The Great Gatsby/
Dante’s Inferno
Interactive Notebook Notes
Dante’s Seven Deadly
Sins
Lust = Page 43
• Dictionary definition: “intense or
unbridled sexual desire” (MerriamWebster)
• Elements often included in the
theological definition: lust as sexual
desire; secondarily, lust as desire for
other things like money and power
Gluttony = Page 43
• Dictionary definition: “excess in
eating or drinking” (Merriam-Webster)
• Elements often included in the
theological definition: an emphasis on
over-indulgence, stress on lacking
trust for future provisions, stress on
taking from those in need, especially
the hungry.
Greed = Page 43
• Dictionary definition: “a selfish and
excessive desire for more of
something (as money) than is needed”
(Merriam-Webster)
• Elements often included in the
theological definition: excess, stress
on lack of trust for future provisions,
stress on taking from those in need,
especially the poor.
Sloth = Page 43
• Dictionary definition: “disinclination
to action or labor” (Merriam-Webster)
• Elements often included in the
theological definition: laziness,
primarily spiritual (i.e. lack of spiritual
maturity, growth development);
secondarily, physical laziness; spiritual
laziness considered a rejection of
God's grace
•
Wrath = Page 43
• Dictionary definition: “strong
vengeful anger” (Merriam-Webster)
• Elements often included in the
theological definition: out-of-control
anger, inside is fueled by hate,
outside is manifested through verbal
and/or physical violence
Envy = Page 43
• Dictionary definition: “painful or
resentful awareness of an advantage
enjoyed by another joined with a
desire to possess the same advantage”
(Merriam-Webster)
• Elements often included in the
theological definition: excess, jealousy
over a range of issue like materialism
and sexual desire
Pride = Page 43
• Dictionary definition: “inordinate
self-esteem” (Merriam-Webster)
• Elements often included in the
theological definition: the chief sin
from which others are generated,
the sin that occurred in
the Garden of Eden, Lucifer's sin
Sin Review-Page 42
• Choose one sin and connect with a
character that you have read in
another piece of literature. Name
the literature, character, and analyze
how/why it connects. (1/2 page)
Gatsby
Fitzgerald’s Style, Theme, Motif,
-Page 45
 Fitzgerald is known for his imagistic
and poetic prose.
 His topics were largely influenced by
his surroundings and experiences.
 Fitzgerald uses motifs and symbols
throughout the novel that are
significant to the development of his
themes.
Fitzgerald’s Style, Theme,
Motif-Page 45
 The motif of geography plays an
important role in defining social
stratification.
 Weather is used to reflect human
conditions.
 Names are one of the important
tools that Fitzgerald uses to enhance
character development.
Fitzgerald’s Style, Theme,
Motif-Page 45
 The green light and the eyes of Dr. T. J.
Eckleburg are mentioned several times;
the meaning changes or signifies different
things to different characters and to the
reader.
 Dates and ages help to define the
beginning and ending of the dreams, and
tie Fitzgerald’s life’s happenings into
Gatsby’s life and the 1920s.
Theme/Motif
Difference-Page 44
• Define Theme and Motif
• Give a literary example of each. Make
sure to be descriptive and detailed.
Fitzgerald’s Setting/Historical
Background-Page 47
• The setting of the story is in the
summer of 1922, near New York City,
in the towns of West Egg and East
Egg.
• The 1920s was an era of great
change. Politically, the 1920s were a
time of growth, prosperity, and
corruption.
Fitzgerald’s Setting/Historical
Background-Page 47
 Growth for the 1920s included financial
and population growth.
 Financially, there was rampant
materialism.
 Post-World-War-I manufacturing
flourished, producing cars, radios,
telephones. Consumer goods flooded the
market, and people bought and bought.
Fitzgerald’s Setting/Historical
Background-Page 47
 Professional sports grew in popularity
as people spent more and more money
on entertainment.
 Immigration, which had subsided
during the war, increased drastically.
 The threat of differing political ideas
and the loss of American jobs to
foreigners created an intense dislike
of outsiders.
Historical Opinion-Page 46
• What is one historical fact about this
period of time that you agreed with
or disagreed with?
• Write one thesis sentence and give
three pieces of evidence.
Fitzgerald’s-Allusions-page 49
• On page 9 – An allusion to Theodore Lothrop
Stoddard’s The Rising Tide of Color Against
White World Supremacy.
• On page 32 – An allusion to Kaiser Wilhelm
• On page 70 – An allusion to Rosy Rosenthal, a
small time gambler involved with the
• underworld.
• On page 73 – An allusion to the “Black Sox”
team of 1919 and the fixing of the World Series.
• On page 113 – An allusion to Trimalchio
Allusions-page 48
• Choose one of the allusion references
• Analyze how/why this historical
allusion was necessary in Fitzgerald’s
novel.
Characters
Nick Carraway- page 51
• Novel’s narrator
• Honest, tolerant, and inclined to
reserve judgment
• Daisy Buchanan’s cousin
• Friends with Jay Gatsby
• Educated at Yale, fought in WWI,
bond business
Jay Gatsby- page 51
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Protagonist
Wealthy young man
Famous for lavish parties
Mysterious background
Loves Daisy
Dishonest, vulgar, flawed
Transformed his “Dream” into a reality
Daisy Buchanan-page 51
• Nick’s cousin
• Married Tom Buchanan but loves
Gatsby
• Sardonic, somewhat cynical, and
behaves superficially to mask her
pain
Tom Buchanan- page 51
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•
•
•
Husband of Daisy
Wealthy
Arrogant, hypocritical bully
Social attitudes linked with racism,
sexism, no morals
• Affair with Myrtle
Jordan Baker- page 51
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•
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•
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Daisy’s friend
Nick is involved with her
Competitive golfer
“new women” of 1920s
Cynical, boyish, self-centered
Beautiful but dishonest
Myrtle Wilson- page 51
• Tom’s lover
• Looks for ways to improve herself
• Treated as a mere object of desire
George Wilson- page 51
• Myrtle’s husband
• Lifeless, exhausted owner of a run
down shop
• Loves and idealizes his wife
• A dreamer but ruined by the love of
a women
Owl Eyes- page 51
• Drunk
• Eccentric
• Interest in Gatsby’s books
Klipspringer- page 51
• Shallow freeloader
• Takes advantage of others
Character- page 50
• Choose one character and compare
its background to a famous figure in
today's society. (1/2 page)
Symbols- page 53
• Gatsby’s uncut books/Nick’s unread
books
• Wolfsheim’s cufflinks
• Gatsby’s car/Gatsby’s clothes
• Tom Buchanan pushing people around/
Tom Buchanan quoting things “he
read”
Symbols- page 53
• The faded timetable (showing the names
of Gatsby’s guests
• Anti-Semitism, prejudice
• Weather
• Time, seasons
• The ash heap
• The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock
Symbols- page 53
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East versus West Egg
Gatsby’s career/Nick’s career
Dan Cody
T.J. Eckleberg
Silver and gold (color)
White (color)
Green (color)
Symbols- page 52
• List the meaning and function of five
of symbols but keep in mind you
should be familiar with each.