"The Great Gatsby" Chapters 1-5

Chapter 4: When did Gatsby first meet Daisy Buchanan?

During the war in Louisville

Chapter 4: What did Gatsby discuss with Nick during their drive to New York for lunch?

Gatsby’s supposed history/ life.

Chapter 4: What two items does Gatsby show Nick when they ride together in Gatsby’s car?

a medal from Montenegro and a picture of Gatsby playing cricket at Oxford.

Chapter 4: What does Mr. Wolfsheim tell Nick about Gatsby?

That Gatsby was the kind of man to take home to meet your mother and sister.

Chapter 4: Why, according to Jordan, did Gatsby buy his current home?

So that he would be near Daisy.

Chapter 4: At lunch, Nick and Gatsby joined Mr. Wolfsheim. According to Gatsby, what is Mr. Wolfsheim well known for?

Fixing the 1919 World Series

Chapter 5: Who is Klipspringer?

He is the "boarder" who always seems to be at Gatsby's house/he plays the piano and organ

Chapter 5: What character trait is Gatsby trying to project with his "white flannel suit, silver shirt, and gold-colored tie"?

Wealthy and flashy- not the poor boy he used to be.

Chapter 5: What was the one thing Gatsby wanted to make sure was done prior to his meeting with Daisy?

He wanted Nick’s lawn cut.

Chapter 5: What words best describe the meeting between Gatsby and Daisy at Nick's house?

Tense, awkward, overwhelming.

Chapter 5: How long did it take Gatsby to make the money to buy his mansion?

3 years- although he said he inherited all his money.

Chapter 5: What does this line from the book mean? - "The vitality of his illusion had gone beyond Daisy-beyond everything."

Gatsby had dreamed of meeting Daisy again for 5 years, making the occasion seem like a big deal.

Chapter 5: What weather element does Fitzgerald connect to tension?

Rain

Chapter 5: Daisy starts to cry when she

Sees all of Gatsby's beautiful shirts. She is also overwhelmed by the presence of Gatsby and his wealth.

Chapter 1: Who is the narrator?

Nick Carraway

Chapter 1: From where is the narrator from and why did he move?

from the Midwest. He left to study the bond business

Chapter 1: How does Nick know Daisy and Tom?

Daisy is Nick’s distant cousin; Nick knows Tom from their time together at Yale University.

Chapter 1: Give an accurate description of Tom

• He has an athletic build and arrogant attitude. He used to be a football player at Yale

  • Went to Yale with Nick (New Haven)

• He is an old-money snob (since he is from old money, he shows contempt towards new money types like Gatsby)

Chapter 1: What’s is Daisy’s famous quote about her daughter?

“I hope she’ll be a fool. That’s the best thing a girl in this world can be- a beautiful, little fool”

• She wants her daughter to be oblivious to the moral decay of society

• She wants her child to have a better life than her, for she is extremely aware about Tom’s affair and the truth of the world

Chapter 1: What did Jordan Baker tell Nick about Tom?

That Tom has “some woman” in New York (this implies that Tom is having an affair)

How is Gatsby introduced in the novel?

He is mentioned during a conversation between Nick and Jordan. Later, Nick meets him at his party.

What year is The Great Gatsby set in?

1922, 1920s more generally.

Chapter 1: Describe Daisy & Jordan

• Jordan Baker is a professional golf player.

  • Later revealed to be dishonest

  • Attends Gatsby’s parties

• Daisy Buchanan spent her “white girlhood” in Louisville.

  • Pretty, charming, and an alluring voice

  • Flirty personality

Chapter 1: Who “turned out all right in the end” according to Nick?

Gatsby

Chapter 1: What type of house do the Buchanan’s have?

A Colonial Georgian Mansion (highlights Tom’s wealth)

Who says this quote? - “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, my father said, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had?”

Nick Carraway

Chapter 1: What type of house does Nick Carraway have?

A “Weather-beaten Bungalow” squeezed in between the mansions of the “newly rich” of West Egg.

Chapter 1: How does the narrator describe Gatsby?

Gatsby had an extraordinary gift for hope (he kept going and hoping in the face of adversity) & a romantic readiness

Chapter 3: What does not represent Gatsby’s wealth?

Old money, generational wealth

Chapter 3: Why did Nick Carraway go to the party?

Gatsby sent him a direct invitation and a chauffeur to pick him up.

Chapter 3: How does Nick meet Gatsby?

Nick asks a man who he is talking to at Gatsby’s party about Gatsby and realizes that he is talking to him.

Chapter 3: What word(s) describe Gatsby the best?

Well-spoken, charming, wealthy, a bit sketchy.

Chapter 3: Describe Nick’s relationship with Jordan.

Jordan and Nick start to get closer to each other, spending some time together over the summer.

Chapter 3: At the end of this chapter, what does Nick accuse Jordan of being?

• Dishonest

  • Cheated in one of her golf tournaments

Chapter 3: At the end of the night, one of Gatsby’s party guests has trouble heading home. What happened to his car?

A wheel fell off/ there was a car crash.

Chapter 3: What does Gatsby refer to Nick as the most, and why?

“old sport”- Gatsby thinks that that is how rich people talk

Chapter 3: Describe the details and events in this chapter.

Gatsby’s party is large, extravagant, and excessive, with loud music, dancing, and other drunken behavior.

Chapter 3: Owl Eyes is most intrigued by what and where do we first meet him?

Nick meets Owl Eyes in Gatsby’s library. He is intrigued by Gatsby’s books, and specifically how they are real.

Chapter 2: What is the Valley of Ashes?

A poor, industrial. the area between Long Island and Manhattan. Grey and sad.

Chapter 2: What are the eyes of TJ Eckleburg?

• an illustration/image on a billboard

• Somewhat “watching” over the Valley of Ashes

• George Wilson later refers to them as “the eyes of God”

Chapter 2: Who does Tom take Nick to meet?

One of his mistresses, Myrtle Wilson

Chapter 2: What does Myrtle Wilson buy when she enters NYC?

A dog

Chapter 2: Why does Tom break Myrtle’s nose?

She mentioned Daisy’s name repeatedly, making Tom mad

What is the irony in the fact that the people who come to Gatsby’s parties criticize and create rumors about him?

• “Those of us who would sneer at Gatsby do so on the courage of his liquor, because the truth is, we all share his ambition” - John Green

• Those who criticize Gatsby are more clown-like and out-of-control than Gatsby himself, who doesn’t even drink.

• Also think about role of gossip