The Great Gatsby Holiday homework by Staci Banfield 11B
1. Make a brief summary of EACH chapter in dot points.
2. Predict what you think will happen next and why.
Chapter 1

The narrator of the story is a young man named Nick Carraway.
 East Egg and West Egg are described. Nick lives on West Egg which is home to those who have recently come into some wealth and do not have the social connections to move to East Egg, home to aristocratic families and people.

Nick lives in a conservative house next door to Gatsby’s mansion.

Nick has connections to those who live on East Egg and joins his cousin Daisy Fay and her husband Tom Buchanan for dinner.

Nick is introduced to Jordan Baker, a professional golfer and friend of Daisy’s.

Tom talks about a book which encourages racist ideas that he finds interesting and then leaves to take a phone call. Jordan says that it must be from his lover in New
York.

Tom suggests that Nick should take a romantic interest in Jordan

Nick goes home and sees Gatsby for the first time.
Prediction: I think Nick will try to befriend Gatsby because he seems fascinated with him.
Chapter 2

The valley of ashes is described as a desolate area of land halfway between West Egg and New York that’s looked over by the gigantic eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleburg.
 Tom and Nick arrive at a repairs garage owned by George Wilson. Tom is having an affair with Mr Wilson’s wife, Myrtle, and wanted Nick to meet her.

Tom, Myrtle and Nick go to New York together. On the way, Myrtle buys a dog on the way to the apartment that they’re staying in.
 Myrtle invites the McKee’s and her sister over.
 The group drink some alcohol. As the night progresses, they start talking about
Tom’s wife and Myrtle’s husband which eventually leads to an argument.
 Nick leaves with Mr McKee who shows him some of his photography.
Prediction: I think Nick will try to avoid a lot of people after what happened.
Chapter 3

Nick describes the parties that are held at Gatsby’s mansion.

Gatsby invites Nick to one of the parties, Nick states he may be the only person there to have actually been invited, people just turned up as they pleased.


Nick feels uncomfortable at the party because he doesn’t know anyone. Later on, he finds Jordan Baker and keeps her as company.

Jordan and Nick sit down with some other people and listen to rumours about
Gatsby, such as how it has been said that he has killed a man.
 They find a library. A man is in there and rambling on about books in a drunken state.

Nick and Jordan sit with a man. Nick soon learns that the man is Gatsby.
 Gatsby invites Nick to take a ride with him in his hydroplane.

Gatsby wants to talk to Jordan alone. Jordan refuses to speak of it to Nick when he asks what it was about.

The drunk man from the library is in a car accident when Nick and Jordan try to leave the party.
Prediction: I think Nick and Gatsby will become good friends and Gatsby will become honest with Nick about who he is and his past.
Chapter 4
 Nick describes the people who turn up to Gatsby’s mansion for the parties and some of the theories they have about how he gained his fortune.

Gatsby arrives at Nick’s house one morning in his car and takes him to lunch in New
York City.
 Gatsby expresses some concern about his reputation and tells Nick stories about his life.

Gatsby says that he would like Nick to discuss something with Jordan Baker but does not specify what and this annoys Nick.
 Nick is introduced to Meyer Wolfsheim at the restaurant.

When Wolfsheim leaves, Nick finds out that he is the man who fixed the 1919 World
Series.

Nick sees Tom Buchanan at the restaurant and rushes over to introduce him to
Gatsby but Gatsby makes a quick getaway.

Later on, Nick meets up with Jordan Baker to discuss what Gatsby had wanted them to and learns that Gatsby and Daisy were friends a long time ago, Gatsby wants to meet her again and Nick’s house will be used as the meeting place.

Nick kisses Jordan.
Prediction: I think Nick and Jordan will start a relationship and Gatsby and Daisy’s meeting with go well.
Chapter 5
 Gatsby is very excited about meeting Daisy again.

He offers Nick a job but he is not interested.


Nick invites Daisy over and tells her not to bring Tom.

When Daisy and Gatsby meet again, it’s a little awkward but they both seem very surprised.
 Nick tries to make the afternoon run smoothly but realises that the two would like to be left alone and sits on the porch by himself to let the two of them catch up.

When he returns, they’re comfortable with each other.

Gatsby invites Daisy and Nick back to his mansion where he shows them around and tries to impress Daisy.

Nick realises that the two would like to be left alone, again, and goes home.
Prediction: I think Gatsby and Daisy will fall in love again.
Chapter 6
 A reported stops by at Gatsby’s house to ask him questions about his life. Nick gives the real story.

Gatsby was born as James Gatz in North Dakota and lived on a farm with his parents.
To escape reality, he used his imagination and came up with the name Jay Gatsby and he changed his name to that as soon as he could.

Nick tells other stories about Gatsby’s life, the jobs he’s had and about Dan Cody, a mentor of Gatsby’s.

After a few months of not seeing him, Nick goes to visit Gatsby. When he’s there,
Tom arrives on horseback.

Gatsby invites Tom and Daisy to his next party.

Tom dislikes the party and Gatsby fears that Daisy does as well.

Gatsby becomes determined to make things right with Daisy again so they can go back to how they once were.
Prediction: I think there will be an argument or fight over Daisy between Tom and Gatsby.
Chapter 7

Nick goes to Daisy and Tom’s house with Gatsby and Jordan.
 Gatsby sees Daisy’s child for the first time.
 Daisy tells Gatsby that she loves him.

It’s hot so they decide to spend a day in town.

On the way, Tom stops at Wilson’s garage to fill up on fuel. Mr Wilson seems very sick.
 The group meet up in town and decide to get a hotel suite to grab a cold drink.

While there, Gatsby and Daisy act more affectionate in front of everyone and an argument breaks out between Tom and Gatsby.
 Tom accuses Gatsby of being a bootlegger after Daisy admits that she has never loved him.


They all leave.

Michaelis, Wilson’s neighbour, becomes concerned about Wilson when he sees how sick he looks and hears him and Myrtle fighting.
 During the fight, Myrtle runs out onto the road and is killed instantly when a car hits her. It was the car that Daisy and Gatsby left in, Daisy had been driving.

Tom sees the commotion and stops his car to see what’s going on. He becomes very upset when he sees what’s happened to Myrtle.
 They all return home, Gatsby waits out the front of Daisy and Tom’s house to make sure everything is okay between them.
Prediction: I think Gatsby will be blamed for Myrtle’s death because he’ll take the blame for
Daisy to stop her from being hurt.
Chapter 8

Nick goes to check up on Gatsby who has been at Daisy’s all night to see if anything happens.

Gatsby is honest to Nick about his past and tells him about his and Daisy’s relationship.

Gatsby says that he intended on marrying Daisy but the war broke them up. When he returned, Daisy had married Tom.

Nick has to leave so Gatsby decides to use his pool.
 Meanwhile, Michaelis has stayed with Wilson to calm him down after what happened to his wife. Wilson thinks that someone killed Myrtle on purpose.

When Michaelis leaves, another man comes to stay with Wilson.

When Michaelis returns, both men are gone. Wilson was looking for Gatsby.

Wilson finds Gatsby, shoots him and kills himself.
Prediction: I think Nick will hold a respectful funeral for Gatsby.
Chapter 9

Nick tries to get in contact with Gatsby’s friends to inform them of his death but cannot reach anyone.

After hearing of his death, Henry Gatz, Gatsby’s father, comes to his house.

Nick goes to visit Wolfsheim to get him to come to the funeral but he won’t.
 He returns home and Henry tells him about Gatsby’s childhood.
 No one except the drunk man from the library turns up to the funeral.
 A few days later, Nick and Jordan end things together and she tells him that she’s engaged. He sees Tom and questions him about what he might have told Wilson they day Gatsby was killed. Nick is certain that he had something to do with it.
 Nick goes home and decides that he doesn’t want to live in the East anymore.

3. Create character profiles.
Nick Carraway: Nick Carraway is the narrator of ‘The Great Gatsby.’ We see the world and the people he meets through his eyes. He was born into a wealthy family, served in the first world war and at the age of twenty nine, moves to West Egg and becomes involved in the bonds business. He lives next to Jay Gatsby, who lives in an extravagant mansion, and is the cousin of Daisy Buchanan, the wife of Tom Buchanan. Nick is a very honest, easy going character and impressionable character. Memorable quotes from Nick include: “I am one of the few honest people I have ever known.” and "There is no confusion like the confusion of a simple mind..."
Jay Gatsby: Jay Gatsby was born into a poor forming family under the name of James Gatz.
He changed his name as soon as he could and worked odd jobs throughout his life.
Throughout the novel, he keeps his bootlegging secret. He lives on West Egg, next to Nick
Carraway, in a mansion. He decided to move there based solely on the fact that Daisy
Buchanan, a girl he loves, lives across the bay. Memorable quotes from Gatsby include:
“’Cant repeat the past?’ he cried incredulously. ‘Why of course you can!’” and “Her voice is full of money.” Other characters have a lot to say about Gatsby, key quotes include: "They are a rotten crowd," I shouted across the lawn. "You're worth the whole damn bunch put together." and “He wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy.”
Daisy Fay: Daisy is quite a careless character. She’s in an unhappy marriage with Tom
Buchanan but they’re wealthy and have a child together. She’s the cousin of Nick and
Gatsby is one of her old lovers. Daisy grew up with enough money to support her and an endless supply of men to spoil her so she only really thinks of herself even when others may be hurt, this is shown when she runs down Myrtle and drives off, letting Gatsby take the blame. Key quotes from Daisy include: "- that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool" and “I've been everywhere and seen everything and done everything.
Sophisticated - God, I'm sophisticated.” Key quotes about Daisy include: “Her voice is full of money.”
Tom Buchanan: Tom was born into a wealthy family and lives a careless life. He’s married to
Daisy but is having an affair with Myrtle Wilson and isn’t concerned with the consequences of his actions when in public with Myrtle because he’s never had to. Tom shows qualities that many other people do not like; arrogance, aggressiveness and ignorance. Key quotes from Tom include: “She’s not leaving me!” Tom’s words suddenly leaned down over Gatsby.
“Certainly not for a common swindler who’d have to steal the ring to put on her finger.” and
“Nowadays people begin by sneering at family life and family institutions, and next they’ll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white.” Key quotes about Tom include: “…he saw himself standing alone on the last barrier of civilization.” and
“…..That’s what I get for marrying a brute of a man, a great, big, hulking physical specimen of a-“

Jordan Baker: Jordan, like the Buchanan’s, was born into money and has been spoiled by it.
She plays golf and people recognize her where ever she goes. She has a sort of relationship with Nick throughout the book but it never amounts to anything and she gets engaged to another man. She’s careless, like Daisy, and she surrounds herself with people who perpetuate her indulgent behaviour. Key quotes from Jordan include: “… Anyhow he gives large parties and I like large parties. They're so intimate. At small parties there's never any privacy.” and “…And I remember he looked at her in that way that all young girls want to be looked at sometime.”
Myrtle Wilson: Myrtle is married to George Wilson who owns a garage. She’s unhappy in the marriage and has an affair with Tom Buchanan. Tom treats her roughly when compared to how George treats her and she puts up with it because she sees it as Tom’s masculinity.
She insists that she married the wrong man, that there are things that she didn’t know about George when she married him and that he doesn’t really deserve her. George lacks wealth and masculinity in her view and she sticks with Tom because he possess these things.
Key quotes from Myrtle include: "throw me and down and beat me, you dirty little coward!" and “ I married him because I thought he was a gentleman...I thought he knew something about breeding, but he wasn't fit to lick my shoe.”
George Wilson: George is a hard-working man, he seems honest and caring but his wife does not love or respect him. He’s not wealthy and this is probably why Myrtle doesn’t care for him. He owns a garage and spends most of his time there, leaving him exhausted at the end of the day. He blames himself for Myrtle’s behaviour, mistakes and death and makes it his mission to kill whoever killed her. He kills Gatsby without knowing that it was actually
Daisy who was driving the car. He’s loyal to a wife who treated him like dirt for many years.
Key quotes from George include: “God knows what you've been doing, everything you've been doing. You may fool me, but you can't fool God.”
4. (Post reading questions)
a) What other endings are possible?
 Daisy could’ve admitted to driving the car that killed Myrtle so George would not have killed Gatsby.

Tom could have told George about his affair with Myrtle, this might have lead to his death though.
 Nick and Jordan could have continued their relationship.
b) If the gender of the narrator was reversed, how would this change your reading?
If the gender of the narrator was reversed, we might see all sides of the people in the novel.
Nick seems to believe everything everybody tells him about everybody else until he finds out for himself. He doesn’t really think about it for himself and is sceptical of everyone.

c) Write a short response to the author commenting on what you did or did not like about the text and why?
Dear author,
I liked and enjoyed reading ‘The Great Gatsby’ and I think it gives a good insight about what it was like to live in the 1920’s. Tom and Daisy’s carelessness intrigued me because I couldn’t understand how people could actually be that careless and unaware of other people’s feelings. The way the story of them unfolded was interesting to read.