by F. Scott Fitzgerald


Nick is initially portrayed as the perfect
narrator – “inclined to reserve all
judgements”
He appears as tolerant, open minded, quiet
and a good listener. Others tell him their
secrets – “I was privy to the secret grief”,
“Most of the confidences”, “intimate
revelation”

Discussion point –
Why do these qualities give Nick the potential
to be a successful and effective narrator?

Nick is clearly from a privileged background
– “ Just remember that all the people in this
world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve
had” and “My father snobbishly suggested
and I snobbishly repeat”

However, there are clear contradictions
apparent in Nick’s character even from the
very beginning of the novel “ And, after boasting this way of my
tolerance, I came to the conclusion that it has
a limit”

Consider the following quotes describing Nick’s reaction to Gatsby –
“ Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt
from my reaction”
“ there was something gorgeous about him”
“ it was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I
have never found in any other person”

Discussion point –
Explain why these quotes might suggest that
Nick is not going to be a reliable narrator
after all.



Think of the connotations of the name Daisy
– a delicate white flower
This image is continued later in the chapter
with the description of Jordan and Daisy – “
they were both in white, and their dresses
were rippling and fluttering”
White has conventional connotations of
purity and innocence

However, it is ironic given her name that
Daisy’s life is conducted in an entirely
manufactured environment remote from the
natural world

Discussion point –
By referring to the following quotes explain
why Daisy’s portrayal in the opening chapter
is not particularly positive:

‘Do they miss me?’ she cried ecstatically

“Then she added irrelevantly: ‘You ought to see the baby.’

“She…..She….She….Her”

‘All right,’ said Daisy. ‘What’ll we plan?’ She turned to me
helplessly: ‘What do people plan?’

There is also a clear suggestion that all is not
well with her marriage -
“I know you didn’t mean to, but you did do it”
“That’s what I get for marrying a brute of a
man, a great big hulking physical specimen of
a -’

This is confirmed later in the chapter –
“Tom’s got some woman in New York….She might have the
decency not to telephone him at dinner time. Don’t you
think?’

Daisy is clearly not a happy woman “Well, I’ve had a very bad time, Nick, and I’m pretty cynical
about everything”

Discussion point –
Based on your reading of Chapter One list the
problems Daisy faces in her life

Given these problems and difficulties, Daisy’s
subsequent reluctance or inability to leave
Tom is striking.

This once again emphasises her passivity

Her defeatism is also strikingly apparent in
the following quote “ All right,” I said, “I’m glad it’s a girl. And I
hope she’ll be a fool – that’s the best thing a
girl can be in this world, a beautiful little
fool.”

Our initial impression of Tom is not positive.
Task
Read the following extract and list the
negative aspects of Tom’s character which
emerge
“Now he was a sturdy straw-haired man of
thirty, with a rather hard mouth and a
supercilious manner. Two shining arrogant
eyes had established dominance over his face
and gave him the appearance of always
leaning aggressively forward…..It was a body
capable of enormous leverage – a cruel body”

This negative impression is continued in the
very next paragraph –
“….added to the impression of fractiousness
he conveyed. There was a touch of paternal
contempt in it, even towards people he liked
– and there were men at New Haven who
hated his guts”

Discussion point –
Explain why the incident with Daisy’s finger
further contributes to our negative
impression of Tom

What does the following quote suggest about
the character of Tom?
“Civilisation’s going to pieces,’ broke out Tom
violently, …… Have you read The Rise of the
Coloured Empires…. If we don’t look out the
white race will be - will be utterly submerged.
It’s all scientific stuff; it’s been proved”
Discussion point –
Analyse the following extract. What impression are we given
of East Egg? How does Fitzgerald achieve this?
“ Across the courtesy bay the white palaces of fashionable
East Egg glittered along the water”

Why is the following a particularly successful example of descriptive
writing in portraying the excesses of East Egg?
“Their house was even more elaborate than I expected, a cheerful red and
white Georgian Colonial mansion, overlooking the bay. The lawn started
at the beach and ran towards the front door for a quarter of a mile,
jumping over sundials and brick walls and burning gardens - finally when
it reached the house drifting up the side in bright vines as though from
the momentum of its run. The front was broken by a line of french
windows, glowing now with reflected gold”

What is suggested by the negative
description of Tom that follows this elaborate
description?

What is suggested by the following remark of
Jordan’s –
“You live in West Egg,” she remarked
contemptuously.”
Discussion point
What do the following quotes suggest about
West Egg?
“the less fashionable of the two”
“the one on my right was a colossal affair”
“it was a factual imitation”
“spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy”


East Egg and West Egg are both homes to great wealth
They are, however, opposites in terms of values:East Egg – sees itself as a place of
breeding, taste, aristocracy and leisure
West Egg - viewed by East Egg as
ostentatious, garish and home to the flashy
manners of the new rich

It is clear from the divisions between East Egg
and West Egg as well as Tom’s racist remarks
that Gatsby’s 1920s America is in reality a
society divided by race, class and gender


“When I came back from the East last autumn
I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform
and at a sort of moral attention forever”
Nick declares his belief in the need for codes
of conduct to regulate human behaviour and
to control the unruly elements of ourselves

Nick’s dilemma is whether to live a cautious
and disciplined existence or to indulge in a
passionate, unruly life

“Do they miss me?’ she cried ecstatically.
“The whole town is desolate. All the cars
have the left rear wheel painted black as a
mourning wreath, and there’s a persistent
wail all night along the north shore.’

“She….She…She….Her”




“We ought to plan something”, yawned Miss Baker, sitting
down at the table as if she were getting into bed.”
“All right,’ said Daisy. ‘What’ll we plan?’ She turned to me
helplessly: ‘What do people plan?’
Both examples suggest that the lives of rich Americans are
lacking in purpose and direction
Task - Circle the phrases which reflect this.

“their impersonal eyes” - does this suggest
that their eyes are deadened by wealth?

“the absence of all desire” - there is a clear
suggestion that they have all they need and
everything that they could possibly want
Discussion
Think about the characters we have met in
this chapter. Why is it clear from
characterisation alone that Fitzgerald
disapproves of the Upper classes?

In what way does the following description of
Jordan contribute to this impression?
“ Its pleasing contemptuous expression had
looked out at me …. I had heard some story
of her too, a critical unpleasant story, but
what it was I had forgotten long ago.”
Discussion
In what way does the opening chapter create
an air of mystery around the character of
Gatsby?

Task
Carefully reread the final paragraph of
Chapter One. How does Fitzgerald again
create an aura of mystery around Gatsby?
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
“I wanted to get out and walk eastward toward
the park through the soft twilight, but each
time I tried to go I became entangled in some
wild, strident argument which pulled me
back, as if with ropes, into my chair”

This quote clearly shows the indecisiveness of
Nick’s character. He is morally repelled by
the vulgarity and tastelessness, but he is too
fascinated by it to leave
If you remember our first impression of Tom was not positive.
This is certainly continued in this chapter.
Task:- Read the quotes which follow. Analyse each quote to
explain why it reveals a negative side of Tom.
“It’s a bitch”, said Tom decisively. “Here’s your money. Go
and buy ten more dogs with it.”
“His determination to have my company bordered on
violence. The supercilious assumption was that on Sunday
afternoon I had nothing better to do”
“I want to see you,’ said Tom intently. ‘Get on the next train.”

“Sitting on Tom’s lap Mrs Wilson called up
several people on the telephone”

“Making a short deft movement, Tom
Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand”
Fast paced life
Danger, recklessness
No close relationship – lots of fake connections

Within the novel New York is the fourth and
final setting. It is the opposite of the Valley of
the Ashes. It is loud, garish, abundant and
glittering


America was placed under a period of
prohibition from 1919 – 1933. This legislation
placed severe limitations upon the
production and consumption of alcoholic
drinks
Prohibition was introduced to raise the
nation’s standards, but it had the opposite
effect

It was difficult to enforce and not difficult for
drinkers to find alcohol


The Wilsons live at their place of work. They
have a lower social standing than Nick who
lives in the suburbs
In this novel the very rich appear not to work
and can live where they choose

Fitzgerald is emphasising that America,
despite its claims of being democratic and
equal, is in actual fact a society divided into a
number of social classes based on wealth and
property

“Well, they say he’s a nephew or a cousin of
Kaiser Wilhem’s. That’s where all his money
comes from”

A air of mystery continues to be built around
the character of Gatsby. No-one has any real
information about him”


A long stretch of desolate land created by
the dumping of industrial ashes. It has been
created by industrial dumping and by
products of capitalism
It represents the moral and social decay of
American society that results from the
uninhibited pursuit of wealth as the rich
indulge themselves with regard for nothing
but their own pleasure

There is a strong suggestion that beneath the
ornamentation of West Egg and East Egg lies
the same ugliness as in the Valley of the
Ashes



This is a realistic detail of consumer culture of
the 1920s
It had the additional merit of being
comprehensible to new immigrants with little
English
Within the novel do the eyes represent the
eyes of God staring down and judging
American Society as a moral wasteland?

Theme
“His eyes dimmed a little by many
paintless
days, under sun and rain, brood on over the
solemn dumping ground”

Does the faded paint of the eyes symbolise
the extent to which humanity has lost its
connection to God?

“He was a blond, spiritless man, anaemic, and
faintly handsome”

Throughout the text, Wilson stands as a stark
contrast to Tom. He is a handsome, morally
upright man who lacks money, privilege and
vitality

“I’m going to make a list of all the things I’ve
got to get”

Myrtle is being bought by Tom

He views his relationship with her in material
terms and as a physical affair, rather than as a
emotional commitment
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
In the first two chapters of the novel the reader has :
i) seen Gatsby from a distance
ii) heard other characters talk
about him
iii) heard Nick’s thoughts on him

Yet, we have not met him
 Discussion – why has Fitzgerald structured the opening
chapters in this way?



Chapter Three is devoted to an introduction
of Gatsby and the lavish showy world he
inhabits
Yet, Gatsby’s introduction is further delayed
“Sometimes they came and went without
having met Gatsby at all”




“Somebody told me…….”
“Somebody told me they thought he killed a
man once”
“It’s more that he was a German spy during
the war”
The repetition of the conjecture about Gatsby
further adds to his mystery


When we do eventually meet him:“I’m Gatsby”, he said suddenly.
“What!” I exclaimed. “Oh, I beg your pardon.”
Yet our first proper meeting with him further adds to the
mystery. The low profile he maintains is out of place with his
lavish expenditure


Repetition of “Old sport” further adds to the
mystery of Gatsby as it makes him sound
more English
Jordan’s words create further mystery – “I’ve
just heard the most amazing thing,” she
whispered….”it was simply amazing”, she
repeated abstractedly”

The title is reminiscent of a vaudeville billing
or the name of a magician like “The Great
Houdini”

Is this to emphasise the theatrical and
perhaps illusion like qualities of Gatsby’s life?
This is further conveyed by:-



the fact that throughout this chapter
description is used to create a dreamlike
atmosphere:“In his garden men and girls came and
went like moths”
“A tray of cocktails floated at us through the
twilight”
Again an air of illusion is successfully created

Does this perhaps suggest that there is
something illusionary about Gatsby himself?



Not only is an air of mystery created around
Gatsby
He is also portrayed as being almost like
royalty – “signed Jay Gatsby in a majestic
hand”
He is portrayed as doing everything to excess

Discussion
Explain the way in which the following quotes
suggest excess:“the orchestra had arrived, no thin five piece
affair but a whole pitful of oboes and
trombones and saxophones and viols and …”

“the cars from New York are parked five deep
in the drive”

“At least once a fortnight a corp of caterers”

“Enough coloured lights to make a Christmas
tree of Gatsby’s enormous garden”

Yet, Fitzgerald clearly creates an air of
isolation around Gatsby –
“standing alone on the marble steps and
looking from one group to another”
“Sometimes they came and went without
having met Gatsby at all”

Think back to previous chapters

Discussion
In what other ways has Gatsby’s isolation
been conveyed?

The repetition of the business calls early in
the morning perhaps suggests underworld
business connections

Discussion
Why is this idea reinforced by the calls
coming from Chicago?

Again Nick’s reliability as a narrator is
questioned
Discussion
Explain why the following quotes make us
question Nick’s reliability:-


“I had taken two finger bowls of champagne,
and the scene had changed before my eyes
into something significant, elemental and
profound”
“It was one of those rare smiles with a quality
of eternal reassurance in it, that you may
come across four or five times in life”
Read the following:“ Reading over what I have written so far, I see
I have given the impression that the events of
three nights several weeks apart were all that
absorbed me”
 Here he reminds us that he is the writer as
well as the narrator. Events have therefore
been filtered and recollected by him. Is he
reliable?

Read the following:“ I even had a short affair with a girl who lived
in Jersey City…but her brother began
throwing mean looks in my direction”
 Why?
 Nick is supposed to be honest and reliable. Is
this a warning? Does he only tell us what he
wants us to know?

Consider the final sentence of the chapter :“ Every one suspects himself of at least one
of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am
one of the few honest people that I have ever
known”
Discussion
In what ways is this sentence given
significance?




Yet, if he is so honest, why is he attracted to
Jordan - “ I felt a sort of tender curiosity…for
a moment I thought I loved her”
He acknowledges that she is dishonest “a
suggestion that she moved her ball from a
bad lie”
Yet, “It made no difference to me.
Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never
blame deeply”

Nick is undoubtedly lonely:Consider his description of New York – “
forms leaned together in the taxis as they
waited, and voices sang, and there was
laughter from unheard jokes and… imagining
that I too, was hurrying towards gaiety and
sharing their intimate excitement, I wished
them well”


This extract clearly conveys Nick’s loneliness.
He is merely reporting the situation, he is not
part of it
“Most of the time I worked” - Nick’s
loneliness is further emphasised by the fact
that his life is far different from those of
Gatsby and the other characters
Discussion
Consider the following quotes. For each
explain why they again suggest a negative
impression of Jordan:“she responded absently as I came up”
“ she was incurably dishonest”

“His Rolls Royce became an omnibus”

Cars represent the wealth of America, but
Gatsby is not happy with a Ford motor car –
most Americans who could afford a car had
one. Remember the connotations of a Rolls
Royce – great wealth and social privilege

“Absolutely real – have pages and everything….they are
absolutely real…It fooled me”

Owl Eyes is surprised to discover that the books are real and
not just empty covers and cases. Does this suggest that the
people of West Egg and East Egg are ornate covers too?
Does their outward show of opulence cover up their inner
corruption and moral decay?


Does this tie in with the theme of Perception versus Reality?
The party is an elaborate theatrical production. People do
not even really like each other – “East Egg condescending to
West Egg”. Does Owl Eyes perhaps suggest that Gatsby’s
whole life is merely a show?
Discussion
Any thoughts on the name Owl Eyes?

The behaviour of the American Upper classes
suggests that their wealth covers up their
vulgar behaviour:“ They conducted themselves according to the
rules of behaviour associated with an
amusement park”



“Most of the remaining women were now
having fights with men said to be their
husbands”
Lavish appearances cover less positive
realities
This ties in with the idea of DISTORTED
VISION
Discussion
Briefly list the examples of DISTORTED
VISION or examples within the novel so far
when Perception differs drastically from
Reality
 What could this suggest about Gatsby
himself?
by F. Scott Fitzgerald



“He hurried the phrase ‘educated at Oxford’, or
swallowed it, or choked on it,...bothered him
before”
Suggests that Gatsby is lying and further adds
to the mystery surrounding him. This is
continued:
“After that I lived like a young rajah in all
capitals ...trying to forget something very sad
that had happened to me long ago.”




“With an effort I managed to restrain my
incredulous laughter.”
DISCUSSION: What does Nick’s reaction to
Gatsby’s story reveal?
STYLE/STRUCTURE: This quote again reminds
us that Gatsby may not be what he seems –
manufactured?
Nick’s impression is challenged when Gatsby
shows him a medal he received in the war.




“To my astonishment, the thing had an
authentic look”
Gatsby then shows Nick a picture of himself
at Oxford and Nick says,
“Then it was all true.”
He now sees Gatsby in a different light.

Discussion: Why does Gatsby spend so much
time convincing Nick of who he is? Why is
Nick so important to a man who seems to
have everything?




DISCUSSION:
The incident with the policeman is a strange
one. What does it suggest?
Does Gatsby have influence over people
because of his past?
What does this add to the reader’s
impressions of him?
Mr Wolfshiem:
 Represents the criminal world
 He seems open about it in contrast to
Gatsby’s secrecy, page 76:
“His expressive nose”
“Let the bastards come in here…”
“Fine specimens of human molars”
Gatsby is a “mystery”




This acquaintance suggests that Gatsby’s
business and his associates are shady and
that they are up to no good.
DISCUSSION: Does this suggest that
Gatsby’s fortune is gained from illegal
activities?
How does this make us feel about Gatsby?


“They can’t get him, old sport. He’s a smart
man”
This suggest admiration on Gatsby’s part.




Jordan:
“Oh, it’s nothing underhand...Miss Baker’s a
great sportswoman...she’d never do anything
underhand”
The reader and Nick know that this is not the
case – does this cast doubt on his judgements.
Gatsby’s opinion is coloured by the fact the he is
trying to use Jordan to arrange a meeting
between him and Daisy.

“His name was Jay Gatsby...even after I met
him on Long Island I didn’t realize it was the
same man”


The change to Jordan as narrator here is
important. It enables us to have an insight
into the relationship between Daisy and
Gatsby.
Jordan can tell the story better than Nick
because she was there but also has the
distance needed for a successful narrator
because she was not directly involved.


“She had a bottle of Sauterne in one hand
and a letter in the other...’Tell ‘em all Daisy’s
change’ her mine’...She wouldn’t let go of the
letter...only let me have leave it in the soapdish when she saw that it was coming to
pieces like snow.”
DISCUSSION: What impression does the
reader get of Daisy’s feelings for Gatsby from
this section?



The incident before the wedding suggests that
Daisy did care for Gatsby BUT..
“Next day at five o’clock she married Tom
Buchanan without so much as a shiver, and
started off on a three month trip to the South
Seas.”
Her ability to forget her ‘true love’ so quickly
suggests she is unfeeling. What does this add to
(or confirm about) our initial impressions of
Daisy?



“Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy
would be just across the bay.”
Nick’s perceptions of Gatsby’s character have
changed – he is no longer just a show off
Have the reader’s perceptions of Gatsby
changed because of this new information –
how do we see him now?


“Then it was not merely the stars to which he
had aspired on that June night. He came alive
to me, delivered suddenly from the womb of
his purposeless splendour.”
LINKS TO GATSBY CHARACTERISATION –
Contradictions of possible criminal
businessman to lovesick person desperately
trying to secure the woman of his dreams.


“He’s a bootlegger,” said the young ladies ...
“One time he killed a man who had found out
that he was a nephew to Von Hindenburg and
second cousin to the devil.”
Again the mystery surrounding Gatsby is
emphasised from the very beginning of the
chapter.


DISCUSSION: The following words come
directly after the quote above. What does it
add to the themes of the novel so far.
“Reach me a rose, honey, and pour me a last
drop into that there crystal glass.”



Fitzgerald listed the guests in order to give
the impression of the nation’s wealthiest
people.
This reminds the reader again of Gatsby’s
wealth.
This reminder of Gatsby’s wealth is continued
in “gorgeous car”. This suggests to the reader
opulence.



“peculiarly American”
This comment is in direct contrast with “Old
sport” which is very typically English. This
again adds a mystery to Gatsby.
DISCUSSION: In what way does this add to
the sense of manufacture about Gatsby? Is
there any other indications of this in the
novel.



“They shook hands briefly, and a strained,
unfamiliar look of embarrassment came over
Gatsby’s face.”
Foreshadowing – this adds to the mystery. The
reader questions why he is embarrassed.
Soon find out that this incident foreshadows the
revelation we are about to hear.


“It was a rich cream colour, bright with nickel,
swollen here and there in its monstrous
length...triumphant hat boxes...terraced with
a labyrinth of wind-shields that mirrored a
dozen suns...sort of green leather
conservatory.”
DISSCUSSION: Identify words/phrases that
connote wealth and size.


The use of ‘green leather conservatory’ is
using terms we normally associate with a
house
This further suggests the size of the car and
Gatsby’s wealth – is his car worth more
(bigger than) some people’s houses?




“Then it was not merely the stars to which he
had aspired on that June night.”
The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock.
Gatsby reached out to it in chapter 1. This
symbolises him reaching out for Daisy.
Represents his love for Daisy
DISCUSSION: What is suggested by the word
‘aspire’?



Jordan and Nick “Her wan, scornful mouth
smiled, and so I drew her up again closer, this
time to my face.”
This gives the reader an interesting contrast
of someone who is actually physically there
for Nick
Contrasted with Gatsby’s elevated passion for
an idealised and distant object of desire.


“Then the valley of the ashes opened out on
both sides of us, and I had a glimpse of Mrs
Wilson straining at the garage pump with
panting vitality as we went by.”
This reminds us of the gulf between rich and
poor – the contrast of Gatsby’s opulent car and
the desolate valley of the ashes.

DISCUSSION: Look at the underlined section –
what does this add to our initial impressions of
Myrtle.





Seems bright and full of possibilities
“Over the great bridge”
“In its first wild promise of all the mystery and
the beauty of the world”
“Anything can happen now that we’ve slid over
this bridge…anything at all”
“Even Gatsby could happen, without any
particular wonder
by F. Scott Fitzgerald




This is the pivotal chapter of the novel
Previously, Gatsby’s reunion with Daisy has
existed only in PROSPECT
However, from Chapter 5 on the plot shifts to
focus on the romance between Gatsby and
Daisy
In addition, this chapter introduces the theme
of the past’s significance to the future



“I’m going to call up Daisy tomorrow and
invite her over here to tea…What day would
suit you?”
Nick is happy to act as a go-between to
facilitate the relationship between Gatsby
and Daisy
Discussion: What does this suggest about his
morals? Is he as honest as he professes?

Indeed, Nick’s reliability as a narrator is again
called into question.
Discuss the way in which the following quote
when he is writing about Gatsby conveys
this:“like an ecstatic patron of recurrent light”

Nick is transforming Gatsby into a mythical
figure.

Does this add to or detract from his reliability
as a narrator?

Daisy’s normally glib character is immediately
apparent when Nick calls her to invite her for
tea :‘Who is “Tom”?’ she asked innocently.

However, at this stage she does not know
that Gatsby is involved in the arrangements


However, it is clear by her reaction that she gets a shock
when she first meets Gatsby
Analyse the following quote to explain why it reveals an
awkwardness between the two
“From the living room I heard a sort of choking murmur and
part of a laugh…Daisy’s voice on a clear artificial note…a
pause; it endured horribly…..Daisy who was sitting
frightened but graceful, on the edge of a stiff chair”
However, as time passes, it is clear that Daisy
relaxes:‘I’m glad, Jay.’ Her throat, full of aching,
grieving beauty, told only of her unexpected
joy.”
Discussion
Why is Daisy’s sincerity particularly striking to
the reader?


However, which aspects of Daisy’s character
are highlighted by the following quotes:-
“I think he revalued everything in his house
according to the measure of response it drew
from her well-loved eyes”

“Suddenly with a strained sound, Daisy bent
her head into the shirts and began to cry
stormily.
‘They’re such beautiful shirts,’ she sobbed,
her voice muffled in the thick folds. ‘It makes
me sad because I’ve never seen such – such
beautiful shirts before.’

Consider: - Is this the more honest Daisy? Is
she genuinely moved?

Yes, she is overjoyed at his success, but it is
clearly apparent that she is moved by
materialistic things

Does this indicate to the reader that she falls
short of the ideal version lodged in Gatsby’s
heart and imagination?

This idea is reinforced by Nick:“There must have been moments even that
afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his
dreams – not through her own fault, but
because of the colossal vitality of his illusion.
It had gone beyond her, beyond everything.”

It is immediately apparent that Gatsby is
extremely nervous about meeting Daisy

Read the following quote and identify the
various phrases which convey this:-

“An hour later the front door opened
nervously…He was pale and there were dark
signs of sleeplessness beneath his eyes…’Is
everything alright’ he asked
immediately….’What grass?’ he inquired
blankly. ‘Oh, the grass in the yard.’ He looked
out the window at it, but, judging from his
expression, I don’t believe he saw a thing.”

In wishing to resume his relationship with
Daisy, Gatsby envisages his future in terms of
an event that is irretrievably in the past


Consider the following quote:“This is a terrible mistake,’ he said, shaking
his head from side to side, ‘a terrible, terrible
mistake.’
We have the idea that this is the real Gatsby.
His theatrical qualities fall away and for once
his responses appear genuine. He appears
love-struck and awkward

Indeed, Gatsby is portrayed as a love struck
teenager –
“He literally glowed….He smiled like a
weather man, like an ecstatic patron of
recurrent light”


“Once he nearly toppled down a flight of
stairs” successfully conveys the effect Daisy
has on Gatsby
“When I try to-” illustrates the intensity of his
feelings for Daisy. He is rendered speechless
just by her brushing her hair. Words are
inadequate to express what he feels for Daisy


When Gatsby and Daisy first meet the
weather matches their mood. The rain adds
depression and melancholy to the scene
However, as their love reawakens and hope
emerges for the possibility of a future
relationship, the sun comes out :“ the sun shone again….twinkle bells of
sunshine”

The improvement in the weather is
representative of the improvement in
Gatsby’s mood and in Gatsby’s life now that
he has been reunited with Daisy

“Luckily the clock took this moment to tilt dangerously at
the pressure of his head, whereupon he turned and caught it
with trembling fingers, and set it back in place”

His nervousness about how Daisy’s attitude to him may have
changed causes him to knock over Nick’s clock. This
symbolises the clumsiness of his attempts to stop time and
retrieve the past


“Inside we wandered through Marie
Antoinette music-rooms and Restoration
Salons…swathed in rose and lavender
silk…through dressing rooms and poolrooms
and bathrooms with sunken baths”
Gatsby’s mansion is not a home, but simply
an extravagant prop in his attempt to woo
Daisy

‘Kilspringer plays the piano…. ‘I don’t hardly
play at all”

There is no sense of friendship between
Gatsby and his lodger. They do not even refer
to each other using first names. This
suggests that he is just another prop in the
Gatsby show

“Doing liver exercises on the floor”

Symbolic of the over indulgent lives of the
American Upper classes. These were
exercises designed to compensate for the
over consumption of alcohol
by F. Scott Fitzgerald



Chapter 6 is important in revealing detail
about Gatsby’s character
Reveals how sensitive he was when he was
younger – until he meets Dan Cody
Aware of his poverty, he develops a powerful
obsession with amassing wealth.



“It was James Gatz who had been loafing
along the beach that afternoon …but it was
already Jay Gatsby who borrowed a row
boat…”
It is as if Gatsby is rechristening himself
Symbolises his desire to forget his lower class
identity and recast himself as the wealthy
man he envisions.






Discussion: Is this why he finds Daisy so
attractive?
For her, wealth and luxury comes effortlessly
She is the reason he invented Jay Gatsby.
Links to STRUCTURE and SYMBOLISM
“His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful
farm people”
Stark contrast to his later extravagant
lifestyle.


DISCUSSION – What does Gatsby’s
transformation tell us about the type of
person he is?
What do we admire about him?


We discover that Gatsby never received the
money from Cody.
It is Gatsby’s power to make his dreams real
that makes him ‘great’.




“Can’t repeat the past?” he cried
incredulously. “Why of course you can!”
This illustrates his capacity to delude himself
Also illustrates his boundless capacity for
hope
DISCUSSION: Does the quote influence our
feelings towards Gatsby?



“But the rest offended her...was appalled by
West Egg,”
DISCUSSION: Why is Daisy so appalled by the
people at the party?
Does her reaction come as a surprise to the
reader?



The main problem with Gatsby’s conception
of Daisy is that it is a dream.
He still thinks she is the girl who loved him in
Louisville
But she would never desert her own class and
background to be with Gatsby.



“I may be old-fashioned in my ideas but
women run around too much these days to
suit me.”
The reader sees how hypocritical Tom is being
here considering his own behaviour
DISCUSSION: In your opinion would Tom
ever believe that Daisy would have an affair?

When Gatsby reinvents himself he is
transforming himself and Daisy into his ideal
of radiant life and beauty.



“Tom was evidently perturbed at Daisy’s
running around alone”
Tom’s concern is used to move the narrative
along
This exposes the suspicions of Tom that will
eventually lead to confrontation


The name ‘The Great Gatsby’ makes his
almost seem like a magician.
His reinvention is almost magical.



“Lake Superior”
This is a realistic geographical detail but
symbolic in a sense.
Gatz must recreate himself as Gatsby in order
to become superior and it is at this location
that he does that.




“Mr Sloane didn’t enter into the conversation,
but lounged back haughtily in his chair...”
They treat Gatsby with contempt
He has the money but lacks their superior
social qualities (in their minds)
Even among the very rich there are class
distinctions

DISCUSSION: Think about Gatsby’s
treatment and actions towards his guests
(the Sloanes). What do they reveal about his
character?



“Can’t repeat the past?” he cried
incredulously. “Why of course you can!”
Gatsby’s future is an attempt at restoring a
golden moment from his past rather than
something new.
Historically, early American settlers felt that
the New World offered them the opportunity
to return to the Garden of Eden



The concept of an ideal future is often a form
of nostalgia for a Golden Age.
An age that supposedly existed in the distant
past.
DISCUSSION: Can Gatsby’s dream ever come
true?
by F. Scott Fitzgerald



“His career as Trimalchio was over”
Trimalchio was a vulgar social upstart,
therefore this description has negative
connotations”
Task
Discuss why the description of a “vulgar
upstart” might be an appropriate one for
Gatsby.


“They’re some people Wolfshiem wanted to
do something for” - this again adds doubt in
our minds about Gatsby’s judgement and
wisdom.
Wolfshiem is a shady character. What does it
suggest about Gatsby that he is prepared to
surround himself by people like this?


It is in this chapter that Gatsby’s fortune is
revealed as illegally acquired “I found out what your drug stores were.’ He
turned to us and spoke rapidly. ‘He and this
Wolfshiem bought up a lot of side-street
drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold
grain alcohol over the counter...I picked him
for a bootlegger the first time I saw him.”



“He spoke as if Daisy’s reaction was the only
thing that mattered”
Again, this conveys another negative aspect
to Gatsby’s characterisation. He is only
worried about Daisy and completely ignores
the fact that Myrtle was killed
“Of course I’ll say I was” – shows how much
he is in love with Daisy. He is prepared to
take the blame for Myrtle’s death



Again this chapter calls into question Nick’s
reliability as a narrator.
Discuss the way in which the following
quote is significant in arousing the reader’s
suspicions regarding his reliability:
“ I had one of those renewals of complete
faith in him that I’d experienced before”

This chapter again conveys Daisy’s lack of
maternalistic qualities and again reinforces
our impression of her being non-maternal

Discuss the way in which the following quote
reveals this:“The child, relinquished by the nurse, rushed
across the room and rooted shyly into her
mother’s dress”

Consider the following quote. In what way
does it convey negative connotations
regarding Daisy’s characterisation:“That’s because your mother wanted to show
you off”


“Daisy sat back upon the couch. The nurse took a step
forward and held out her hand....”Good-bye, sweetheart!”
Her daughter’s “reluctant backward glance” suggests she
would like to stay with her mother. However, Daisy simply
dismisses her and does not even refer to her by her name.
This again adds to our negative impression of Daisy.

“Her voice is full of money,” he said suddenly”

Gatsby’s description of Daisy again adds to
our negative connotations. This description
once again suggests a materialistic nature
and a lack of emotion and spirit.




Daisy’s negative portrayal continues when Gatsby’s past is
revealed:
“ With every word she was drawing further and further into
herself”
It is further reinforced at the end of the chapter- “I walked
away and left him standing there in the moonlight –
watching over nothing”
Daisy has chosen to ignore the fact that Gatsby is prepared
to take the blame for Myrtle’s death and has decided to stay
with Tom

Task
Brainstorm the reasons why Daisy has
decided to stay with Tom

What impression does her decision to stay
with Tom make on the reader?

“Your wife does,” exclaimed Tom, startled”.

Tom has just heard that his lover is leaving
him. In addition, his wife is having an affair.
His world has crashed around him in one
afternoon
Discuss - why the reader feels very little
sympathy for Tom


“I’ll be damned if I see how you got within a
mile of her unless you brought the groceries
to the back door”

This is a clear example of class distinction.
Tom tries to assert his superiority over Gatsby
and emphasises how unsuitable a suitor he is
for Daisy

Tom’s hypocrisy shines through in the
following quote:

“And what’s more, I love Daisy too. Once in a
while I go off on a spree and make a fool of
myself, but I always come back, and in my
heart I love her all the time”

This is totally hypocritical of Tom. He has no
qualms about his extra marital affairs, but
feels a victim when Daisy’s affair is revealed
“The next day was broiling, almost the last,
certainly the warmest of the summer”
In this chapter, the hot weather reflects the
climax of Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship



“In this heat every extra gesture was an
affront to the common store of life”
The oppressive heat adds to the
uncomfortable atmosphere and contributes
to what happens in the chapter – not just
Myrtle’s accident, but also the confrontation
between Tom and Gatsby
The fiery and intense sun symbolises Tom’s
fiery confrontation with Gatsby

“I hadn’t gone twenty yards when I heard my
name and Gatsby stepped from between two
bushes into the path”

This signifies the reality of his love for Daisy.
She is not concerned about him, but he is still
keeping watch. This makes the reader feel
sorry for Gatsby and almost forget his
criminal past

“I’ve heard of making a garage out of a stable,’ Tom was
saying to Gatsby, ‘ but I’m the first man who ever made a
stable out of a garage.”

This symbolises his shallowness. The stables will be for his
polo ponies as he does not need to work. Wilson depends on
his garage for survival.

“You loved me too?” he repeated.

Gatsby’s obsession with having a “blissful
past” continue into the present makes him
want Daisy to tell Tom that she never loved
him.

However, Tom reminding Daisy of their past,
is clever. He is using their personal history to
remind Daisy that she had feelings for him.

BY CONTROLLING THE PAST, TOM
ERADICATES GATSBY’S VISION OF THE
FUTURE

One of the most important moments in the
chapter is when Tom becomes certain of
Gatsby and Daisy’s feelings for each other –

“She had told him that she loved him, and
Tom Buchanan saw. He was astounded. His
mouth opened a little, and he looked at
Gatsby, and then back at Daisy”


The climax of the novel occurs with the line,
“But with every word she was drawing further
and further into herself”
This is the climax, the most critical part of the
novel as it is now clear that Gatsby has lost
Daisy for good

This is reinforced by Tom’s words “I think he
realises that his presumptuous little flirtation
is over”

Here, Tom feels secure enough to send Daisy
back to East Egg with Gatsby. This confirms
Nick’s observation that Gatsby’s dream is
dead.


The ending of the chapter with Gatsby hiding
in the bushes clearly parallels Gatsby pining
for Daisy at the end of Chapter One.
In Chapter One he was optimistic about their
future, but now he has made it past the green
light onto the lawn of Daisy’s house.
However, now his dream is gone for ever as
Daisy and Tom have reconciled their
differences – “His hand had fallen upon and
covered her own”


“They [Tom and Daisy] weren’t happy, and
neither of them touched the chicken or ale –
and yet they weren’t unhappy either. There
was an unmistakable air of natural intimacy
about the picture, and anybody would have
said that they were conspiring together”
Tom and Daisy chose to remain reckless
together – understand and accept one
another’s flaws; no one is perfect.
by F. Scott Fitzgerald



He was attracted to Daisy because of her
wealth and privilege and he idolised both
wealth and Daisy – the two are intertwined in
his mind.
When he enters her house as a poor soldier,
he knows he has no real right to be there.
He never expected to fall for her; “intended,
probably, to take what he could and go”


“I don’t think she ever loved him,’ Gatsby
turned around from a window and looked at
me challengingly. ‘You must remember…she
was very excited this afternoon.”
Gatsby is not prepared to admit that he has
lost Daisy as it is to him like losing his entire
world. He continually refuses to accept that
his dream is dead.

Discussion: How does the reader feel about
Gatsby’s inability to accept the truth? Is this
denial a negative or positive aspect of his
character? What does this denial ultimately
bring about?
“They’re a rotten crowd…You’re worth the whole
damn bunch put together.’ I’ve always been glad I
said that … because I disapproved of him from
beginning to end.”
 Discussion: Is this true? Why does Nick say this?
 Is Gatsby ‘worth the whole damn bunch put
together’? What quality is it that makes him
different?


Nick gives the novel's final appraisal of Gatsby when
he asserts that Gatsby is "worth the whole damn
bunch of them." Despite the ambivalence he feels
toward Gatsby's criminal past and nouveau riche
affectations, Nick cannot help but admire him for
his essential nobility. Though he disapproved of
Gatsby "from beginning to end," Nick is still able to
recognize him as a visionary, a man capable of
grand passion and great dreams. He represents an
ideal that has grown exceedingly rare in the 1920s,
which Nick (along with Fitzgerald) regards as an age
of cynicism, decadence, and cruelty.


Gatsby is a symbol for America in the 1920’s.
The American Dream has, in the pursuit of
happiness, degenerated into a quest for mere
wealth.
Gatsby’s powerful dream of happiness with
Daisy has become the motivation for lavish
excess and criminal activities.

Task: Consider all of the characters in the
novel. For each one note down how they
symbolise different elements of the American
Dream.

Nick, in his reflections on Gatsby's life, suggests that
Gatsby's great mistake was in loving Daisy: he thus chose an
inferior object upon which to focus his almost mystical
capacity for dreaming. Just as the American Dream itself has
degenerated into the crass pursuit of material wealth,
Gatsby, too, strives only for wealth once he has fallen in love
with Daisy, whose trivial, limited imagination can conceive of
nothing greater. It is significant that Gatsby is not murdered
for his criminal connections, but rather for his unswerving
devotion to Daisy; it blinds him to all else, even to his own
safety. As Nick writes, Gatsby thus "[pays] a high price for
living too long with a single dream."
“…but now he found that he had committed himself
to the following of a grail.”
 A Grail is a sacred object of a quest undertaken by a
loyal and devoted knight.
 Gatsby has been transformed into a chivalric hero –
a knight. His shinning armour is his ‘beautiful
shirts’, his horse is an expensive car.
 Discussion: Do you think that Gatsby could rescue
Daisy and take her to a better life?



“The night had made a sharp difference in the
weather and there was an autumn flavour in
the air.”
The ‘fire’ has gone out of Gatsby’s life with
Daisy’s decision to remain with Tom. This is
symbolised by the cooling weather and
autumn slowly creeping in.



‘I’ve never used that pool all summer?’
In some ways Gatsby is clinging on to the hope
that Daisy will love him the way she used to
symbolised by his insistence on swimming in
the pool as though it were still summer.
Important – both his downfall in Chapter 7 and
his death in this chapter result from his stark
refusal to accept what he cannot control – the
passage of time

Gatsby's death takes place on the first day of
autumn, when a chill has begun to creep into
the air. His decision to use his pool is in
defiance of the change of seasons, and
represents yet another instance of Gatsby's
unwillingness to accept the passage of time.
The summer is, for him, equivalent to his
reunion with Daisy; the end of the summer
heralds the end of their romance.

Up to the moment of his death, Gatsby
cannot accept that this dream is over: he
continues to insist that Daisy may still come
to him, though it is clear to everyone
including the reader that she is bound
indissolubly to Tom. Gatsby's death thus
seems almost inevitable, given that a
dreamer cannot exist without his dreams;
through Daisy's betrayal, he effectively loses
his reason for living.



“but you can’t fool God!... Doctor
T.J.Eckleburg …God sees everything,’
repeated Wilson.”
George takes this to be the all seeing eyes of
God.
He mistakenly believes that Myrtle’s lover
must have been her killer and must be
punished by “God”.



BUT remember that these eyes are blind –
they are the advert for an opticians.
The connection between these eyes and
‘God’ exists only in Wilson’s grief stricken
mind.
Discussion – How important has been the
idea of eyes/seeing within the novel?


“He must have looked up at an unfamiliar sky
through frightening leaves and shivered as he
found what a grotesque thing a rose is …”
The rose has been a symbol of beauty for
centuries, but Nick says that they are not
inherently beautiful and people only view
them as beautiful because they choose to.


Daisy is grotesque in the same way. Gatsby
has made her beautiful and the object of his
dream but in reality she is an idle, bored and
rich young woman with no moral strength or
loyalties.
Discussion: How does the reader now feel
about Daisy? Consider that she has
abandoned Gatsby in his hour of need.



“…gardener saw Wilson’s body a little way off
in the grass, and the holocaust was
complete”
Indicates the whole sale destruction of his
Gatsby’s life, of his dream and his love for
Daisy.
Also indicates the destruction of Wilson’s life,
his dream and of his world.

Wilson seems to be Gatsby's grim double in Chapter VIII, and
represents the more menacing aspects of a capacity for
visionary dreaming. Like Gatsby, he fundamentally alters the
course of his life by attaching symbolic significance to
something that is, in and of itself, meaningless; for Gatsby, it
is Daisy and her green light, for Wilson, it is the eyes of Dr.
T.J. Eckleburg. Both men are destroyed by their love for
women who love the brutal Tom Buchanan; both are
consumed with longing for something greater than
themselves. While Gatsby is a "successful" American dreamer
(at least insofar as he has realised his dreams of wealth),
Wilson exemplifies the fate of the failed dreamer, whose
poverty has deprived him of even his ability to hope.

Gatsby's death takes place on the first day of
autumn, when a chill has begun to creep into
the air. His decision to use his pool is in
defiance of the change of seasons, and
represents yet another instance of Gatsby's
unwillingness to accept the passage of time.
The summer is, for him, equivalent to his
reunion with Daisy; the end of the summer
heralds the end of their romance.
by F. Scott Fitzgerald



“I called up Daisy half an hour after we found
him, called her instinctively and without
hesitation. But she and Tom had gone away
early that afternoon, and taken baggage with
them.”
The novel ends with a negative impression of
Daisy.
She has simply dealt with everything by
forgetting it and moving away.



This is even more shocking when we
understand that Gatsby was killed because of
her
She has no loyalty to Gatsby again displaying
her shallowness.
Discuss – Why does Nick call her “instinctively
and without hesitation”? This says more
about Nick than it does Daisy – what does
this reaction reveal to us?



“I found myself on Gatsby’s side, and alone.”
Nick has entered into isolation here
This is a further reflection of his identification
with Gatsby




By the end of the novel the reader should
understand why Nick thinks Gatsby “turned out
all right at the end”.
In his eyes, Gatsby embodied an ability to
dream and escape his past
This dream was possibly (ultimately) impossible
But Nick cherishes and values it nonetheless.



“On the white steps an obscene word,
scrawled by some boy ... And I erased it.”
Nick is the writer and he wants his words to
define Gatsby.
Discuss: Do you think Nick has succeeded in
telling Gatsby’s story?



“Look here, old sport, you’ve got to get
somebody for me. You’ve got to try hard. I
can’t go through this alone.”
Gatsby is isolated, not only in death, but even
at his own parties where he was a lost and
detached onlooker.
Discuss: Why was Gatsby never accepted?
What does this reveal about the other
characters in the novel?



“He took off his glasses and wiped them again,
outside and in. ‘The poor son-of-a-bitch,’ he
said”
We feel sympathy for Gatsby too, deserted by
acquaintances and (more importantly) Daisy.
Discuss: What is the significance of the owl eyed
man realising Gatsby’s sad situation? What
theme does this link in with?





Henry C Gatz is a figure of sympathy rather
than admiration
“His eyes leaked continuously”
“He was on the point of collapse”
Nick does not shatter the old man’s illusion of
his son
“That’s true”



Gatsby’s father keeps talking about the
picture of Gatsby’s house
In a parallel with his son the picture “was
more real to him than the house itself”
He is infatuated by an illusion





“That’s my Middle West ...”
The Mid-West has been seen to be boring
compared to the excitement of the East
But the East is just glittering on the surface
It lacks the moral centre of the Mid-West
This moral depravity dooms the characters in
the novel to failure




“What I called up about was a pair of shoes I
left there.”
Shows lack of morals and the shallowness of
the upper classes.
Klipspringer was Gatsby’s lodger but would
rather attend a picnic.
He is not even phoning up to offer
commiserations but to enquire about a pair of
shoes.



“Nobody came”
This illustrates the upper class shallowness.
They attended his parties and abused his
hospitality but have deserted him when he is
no longer of any use.

Gatsby fails to achieve the American Dream –
Why?

1.
2.
3.
4.

Some suggestions may be:
He is a criminal
He can never gain acceptance into the
American aristocracy.
His new identity is an act
His dream was unattainable (why?)
All of these question the idea of America as a
place where all things are possible if one
tries enough.


The American dream is the potential for
unlimited advancement, regardless of where
someone comes from or how poor their
background is
Gatsby’s failure suggests it is impossible to
disown one’s past so completely



He knew he had a big future in front of him.
And ever since he made a success he was very
generous with me.”
Ironic – in his father’s mind Gatsby had
achieved the American dream
His father has no understanding of the
intricacies of American society.




“That’s my Middle West”
Nick thinks of America as a place with distinct
regions with different values
Each area has come to symbolise different
values
Discuss: What values are symbolised by the
Mid-West, East, West within the novel?



“I see now that this has been a story of the
West, after all – Tom and Gatsby, Daisy and
Jordan and I, were all Westerners …”
Throughout history the West has been seen as a
land of promise, possibility, a symbol of
American ideals
But Tom and Daisy, like other members of the
upper classes have betrayed American ideals by
having a rigid class structure that excludes
newcomers from its upper classes.


“Gatsby’s house was still and empty when I
left”
The party is over in both the literal and
metaphorical sense.




“…grass on his lawn had grown as long as
mine.”
Gatsby has gone but time has moved on
This contrasts with Gatsby’s lawn when he was
alive
Discuss – how does this link to Gatsby’s
relationship with Daisy? Consider how it
changed and when grass cutting was significant
in the past.



“…and perhaps he made a story about it all of
his own.”
Even in death Gatsby remains the focus of
gossip and speculation.
Discuss – do you think that Gatsby deserved
to be the centre of such gossip?




“…I went over and looked at that huge
incoherent failure of a house once more.”
It is like a sign of material success, but like its
owner it is flawed.
“…word, scrawled by some boy”
In the corrupt America of the 1920’s
childhood is not even a time of innocence.



“…I became aware of the old island here that
flowered once for Dutch sailors’ eyes…”
Nick imagines what it must have looked like
to the first explorers
Seeing that America was once a goal for
dreamers just as Daisy was for Gatsby.




“Gatsby believed in the green light…”
Nick pictures the green land of America as
the green light shining from Daisy’s dock
He believes that Gatsby had failed to realise
that his dreams had already ended
His goals had become hollow and empty.
“…tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our
arms further … And one fine morning –
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne
back ceaselessly into the past.”
 Symbolises that the return to paradise is an
ideal not a reality
 Discuss: is this an optimistic or pessimistic end
to the novel?
