________________________.
Daisy and Tom’s presence seems to shift his entire perception of Gatsby and his
parties
i) suddenly they (the parties) are gaudy and ostentatious and silly
ii) oppressive mood—suspense; building toward climax
b) Tom is antagonistic toward Gatsby and disrespectful toward Daisy.
Examples:_________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
i) rejects the table where Nick is sitting with Daisy to go and flirt with other
women
6) Gatsby and Nick talk about Daisy
a) Gatsby wants Daisy to say to Tom ________________________________
b) Nick: “Can’t repeat the past.” Gatsby: “Of course you can!”
i) motif-time
ii) fix the past
c) the kiss (passage p117)
i) perishable breath and the unutterable dream (which is):__________________
_______________________________________________________________
ii) Daisy is a symbol to Gatsby of the life he should have
The Great Gatsby:
Chapter 7 Notes
1) Gatsby’s house is silent and still____________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
a) New servants.
i) why?___________________________________________________________
ii) who are they?____________________________________________________
2) Lunch at Tom and Daisy’s—who attends____________________________________
b) Tom’s behavior_____________________________________________________
c) Daisy’s behavior_____________________________________________________
d) Gatsby’s behavior____________________________________________________
3) Mood of the luncheon____________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
a) the heat intensifies this atmosphere/mood and conjures a sense of intensity, sensuality,
haziness (literally and figuratively), heat often makes people act in funny or strange ways.
4) Tom becomes aware of the feelings between Daisy and Gatsby.
a) seems that they have stopped trying to hide their affair; they…
i)________________________________________________________________
ii)________________________________________________________________
iii)_______________________________________________________________
iv)_______________________________________________________________
5) Trip to New York City (Tom is eager for confrontation)
a) Tom, Nick, and Jordan stop off at Wilson’s garage for some gas
i) how does Nick perceive that Tom and Wilson are more alike than meets the
eye?____________________________________________________________________
ii) who are secretly watching the conversation between Wilson and George?
1.____________________________________
2.____________________________________
6) Confrontation between Gatsby and Tom begins
a) Tom inquires about Gatsby’s Oxford years________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
b) Gatsby admits that he and Daisy are in love and she never loved him. Daisy reluctantly
agrees but later she ______________________________________________
c) Tom sends Daisy home with Gatsby in Gatsby’s car. Why? __________________
________________________________________________________________________
d) Nick realizes that it is his thirtieth birthday
i) his attitude toward aging?___________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
7) During a fight between her and Wilson, Myrtle runs into the road and is hit and killed by an
automobile speeding out of NY.
a) Nick and Tom realize it must have been ______________________________________
because ______________________________________________________________________
b) Wilson’s reaction?__________________________________________________________
c) Tom’s reaction?___________________________________________________________
8) Upon returning to Tom and Daisy’s house Nick finds Gatsby hiding the in the bushes
a) Why?______________________________________________________________
b) What plot twist occurs regarding the accident?______________________________
________________________________________________________________________
9) Characterization of Tom and Daisy at the end of chapter 7? _____________________
_______________________________________________________________________
10) Predictions?_________________________________________________________
The Great Gatsby:
Chapter 8 Notes
1) The night of Myrtle’s death is a sleepless one for Nick
a) wakes up and heads over to Gatsby’s at about 4am. Why? Examples of
foreshadowing (p. 154)?____________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
b) suggests that Gatsby should _________________________________________
2) Gatsby tells the story of how he met and courted Daisy:________________________
________________________________________________________________________
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a) she had promised to wait for him while he was at war, but in the meantime she
met Tom whose social position was similar to her own and of whom who parents
approved.
3) Butler enters, says he wants to drain the pool
a) Gatsby stops him because he has yet to use it that summer
b) says he wants to go for a swim
4) Nick reluctantly leaves to go to work; pays Gatsby a compliment:_______________
______________________________________________________________________
a) speaks to Jordan on the phone, but is disinterested in seeing her that afternoon.
Why?_________________________________________________________________
b) tries to call Gatsby on the phone but his line is busy
5) Nick’s narrative shifts back to the evening of Myrtle’s death, back to Wilson’s garage
a) Wilson reveals to Michaelis that he knows how he can____________________
________________________________________________________________________
b) tells Michaelis about Myrtle’s affair and that he told her that God (eyes of TJ
Eckleberg) knows what she has been doing
c) assumes that the man driving the car must have been Myrtle’s lover
i) inquires about the yellow car around various garages in town and
finally makes his way into West Egg and to Gatsby’s house
6) That afternoon, Gatsby decides to relax by __________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
a) drags an air mattress (pool float) into the water and lies down
b) as he doses and thinks, he stares up into the sky
c) Nick later imagines Gatsby thinking about how empty and meaningless life
without Daisy will be, and the death of his dream and everything he has
worked for.
7) Nick returns to Gatsby’s house to find him dead in the pool, shot by ______________
a) who else lies dead on Gatsby’s lawn?_________________________________
8) Your thoughts? Is this what you expected? Are you surprised? _________________
________________________________________________________________________
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The Great Gatsby:
Chapter 9 Notes
1) Two years after Gatsby’s murder, Nick recounts the events of the funeral
a) What kind of people to show up to Gatsby’s house after his death? _________
__________________________________________________________________
b) Rumors begin to spread, even more outrageous than the ones that spread while
he was alive
2) Nick tries to plan an elaborate funeral for Gatsby, thinking that Gatsby wouldn’t want to go
through it alone, but only ____________________, ___________________,
__________________, and ___________________ attend.
a) all of Gatsby’s “friends” and “acquaintances” are “unable to attend”
3) After the funeral, Nick decides to pack up and move back to the Midwest
a) he describes how the East never suited him and how he wasn’t suited for life in
the East
b) begins to realize that “this has been a story of the West, after all—Tom and Gatsby,
Daisy and Jordan, and I were all Westerners, and perhaps we possessed some deficiency in
common which made us subtly unadaptable to Eastern life” (184). Your interpretation of this
statement:______________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
4) Nick sees Jordan one last time before he leaves and she informs him that she is
_______________________________________________________________________
a) refers to him as “another bad driver” and that she was mistaken when she took
him for an honest, straightforward person” (186).
5) Walking down the NY street, Nick encounters Tom and snubs him by not
________________________________________________________________________
a) Tom admits that he was the one who __________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
b) why?___________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
c) What made Tom cry like a baby? ____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
6) What conclusion does Nick make about Tom and Daisy (187-188)?_______________
______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
7) On his last night in West Egg, Nick lies on the beach and imagines what America must have
been like to the explorers who discovered the New World years before
a) characterizes America as a land for dreamers and explorers
b) compares these men to Gatsby and their dreams to Daisy—How Gatsby’s
dream of Daisy was over before it began and that his goals were hollow and
empty—the American dream is doomed to failure (Modernism)
c) Nick comments that many are similar to Gatsby in that they move forward,
hoping to realize their dreams
8) Final line of the book: “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into
the past” (189). Interpretation:_____________________________________________________
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