The Great Gatsby
Chapter Notes:
Ch. 1-2-3
►Fitzgerald
designed chapters one,
two, and three for two purposes:
 to introduce us to the characters of the
novel
 to paint a vivid portrait of the world in
which the novel takes place
►Ch.
1 establishes Nick as our narrator.
There are three interpretations of
Nick as a character/narrator:
1. Nick views himself as an objective
reporter who “reserves judgment” and
merely retells the extraordinary events
of the summer of 1922 (evidenced by
first paragraph of Ch. 1 and Ch. 3 “I’m
one of the few honest people…”.
2. Some critics say Nick is too involved to
be objective- the first three chapters
have him making numerous judgments
of the people he meets in the East; in
addition, Nick participates in the
drunken debauchery of the world he
claims to despise in the opening pages.
Also, he fails in reserving judgment of
Gatsby who he adores from their first
meeting.
3. Some critics say Nick is too inactive-
Nick has been called a waste of a
character, one who sees the immorality
around him (Tom and Daisy’s fake
marriage, Tom and Myrtle’s affair,
Gatsby’s lifestyle, Jordan’s cheating at
golf) and does nothing to stop it.
We begin to see that this novel is
essentially about Nick’s journey into
adulthood and his initiation into a
corrupt world. He is the character that
we are to look to for change and selfrealization.
►We
learn from these chapters that this
is also a novel of comparisons.
 In the first three chapters, we are faced
with many comparisons, most notably is
the fact that each of these early chapters
centers on a different type of party. In
addition, we see comparisons between:
Comparisons
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
East Egg and West Egg and the Valley of
Ashes
the West and the East
Daisy and Myrtle
Catherine and Jordan
Tom and Wilson
Eckleburg and Nick
Gatsby and how others view him
►Also,
it is a novel of symbols. The first
three chapters introduce us to the
green light and Eckleburg’s eyes. Both
have important significance later in the
novel.
►Finally,
these first chapters establish
Gatsby as a mythical figure.
 In chapter one, Gatsby is seen as a
shadowy figure looking toward a distant
dock.
 In chapter two, he is mentioned briefly
as the nephew of a German Kaiser.
 In chapter three, he is a mysterious
enigma who doesn’t drink, keeps his
distance, and is the victim of countless
rumors. However, the rumors paint
Gatsby as a paradox.
► Consider
what is said about Gatsby at his
party and how the information conflicts with
itself. All of this helps establish Gatsby as a
legend, which as we will see is precisely
what Fitzgerald (and Gatsby in the novel)
wanted to do.
Paradox




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
He killed a man
He’s a German spy
He’s the cousin or nephew of Kaiser Wilhelm
American soldier
Oxford man – “old sport”
‘elegant,’ ‘young,’ ‘elaborate formality of speech’
‘rough-neck,’ ‘absurd’
Later in our discussion of the novel, we will
discuss another major comparisonAppearance versus Reality (hint: Gatsby’s
use of “old sport” will come into play here.
Consider Owl Eyes as a symbolic character
and his reference to Gatsby’s books as
“being real” as important.
► Consider
the incredible trouble he goes
through for his parties and how nobody
cares to know about the real Gatsby.


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Blue gardens
Beaches, motorboats, hydroplanes
Rolls Royce delivers guests
Crates of fruits
Mountains of food and open bars
Orchestra
Thematic Focus: American Dream
► Consider
the attitudes of the people at the
party and how it reflects on the corruption
of the American Dream.
 “introductions forgotten on the spot” (p. 44)
 “women who never knew each others names”
(p. 44)
 “one of the few guest invited” (p. 45)
 “I never care what I do…” (p. 47)
 Men and women fighting; car accidents