The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Chapter One

Chapter One
1. What does D’Invilliers suggest is
the best way to woo a lover?

 This poet suggests that the best way to
woo a lover is to have wealth (gold-hat)
and to do what the woman wants
(bounce high).
Chapter One
2. What does Nick Carraway (the narrator)
reveal about his own personality?

 Nick Carraway reveals that he is not a
judgmental person (based on advice his
father gave him).
 “…I’m inclined to reserve all judgments, a
habit that has opened up many curious
natures to me and also made me the
victim of not a few veteran bores.” (1)
 He, however, does not always follow this
principle and is quick to judge all. (5-6)
Chapter One
3. What generalizations about Gatsby does
Nick give as his introduction to the “Great”
main character?

 Nick describes Gatsby as a man that:
“represented everything for which I have
unaffected scorn… something gorgeous about
him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises
of life… had a gift for hope, a romantic
readiness…”
 Nick notes that is was not Gatsby who left him
jaded, rather what “preyed on Gatsby, what foul
dust that floated in the wake of his dreams…”
“foul dust” = American dream’s decay
Chapter One
4. How does Nick become a “guide, a
pathfinder, an original settler”?

 Nick achieves the
feeling of belonging
when he gives directions
to a lost man on the
road.
Providing direction for
another gives him
purpose and makes it so
that he no longer feels
lonely.
Chapter One
5. Describe Tom Buchanan in detail.

A: Tom is physically endowed; “sturdy”; 30
years old; former standout collegiate football
player
B: Tom is confrontational, “seeking a little
wistfully for the dramatic turbulence” (10); he
seems arrogant, dominant and aggressive, “a
cruel body” (11)
C: Tom’s relationship with Daisy is superficial,
strained and cold; they barely acknowledge
each other
D: Tom is a white supremacist: “Civilization is
going to pieces…if we don’t look out the white
race will be utterly submerged.” (17)
Chapter One
6. How did Daisy’s knuckles turn black and
blue?

 Her knuckles being black and
blue lead one to believe that she
fights back when Tom abuses her
Privately, she’ll fight back
She’s personally defiant
Publically, she’ll remain docile
She’s willing to compromise her
defiance in order to retain the image of
a subservient wife
Chapter One
7. Does Daisy know that Tom has a
mistress? How do you know?

 Daisy is well-aware that Tom has
a girl on the side
 She and Tom openly argue about
it while Nick is visiting
 Jordan Baker, professional golfer
and friend of Daisy’s, “who
seemed to have mastered a certain
hardy skepticism,” eavesdrops
unashamed
Chapter One
8. List ten adjectives that you would use to
describe Daisy’s personality?

Naïve; young; beautiful; softspoken; charming; “cynical”;
wealthy; frivolous; lavish; foolish;
subjected; objectified; innocent;
romantic; abused; charismatic;
sophisticated; frolicsome; entitled;
captivating; “witty”; superficial;
Unfulfilled; Aloof; thrilling;
entrancing; persuasive
Chapter One
9. What can you figure out about Daisy and
Tom as parents and individuals from the brief
references to their daughter?

Daisy and Tom appear to be ‘trophy
parents’
Although they have a child, they are by no
means active, caring parents
The next step in their marriage was to
have a child, so that’s what they did- have
a baby to show off
“I suppose she talks, and– eats and
everything…” (Daisy now)
“I hope she’ll be a fool– that’s the best thing a
girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool”
(Daisy the day her daughter was born)
Chapter One
10. What do you think is the significance of the
green light?

 Nick observes Gatsby, “content to
be alone,” staring out into the sea
 He stands transfixed on a distant,
green light
Green light symbolizes:
Longing
Hope
Renewal
American Dream
Chapter Two

Chapter Two
1. Describe the “Valley of Ashes” and explain
where it is located.

 Long stretch of desolate land half-way
between West Egg and New York City,
created by the dumping of industrial ashes.
 It represents the moral and social decay that
results from the uninhibited pursuit of
wealth, as the rich indulge themselves with
regard for nothing but their own pleasure.
 The valley of ashes also symbolizes the
plight of the poor, like George Wilson, who
live among the dirty ashes and lose their
vitality as a result
Chapter Two
2. Who is Dr. TJ Eckleburg? Why did Fitzgerald
include him as part of the Valley of Ashes?

 The Eyes of Dr. TJ Eckleburg is a billboard set
over the Valley of Ashes: gigantic blues eyes
looking out of yellow spectacles (27).
 Fitzgerald may have put him there as a point of
interest; maybe to show that the area was
forgotten…like the billboard.
Chapter Two
3. What might the Dr. TK Eckleburg symbolize?

 It may represent God staring down upon and
judging American society as a moral wasteland.
 The eyes also come to represent the essential
meaninglessness of the world and the
arbitrariness of the mental process by which
people invest objects with meaning.
Chapter Two
4. Describe George Wilson.

Blonde; “faintly handsome”; light
blue eyes
“Spiritless”, exhausted owner of a
run-down auto shop at the edge of
the VOA
George, a pushover, loves and
idealizes his wife, Myrtle
Chapter Two
5. How does George interact with his wife?
Describe their relationship.

 It is evident that George is subservient to his
wife; Myrtle is the Alpha in their
relationship; she “walk[s] through her
husband as if her were a ghost” (30). She
bosses him around and he adheres to her
wishes.
 She is having an affair with Tom and George
is oblivious to this. Myrtle feels as if she was
tricked into marrying George; she “thought
he was a gentleman” (she thought he had
more money than he really did) and it turns
out he had to borrow a suit for their
wedding (39).
Chapter Two
6. What are some of the characteristics of the
people at the party Nick attends with Tom?

 Catherine – Myrtle’s sister,
well-maintained (maybe a
little over the top), haughty
 Mr. McKee – downstairs
neighbor, pale feminine
man, photographer
 Mrs. McKee – shrill,
languid, handsome, and
horrible
Chapter Two
7. Why is the little dog included in this chapter?
Where is he at the end of the chapter?

 The dog is included in the
chapter to show how
frivolous Myrtle is (and
how Tom gives her
whatever she wants).
 By the end of the chapter
the dog is sitting on the
coffee table – forgotten and
whimpering. (41)
Chapter Two
8. Was the violence between Myrtle Wilson and
Tom unusual? How do you know?

 No, the violence between Tom and Myrtle is
not unusual.
 We already know that Tom is abusive and
aggressive (Daisy’s black and blue knuckles).
It doesn’t seem as if Tom even hesitated to hit
Myrtle for repeating Daisy’s name.
 Mr. McKee stares at the scene and walks out as
if nothing has happened.
 Public acceptance of domestic violence
Chapter Three

Discussion!

 Take a look at the party scene.
 p. 39-41
 p. 43-45
 What are your impressions of Gatsby’s parties? Why
does he throw them?
Chapter Three
1. With Gatsby’s parties, “people were not invited –
they went there.” Explain.

 Gatsby’s parties were social events; people found
out about them via word of mouth and just
showed up.
 Some of Gatsby’s guests have never even seen
Gatsby, nor do they know him.
 “In his blue gardens, men and girls came and went
like moths among the whisperings and the
champagne and the stars.” (43)
 “It was a testimony to the romantic speculation he
inspired that there were whispers about him from
those who had found little that it was necessary to
whisper about in this world.” (48)
Chapter Three
2. Who are the girls in yellow and what is their
significance?

 The two girls in yellow represent the
materialism of the era.
 One girl tears her gown; Gatsby replaces it with
another expensive gown.
 They are also the beginning of the many
rumors that are circulating about Gatsby.
 Typical type of person that comes to his
parties: materialistic, selfish, haughty (43)
(47-48)
Chapter Three
3. Who is Owl Eyes?

 A “stout, middle-aged man”
 Questions the authenticity of the
books in Gatsby’s library
 Wonders if Gatsby is a mere illusion; seems
shocked by his attention to detail/ability to
cover his bases
 “What thoroughness! What realism!”
(50)
Discussion!

Why is Owl Eyes so shocked
that Gatsby’s library is real?
Chapter Three
4. List the different rumors that are floating
around about Gatsby.

1. Gatsby killed a man
2. He was a German
spy
3. He grew up in
Germany
4. He was in the
American Army
during the war
5. He’s an Oxford man
Discussion!

 Nick meets Gatsby…finally!
 p. 47
 p. 51
 Jordan says, “Anyhow, he gives large
parties…they’re so intimate. At small parties there
isn’t any privacy?” (49) (54)
 Do you agree with her seemingly contradictory
statement?
Chapter Three
5. Does Gatsby drink? Include a quote from the
text that proves your answer.

 He does not.
 “I wondered if the fact that he was not
drinking helped to set him off from his
guests, for it seemed to me that he grew
more correct as the fraternal hilarity
increased.” (54)
Chapter Three
6. Chicago and Philadelphia both want Gatsby
on the phone. Who are they?

 Chicago and Philadelphia are
“business associates” of Gatsby’s.
 One can assume that it has something
to do with bootlegging and organized
crime, as those two cities were hubs
for the mob in this era.
Chapter Three
7. What story is floating around about Jordan and
her “incurable dishonesty”?

 It is rumored that Jordan Baker cheated in her first
big golf tournament.
 She supposedly moved her ball in the semi-final
round for a better shot.
 The scandal died away when a caddie retracted his
statement
 Jordan, therefore, “instinctively avoided clever
shrewd men” and kept a “cool insolent smile turned
to the world.”
 Nick: “Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never
blame deeply—”
Discussion!

 Let’s talk about
“it takes two to make an
accident” (58) (63)
Chapter 4

Chapter Four
1. Is Nick being sarcastic or serious based on the
provided quote? Explain your choice.

 Quote: “…those who accepted
Gatsby’s hospitality…paid him the
subtle tribute of knowing nothing
whatever about him”
Nick is being sarcastic. He does not
approve of the people that attend
Gatsby’s parties; he believes that they
are materialistic and should at least
know their host.
Chapter Four
2. If you had to pick a consummate Gatsby
guest, who would you pick and why?

 Klipspringer is the complete/
representative guest because he has
been to Gatsby’s parties for so long
and so frequently that people begin to
call him “the border” as if he lived
there (67)
Chapter Four
3. During the drive to lunch, what details for
Gatsby give Nick his:

 Family
Jay comes from a wealthy family in the mid-west and
that all of his family is dead
 Education
Jay was educated at Oxford because it was a “family
tradition”
 Source of Income
Jay “came into a good deal of money”
He lived in all the capitols of Europe and collected
jewels, hunted game, and developed a passion for art
Chapter Four
4. Where in the “middle-west” does Gatsby
claim to be from?

Gatsby claims to be from
San Francisco (70)
Chapter Four
5. What is the “white card” that Gatsby uses
with the policeman?

 The white card that Gatsby pulls out
for the policeman is the Christmas
card that he gets from the Police
Commissioner every year.
Demonstrates his importance and
makes it seem as if he is above the law
because of his “favors.” (73)
Chapter Four
6. How might the character and appearance of Meyer
Wolfshiem suggest an element of anti-Semitism
on the part of the author and the time period?

 Wolfshiem’s character shows some of
the anti-Semitic feelings of the time
period because of the negative way in
which his appearance is described.
He has a small, flat nose; large head;
long hair coming out of each nostril;
tiny (beady) eyes;
Purposefully stereotypical (73-74)
Chapter Four
7. Describe Daisy’s life as a young girl of 18. What were
the rumors circulating about her?

 As a young girl, Daisy lived in Louisville,
Kentucky
 She is from a wealthy family and had MANY
suitors
 She and Gatsby had a brief relationship before he
went off to war
 Rumors
She packed her bags to bid Gatsby farewell in NY;
the fact that she tried to run away created tension
within her family
Inference = her family forced her to stay by making
her marry Tom
Chapter Four
8. What is the significance of Tom’s car accident in
Santa Barbara? How long had he been married?

 His accident shows just how long he has
been cheating on his wife
 Three months after they were married
he gets into this accident
He had one of the hotel chambermaids in
the car with him (82)
Inference = Their marriage crippled by infidelity
from the onset
Chapter Four
9. Did Daisy have any affairs in Chicago? Explain in
detail how you know.

Daisy did have affairs in Chicago
She used her sobriety to an
advantage
She was able to hide her indiscretions
Jordan says, “There’s something in
that voice of hers.” (82)
Chapter Four
10. THE BURNING QUESTION: Why did Gatsby buy
his huge house and throw all his parties?

 Gatsby has been keeping up with Daisy
throughout the years
 He bought the house across the bay from
her and throws all of these elaborate parties
in hopes that she will show up so he can
woo her to win her back
Gatsby’s greatness is a façade; hidden behind it
he strives to possess the very one thing he is
unable to buy
Chapter Five

Chapter Five
1. What “sideline” partnership does Gatsby
offer Nick?

 Gatsby offers Nick a “sideline” parnership in
his bootlegging business, a “rather
confidential sort of thing” (87-88)
 Nick declines:
“Because the offer was obviously and tactlessly for
a service to be rendered, I had no choice except to
cut him off there.” (88)
Chapter Five
2. Describe Gatsby’s behavior up until the
moment he sees Daisy again.

 Gatsby appears distracted and paranoid
He has Nick’s lawn cut and sends a “greenhouse”
over to adorn Nick’s home
Upon arrival at Nick’s, Nick notices “dark signs of
sleeplessness beneath his eyes.” (89)
While waiting for their guests, Jay anxiously keeps
“peering toward the bleared windows from time to
time as if a series of invisible but alarming
happenings were taking place outside.” (89)
He threatens to leave several minutes before guests
are set to arrive
Chapter Five
3. Contrast Gatsby and Daisy’s interaction before Nick
leaves with their interaction after he returns.

 Prior to Nick leaving
Embarrassed
Strained; shy
Uncomfortable
It is raining
 When Nick returns
Serene (“He literally glowed…” 94)
Daisy is crying but seems happy
Gatsby finally “sees” Nick
The rain stops
Chapter Five
4. When Daisy is upstairs washing her face, Gatsby
contradicts an earlier piece of information he had
given Nick. How does he explain this discrepancy?

 Gatsby previously told Nick that he inherited his
money
 He corrects himself by explaining that he lost the
money her inherited in “the big panic of the
war,” but earned it all back in a matter of three
years (95)
Chapter Five
5. Why does Gatsby pull out all of his shirts for Daisy
and why does she cry at the sight of them?

 Gatsby shows Daisy his shirts to impress her, to
show how far he has come from the soldier she
knew five years ago
 “…he revalued everything in his house according to the
measure of response it drew from he well-loved eyes... He
stared around at his possessions in a dazed way as though
in her actual and astounding presence none of it was any
longer real.” (96-97)
 She is crying upon the realization that he has
done all of this for her
Chapter Six

Chapter Six
1. What was Gatsby’s real name and
background?

 Gatsby’s
real/ legal
name is
James Gatz
Chapter Six
2. Why is it that “James Gatz…had been loafing around along the beach…” but
“Jay Gatsby… borrowed a row boat… and informed Cody that a wind
might catch him and break him up…”?

 James Gatz
Lazy; restless
Unsuccessful (clam digger; salmon fisherman;
janitor)
Without opportunity
 Jay Gatsby
“Extravagantly ambitious”
Goal-oriented
Used Dan Cody as an opportunity
Became VERY successful
Chapter Six
3. What information does Nick give about
Gatsby’s early interactions with women?

 Gatsby “knew women early and since they
spoiled him he became contemptuous of them.
Of young virgins because they were ignorant, of
the others because they were hysterical about
things which in his overwhelming selfabsorption he took for granted.” (104-105)
Chapter Six
4. Why did Gatsby leave St. Olaf in southern
Minnesota and return to Lake Superior?

 Gatsby left St. Olaf, a small Lutheran college,
after being unfulfilled/unsatisfied
“…dismayed at its ferocious indifference to the
drums of his destiny, to destiny itself…despising
the janitor’s work with which he was to pay his
way through.” (105)
Chapter Six
5. Who is Dan Cody and what opportunities
does he offer Gatsby?

 Dan Cody
“many times a millionaire”
50 years old
Made money from mining operations
“an infinite number of woman tried to separate
him from his money”
“on the verge of softmindedness”
Inevitably helped create Gatz’ “great Gatsby”
persona
Lavish; well-traveled; wealthy
Chapter Six
6. Who is Ella Kaye and what is her importance to
Gatsby? What legacy does Cody leave him
despite the loss of $25,000?

 Ella Kaye is the one woman that Cody seemed to
bend to
 She “came on board one night in Boston and a
week later Dan Cody inhospitably died.” (106)
Inference = she killed him for his money?
 Ella wound up with Cody’s money, while
Gatbsy “was left with his singularly appropriate
education… the vague contour of Jay Gatsby
had filled out to the substantiality of a man”
(106)
Chapter Six
7. Explain the irony of Tom’s comment that “women
run around too much these days to suit me.”

 Irony: Incongruity between what actually
happens and what might be expected to happen
 Situational Irony: A situation in which the
audience has a fuller knowledge of what is
happening rather than a character does
 Tom complains about his inability to catch up to
women, yet he has been mired in his own
perpetual infidelities since he has been married
His statement proves his hypocrisy and ignorance
Chapter Six
8. What is Daisy’s reaction to Gatsby’s party? What
about Tom’s reaction?

 Daisy’s reaction
Of Awe; bewildered
“I’ve never met so many celebrities”
Only has a good time while with Gatsby
 Tom’s reaction
“perturbed at Daisy’s running around alone”
His “arrogant eyes roamed the crowd”
Annoyed by Gatsby introducing him to guests as
“the polo player”
Chapter Six
9. Respond to Gatsby’s exclamation of “Can’t repeat the
past? Why of course you can!”

 Gatsby is determined to mend/alter the
past
 He is delusional; acts as if things are not
meant to be
Gatsby longs for Daisy but also longs for
something of himself he once sacrificed
Nick: “I gathered that he wanted to recover
something, some idea of himself perhaps,
that had gone into loving Daisy.” (117)
Chapter Six
10. When Gatsby kissed Daisy for the first time, what
“incarnation was complete”? Why?

 Incarnation = Succession of periods spent in the
body of a particular person
 The first kiss is a significant renewal point for
Gatsby; if he could start all over again with
Daisy, he would start (blossom) from then on.
“At his lips’ touch she blossomed for him like a
flower.” (117)
 Daisy now represents the last part of his
transformation into Gatsby
A new period of his life based/founded on the
very best part of a former period of his life
Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven
1. Why did Gatsby fire all his servants?

 Gatsby fires his servants because he does
not want anyone spreading gossip about
the time he has been spending with Daisy
Covering his bases
 Gatsby replaces his servants with “some
people Wolfsheim wanted to do something
for…” (120)
Mob favor
Chapter Seven
2. Describe the change in Daisy’s personality since the
“arrival” of Gatsby.

 Daisy before Gatsby’s arrival
Submissive trophy wife publically
Only defies Tom privately
 Daisy after Gatsby’s arrival
Brazen and bold; defiant publically
Orders Tom around
Kisses Gatsby (when Tom isn’t
watching)
Cynical about Tom’s affair
Chapter Seven
3. Describe the relationship between Daisy and her
daughter.

 Daisy is barely a mother to Pamela
(Pammy)
 She croons over her (trophy mom) but
spends no meaningful time with her
 She openly says she wishes to “show her
off” and refers to her as a “little dream”
Chapter Seven
4. Why did Daisy and Tom leave Chicago?

 Daisy and Tom left
Chicago because of
Tom’s affairs– too much
talk.
Chapter Seven
5. What, specifically, does Gatsby need
Daisy to say?

 Gatsby needs Daisy
to say that she never
loved Tom and only
ever loved him
 Instead, she admits
to loving both: “I
can’t help what’s
past…I did love him
once– but I loved you
too” (140)
Chapter Seven
6. What happened to Walter Chase, and
why is he afraid to talk?

 Walter Chase
One of Tom’s friends that got involved with
Gatsby and Wolfsheim’s illegal enterprise
He spent time in a New Jersey jail and was
scared into keeping quiet
Walter has the dirt on Gatsby and becomes a
conduit/active insider for Tom
Chapter Seven
7. What does Gatsby try to tell Daisy after
Tom exposes his corruption?

 Gatsby struggles to defend his name
 He denies Tom’s accusations
 “…with every word she was
drawing further and further
into herself, so he gave that up
an only the dead dream fought
on as the afternoon slipped
away, trying to touch what was
no longer tangible, struggling
unhappily, undespairingly…”
(142)
Chapter Seven
8. What is the effect of the tragedy on
Wilson? Be specific.

 The accident literally drives
George Wilson crazy
 He sways back and forth in
the doorway shouting, “Oh
My God!”
Doorway = liminal space =
uncertain reality
He looks through people and things; mumbles
incoherently
“…Wilson neither heard nor saw.” (146)
Chapter Seven
9. Explain the circumstance that caused
the accident.

 Myrtle ran out into the street and was hit
head-on by a yellow car going 30-40 mph;
the car never stopped
 Tom confirms for the reader that the car
was Gatsby’s (the one that Tom was
driving earlier that day)
 Daisy was driving the car (IRONY!)
 Myrtle thought that Tom was in the car and
she was waving him down (151)
Chapter Seven
10. How do Daisy and Tom interact after
the accident?

 Daisy and Tom seem to be calmly talking about
the incident
 It seems as if she
has told him the
truth about the
driving situation
 Their interaction is
described as
“conspiring”
Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight
1. What first excited Gatsby about Daisy?

 Gatsby says that she is the first “nice” girl
that he ever met
“He found her excitingly desirable” (155)
 He is excited by the beauty and wealth of
her home and lifestyle
“There was a ripe mystery about it…” (155)
Chapter Eight
2. Why did Gatsby “take” Daisy? What, then, might be
inextricably linked to his love and desire for her?

 He “took” her because she was
“untouchable” to him
She was wealthy while he was penniless
“He might have despised himself for he had
taken her under false pretenses…he had
deliberately given Daisy a sense of security;
he let her believe that he was a person from
much the same strata as herself…” (156)
Money, deceit, and unattainable dreams are
connected to his love for her
Chapter Eight
3. At first, how significant did Gatsby expect the love
affair to be? What happened?

 Gatsby originally thought that the love
affair would be short-lived
 Then he fell in love with her– completely
“He had committed himself to the following
of a grail… Gatsby was overwhelmingly
aware of the youth and mystery that wealth
imprisons and preserves, of the freshness of
many clothes and of Daisy, gleaming like
silver, safe and proud above the hot
struggles of the poor.” (156-157)
Chapter Eight
4. Describe the change in Gatsby and Daisy’s
relationship while he was at Oxford.

 Daisy grew increasingly anxious
 She was feeling pressure from those in her
social circle; she wanted to wait for Gatsby
but did not know how long she should
wait
“For Daisy was young and her artificial
world was redolent of orchids and pleasant,
cheerful snobbery… she wanted her life
shaped now, immediately– and the decision
must be made by some force…” (158-159)
Chapter Eight
5. What did need that Gatsby, in Oxford,
couldn’t give her?

 Daisy wanted Gatsby to come home to be
with her
 She wished for him to prove to her that the
waiting was worth it
Chapter Eight
6. What is the significance of Gatsby’s repeated act of
“stretching out his hand desperately”?

 Gatsby once stretched out his hand for the
city of Louisville- the place where he first
loved Daisy
 The repetition is significant because it
signifies the same feelings or desperation
and longing that he expresses in the
beginning of the novel– reaching out to the
green light at the end of Daisy’s dock
Chapter Eight
7. What is the distinction Nick draws between Gatsby’s
“corruption” and his “incorruptible dream”?

 Those that are rotten only see Gatsby’s
corruption
 Those like Nick are able to see his
incorruptible dream
Nick to Gatsby: “They’re a rotten
crowd…You’re worth the whole damn
bunch of them put together.” (162)
Chapter Eight
8. Explain the relationship in Wilson’s mind between
God and Dr. TJ Eckleburg. How might it further
explain the significance of the billboard?

 George believes that Dr. TJ Eckleburg is the
eyes of God looking over the sins of his
wife (Myrtle’s affair with Tom)
Chapter Eight
9. What is the meaning of the word “holocaust”
as it relates to the text?

 Holocaust = complete destruction
 The death of Gatsby and Wilson signifies
complete destruction of righteousness and
dreams
Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine
1. What did Catherine convince herself of
Myrtle and George Wilson’s relationship?

 Catherine convinced herself that Myrtle
and George were happily married, that she
had never seen Gatsby (which she hadn’t),
and that Myrtle had never done anything
wrong.
George “was reduced to a man ‘deranged by
grief’ in order that the case might remain in
its simplest form.” (172)
Chapter Nine
2. What happened to the deal in Chicago?

 One of Gatsby’s business associates
arrested off a tip from New York
Tom?
Slagle: “They got a circular from New York
giving ‘em the numbers…” (171)
Chapter Nine
3. Describe Henry Gatz. How does he react to
his son’s death?

 Henry Gatz is a solemn, helpless man
 Dismayed; nervous; trembling
 He felt his son’s death was tragic; believed
James to have great promise and “a lot of
brain power”
 Nick accidentally calls him “Mr. Gatsby”;
Mr. Gatz corrects him
Chapter Nine
4. How did Wolfshiem first meet and get
involved with Gatsby?

Wolfshiem first met Gatsby after he came home from
the war at a poolroom on 43rd Street asking for a job
 Gatsby was penniless
and hadn’t eaten in
days
 Wolfshiem “made” him
“I raised him up out
of nothing, right out
of the gutter…” (179)
Chapter Nine
5. What is Daisy’s response to the funeral?

 There is no response from Daisy.
Chapter Nine
6. What was the “deficiency” in the “Westerners” that
made them “subtly adaptable to Eastern life”?

 Westerners Gatsby, Nick, Daisy, Tom,
Jordan
 The West represents family, morals,
simplicity- all of which are lost in the East
(fast-paced life, wild parties, loose women,
etc…)
Chapter Nine
7. Can you explain, from Jordan’s point of view,
how Nick was dishonest, a “bad driver”?

 Jordan believes that Nick is dishonest
because he wasn’t fully open with her
She says that he is a “bad driver” because
she fell for him (her “bad driving” and he
ended up breaking her heart (his “bad
driving”)
This recalls an earlier conversation between
Nick called Jordan (chapter 3: 63)
“It takes two to make an accident” (Jordan)
“Suppose you met somebody as careless as
yourself” (Nick)
Chapter Nine
8. Does Tom know the truth about the accident?

 Tom does know the truth about the
accident
 He led Wilson to Gatsby so that he and
Daisy could leave town and let the
situation settle down
Chapter Nine
9. Why did Nick care about erasing graffiti on
Gatsby’s steps?

 Nick is the only outsider that believed in
the innate goodness of Gatsby
On the other hand, people like Tom and
Daisy were “careless people” who “smashed
up things… and then retreated back into
their money or their vast carelessness… and
let other people clean up the mess…” (188)
 He does not want his belief in Gatsby
soiled by the obscenity on his steps
Chapter Nine
10. How was Gatsby’s dream “already behind him,” lost with
the dreams of the fresh new world centuries ago?

 The moment that Daisy marries Tom,
Gatsby’s dream never has a chance.
 Though they rekindle some sort of
relationship, it would never be able to fully
form
“Gatsby believed in the green light, the
orgastic future that year by year recedes
before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no
matter– tomorrow we will run faster, stretch
out our arms farther…” (189)