The Great Gatsby: Chapter 1 Notes I. Introduction of Nick Carraway (narrator) A. Characterization (direct and/or indirect)_______________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ B. Reliable/Unreliable Narrator? Why?_________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ II. Dinner party at the Buchanan’s House A. Setting_________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ B. Tom, Daisy, Jordan Baker Characterization (direct and/or indirect)_________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ C. Idea of race and gender:___________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ III. Describe the phone call:_______________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ IV. Nick and Daisy’s private conversation: A. Characterization of Daisy (direct and/or indirect)_______________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ B. Daisy and the idea of gender:_______________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ V. Gatsby A. Characterization (direct and/or indirect)_______________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 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_______________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ B. Symbol________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ II. The eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg (billboard advertisement): A. Symbol of______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ III. Introduction of Wilson and Myrtle: A. Characterization of Myrtle_________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ B. Characterization of Wilson:________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ C. Daisy vs. Myrtle _________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ IV. Myrtle’s Party: A. Setting ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ B. Nick’s reaction__________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ V. The breaking of Myrtle’s nose: A. Characterization of Tom __________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ B. Tom’s motives for doing this:_______________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ The Great Gatsby: Chapter 3 Notes I. Gatsby’s parties A. Description___________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ B. Setting________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ II. Rumors about Gatsby A. _______________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ B. _______________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ C. _______________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ III. Owl Eyes in the Library A. Theme—appearances vs. reality________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ IV. Gatsby and Nick meet A. Characterization_______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ V. Arrangement of Jordan and Nick’s date A. Car crash_____________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ B. Violence______________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ C. Money leads to: _______________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ 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…”__________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ VII. Nick’s cardinal virtue:_________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ 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?_____________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 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: _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 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? ____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 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?____________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 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:________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 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? _________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 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:_____________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________