The Great Gatsby Study Guide

Analogy

Comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification.

Anaphora

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.

Apostrophe

Speech or address to a person who is not present or to a personified object.

Asyndeton

The omission or absence of a conjunction between parts of a sentence.

Chiasmus

Literary device in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order.

Conceit

An extended metaphor, also known as a conceit or sustained metaphor, is the use of a single metaphor or analogy at length in a work of literature.

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with that thing or concept.

Paradox

A statement that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.

Polysyndeton

Literary device that uses multiple repetitions of the same conjunction.

Alliteration

The repetition of consonant or vowel sounds at the beginning of two words in close proximity. Example: So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past (180).

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds in the middle of two or more words in proximity to one another, as when Shakespeare’s lark sings “harsh discords and unpleasing sharps.”

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds in the middle of two or more words in proximity to one another, as when Daisy says she hopes her daughter will be a fool — [. . .] a beautiful little fool (17).

Onomatopoeia

The use of words that sound like the thing they describe. Example: I heard the familiar "jug-jug-spat!" of a motor cycle, and a frantic policeman rode alongside (68).

Synesthesia

The use of one sensory register to describe an impression from one of the other five senses. Example: [N]ow the orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music (40).

Synecdoche

Reference to a person, place, or idea using the word for a part of the whole, as when the term wheels is used to refer to an automobile.  Nick uses synecdoche when he uses the term counterraid to stand in for the entire First World War: I enjoyed the counterraid so thoroughly that I came back restless (3).

“Well, it’s a fine book, and everybody ought to read it. The idea is if we don’t look out the white race will be — will be utterly submerged” (12-13).

Tom

Daisy

“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” (17).

“He borrowed somebody’s best suit to get married in, and never even told me about it, and the man came after it one day when he was out” (35).

Myrtle

Myrtle

“Daisy! Daisy! Daisy! [. . .]  I’ll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai——” (37).

“It takes two to make an accident” (58).

Jordan

Jay Gatsby

“I am the son of some wealthy people in the Middle West — all dead now. I was brought up in America but educated at Oxford, because all my ancestors have been educated there for many years” (65).

“San Francisco” (65).

Jay Gatsby

Daisy

“They’re such beautiful shirts. [. . .]  It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such — such beautiful shirts before” (92).

“A lot of these newly rich people are just bootleggers, you know” (107).

Tom

Jay Gatsby

“Can’t repeat the past? [. . .] Why of course you can!” (110).

“Her voice is full of money” (120).

Jay Gatsby

Daisy

“Oh, you want too much! [. . .] I love you now — isn’t that enough? [. . .] I did love him once — but I loved you too” (132).

“Well, first Daisy turned away from the woman toward the other car, and then she lost her nerve and turned back. The second my hand reached the wheel I felt the shock — it must have killed her instantly” (143-144).

Jay Gatsby

Nick

“They’re a rotten crowd. [. . .]  You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together” (154).

“I told him the truth. [. . .] He was crazy enough to kill me if I hadn’t told him who owned the car” (178).

Tom

“Whenever you feel like criticizing any one, [. . .] just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had” (1).

Nick’s Father

Catherine

“Neither of them can stand the person they’re married to” (33).

“See! [. . .] It’s a bona-fide piece of printed matter. It fooled me. This fella’s a regular Belasco. It’s a triumph. What thoroughness! What realism! Knew when to stop, too — didn’t cut the pages” (45-46).

Owl Eyes

Owl Eyes

“See! [. . .] It went in the ditch” (53).

“I understand you’re looking for a business gonnegtion” (70).

Meyer Wolfsheim

George Wilson

“I just got wised up to something funny the last two days. [. . .] That’s why I want to get away. That’s why I been bothering you about the car” (124).

“If he’d of lived, he’d of been a great man. A man like James J. Hill. He’d of helped build up the country” (168).

Henry C. Gatz

Meyer Wolfsheim

“My memory goes back to when first I met him. [. . .]  A young major just out of the army and covered over with medals he got in the war. He was so hard up he had to keep on wearing his uniform because he couldn’t buy some regular clothes” (171).

“Jimmy sent me this picture. [. . .]  Look there. [. . .] Look there!” (172).

Henry C. Gatz

Henry C. Gatz

“Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always had some resolves like this or something. Do you notice what he’s got about improving his mind? He was always great for that. He told me I et like a hog once, and I beat him for it” (172).

Nick Carraway

The narrator of the novel, Nick is thoughtful and observant, serving as both a participant in and moral judge of the events he witnesses.

Jay Gatsby

A mysterious, wealthy man obsessed with achieving the American Dream and winning back Daisy Buchanan, the love of his past.

Daisy

Nick’s cousin, Daisy is charming and beautiful but ultimately shallow and indecisive, choosing comfort over love.

Tom

Daisy’s husband, Tom is arrogant, aggressive, and openly racist, representing old money and moral decay.

Jordan

A professional golfer and friend of Daisy, Jordan is cynical, dishonest, and emotionally detached.

Myrtle

Tom’s mistress, Myrtle longs for wealth and status but is trapped in an unhappy marriage and social class.

George

Myrtle’s husband, George is weak and desperate, eventually driven to tragedy by loss and manipulation.

Chapter 1

Nick moves to West Egg, meets Daisy and Tom Buchanan, and begins to observe the wealthy, careless world of East Egg.

Chapter 2

Nick visits the Valley of Ashes and meets Myrtle and George Wilson, witnessing Tom’s affair and the ugliness beneath the glamour.

Chapter 3

Nick attends one of Gatsby’s extravagant parties and finally meets Gatsby, who remains mysterious and distant.

Chapter 4

Gatsby tells Nick about his past (some truths, some lies), and Nick learns about Gatsby’s long-standing love for Daisy.

Chapter 5

Gatsby and Daisy reunite at Nick’s house, revealing Gatsby’s emotional vulnerability and idealized love.

Chapter 6

Nick explains Gatsby’s real background as James Gatz, and Daisy becomes uncomfortable with Gatsby’s world.

Chapter 7

Tensions explode in New York; Tom confronts Gatsby, Daisy chooses Tom, and Myrtle is killed by Gatsby’s car.

Chapter 8

Gatsby waits for Daisy, Nick learns the full story of Gatsby’s past, and Gatsby is murdered by George Wilson.

Chapter 9

Nick reflects on Gatsby’s lonely funeral and the emptiness of the American Dream before returning home.

____ symbolizes hope, dreams, and possibility, especially Gatsby’s romantic dream of Daisy and the American Dream itself. It also represents money, envy, and greed, suggesting that wealth and opportunity for some are built on the exploitation and suffering of others.

Green

____ and ____ symbolize wealth, luxury, and material display, particularly Gatsby’s desire to show off his riches. Over time, the color shifts to represent decay, carelessness, and destruction, culminating in Myrtle’s death and the moral rot of the wealthy.

Gold and Yellow

____ is associated with the Valley of Ashes, symbolizing sadness, exhaustion, and despair, especially among working-class characters like George Wilson. It highlights emotional abandonment, failed labor, and isolation, a feeling that even extends to Gatsby’s loneliness.

Blue

____ symbolizes purity, elegance, and privilege, especially in Daisy and Jordan, who appear light and carefree due to their wealth. As the novel progresses, white comes to represent emptiness, superficiality, and corruption, exposing the moral hollowness beneath the appearance of innocence.

White

• Ostentatious

• Exuberant

• Gregarious

• Flamboyant

• Boisterous

• Extravagant

• Gaudy

New Money

What character represents New Money?

Jay Gatsby

• Condescending

• Understated

• Eloquent

• Prim

• Arrogant

• Aloof

• Well-Educated

Old Money

What characters represent Old Money?

Daisy and Tom

New Money is the ____ Egg.

West

Old Money is the ____ Egg.

East

Where does The Great Gatsby take place?

New York