Today we are going to finish reading chapter 3 and work on study questions.
Chapter I
1. How does Nick describe himself at the beginning of the book?
2. Why has Nick come to the East?
3. How does Nick describe Tom Buchanan?
4. Who is Jordan Baker? What does Nick find appealing about her?
5. How does Daisy react to the phone calls from Tom’s woman in New York?? 6. What is Gatsby doing when Nick first sees him?
7. Notice how many times Fitzgerald uses the words hope, or dream. Why does he do this?
8. Nick starts the novel by relaying his father's advice "Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had." Does he reserve judgment in the novel?
9. Pay attention to time. What is the day and year during the first scene at Daisy's house?
10. Describe Nick. What facts do you know about him, and what do you infer about him? What kind of a narrator do you think he will be?
11. What image does the author use to describe Jordan Baker? What does it mean? 12. How does Nick react to Jordan?
13. What does Tom's behavior reveal about his character?
Chapter II
1. How does Nick meet Tom’s mistress?
2. How does Myrtle react to Tom’s arrival?
3. Describe George Wilson. How does he react to Tom’s arrival?
4. How does Myrtle behave as the party progresses?
5. Why, according to Catherine, has Tom not left Daisy to marry Myrtle?
2. Why has Nick come to the East?
3. How does Nick describe Tom Buchanan?
4. Who is Jordan Baker? What does Nick find appealing about her?
5. How does Daisy react to the phone calls from Tom’s woman in New York?? 6. What is Gatsby doing when Nick first sees him?
7. Notice how many times Fitzgerald uses the words hope, or dream. Why does he do this?
8. Nick starts the novel by relaying his father's advice "Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had." Does he reserve judgment in the novel?
9. Pay attention to time. What is the day and year during the first scene at Daisy's house?
10. Describe Nick. What facts do you know about him, and what do you infer about him? What kind of a narrator do you think he will be?
11. What image does the author use to describe Jordan Baker? What does it mean? 12. How does Nick react to Jordan?
13. What does Tom's behavior reveal about his character?
Chapter II
1. How does Nick meet Tom’s mistress?
2. How does Myrtle react to Tom’s arrival?
3. Describe George Wilson. How does he react to Tom’s arrival?
4. How does Myrtle behave as the party progresses?
5. Why, according to Catherine, has Tom not left Daisy to marry Myrtle?
6. Why did Tom break Myrtle’s nose? How is this consistent with the author’s description of him in
Chapter I? Judging by his treatment of Myrtle and his wife Daisy, what seems to be Tom’s attitude
toward women?
7. Describe the "valley of ashes." What does it look like and what does it represent? 8. Describe Mr. Wilson and Myrtle. Do they seem to fit into the setting?
9. What more have you learned about Nick in this chapter? Is he similar or different than the people he spends his time with?
Chapter III
1. Why does Gatsby throw huge, expensive parties for people he does not even know? 2. Describe the two ways in which Nick differs from the other guests at the party?
3. What does the owl-eyed man find extraordinary about the books in Gatsby’s library? 4. Why does the owl-eyed man describe Gatsby as a real Belasco?
5. What is the significance of the owl eyed man?
6. What does the reaction of the drivers of the wrecked automobile suggest about the values of Gatsby’s guests?
7. What does Nick learn about Jordan after he’s spent some time with her? 8. What is the significance of Jordan’s lies?
9. Pay attention to Nick's judgments. Whtado they reveal about his character that he does this (especially in relation to his opening comments)?
10. Describe Gatsby the first time Nick sees him.
11. What rumors have been told about Gatsby? Why does Fitzgerald reveal rumors rather than fact? 12. What does Nick think of Gatsby after meeting him?
13. How is Gatsby different from his guests?
14. Why does Nick choose to share his thoughts and feelings with Jordan?
15. Nick thinks he's one of the few honest people he knows, why? Do you thikn he is honest?
7. Describe the "valley of ashes." What does it look like and what does it represent? 8. Describe Mr. Wilson and Myrtle. Do they seem to fit into the setting?
9. What more have you learned about Nick in this chapter? Is he similar or different than the people he spends his time with?
Chapter III
1. Why does Gatsby throw huge, expensive parties for people he does not even know? 2. Describe the two ways in which Nick differs from the other guests at the party?
3. What does the owl-eyed man find extraordinary about the books in Gatsby’s library? 4. Why does the owl-eyed man describe Gatsby as a real Belasco?
5. What is the significance of the owl eyed man?
6. What does the reaction of the drivers of the wrecked automobile suggest about the values of Gatsby’s guests?
7. What does Nick learn about Jordan after he’s spent some time with her? 8. What is the significance of Jordan’s lies?
9. Pay attention to Nick's judgments. Whtado they reveal about his character that he does this (especially in relation to his opening comments)?
10. Describe Gatsby the first time Nick sees him.
11. What rumors have been told about Gatsby? Why does Fitzgerald reveal rumors rather than fact? 12. What does Nick think of Gatsby after meeting him?
13. How is Gatsby different from his guests?
14. Why does Nick choose to share his thoughts and feelings with Jordan?
15. Nick thinks he's one of the few honest people he knows, why? Do you thikn he is honest?
Gatsby's Party
Nick Carraway is invited to his party, but he claims to be one of the few. People at Gatsby's party's at "according to the rules of behavior associated with amusement parks." A chauffeur in a "uniform of robin's egg blue" (is this important?) brings Nick the invitation.
Gilda Gray - Follies (allusion -Ziegfield Follies). Lots of mentions of automobiles in this chapter.
Nick quickly runs into Jordan Baker at the party. Jordan is with a younger man who is still in college (there is a reason for this - he is "a persistent undergraduate given to violent innuendo"). Nick and Jordan sit with a few girls who share some gossip:
1) One rip her dress at a former party and Gatsby sent her a new one worth $265 - because "He doesn't want any trouble with anybody"
2) Rumor #2 - Gatsby had "killed a man once." Gatsby's name = BY GATs
3) "He was a German spy during the war". Rumor #3
The three girls are all with girls named "Mr. Mumbles" (this is a joke).
Jordan and Nick go to Gatsby's library where they meet OWL EYES (think of the name). Owl Eyes tells them that Gatsby's library is full of real books, but the pages are uncut.
Owl Eyes is in the library because he's "been drunk for about a week" and he "thought it might sober" him up "to sit in the library." Mrs. Claud Roosevelt brought him. Allusion.
Nick later accidentally meets Gatsby. Gatsby recognizes him from the war and uses the phrase "Old Sport" a lot.
Gatsby's smile "was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance". The butler comes and tells Gatsby that Chicago is on the line.
Jordan than tells Nick - Rumor #4 - that Gatsby claims to be an Oxford man. She doesn't believe him.
Mr. Tostoff's "Jazz History of the World" plays out in the Gardens (allusion - think Jazz Age and famous musicians).
There are a bunch of "drunken" fights as husbands tried to get there wives to leave. Nick then witnesses a car crash with someone so drunk that they don't even know that they crashed and the wheel of the car is no longer connected. (1st mention of car crashes)
Nick and Jordan after a while begin dating. He says, "I felt a sort of tender curiosity." At a house-party in Warwick, Nick reports, Jordan borrowed a car and left it in the rain with its top down and then lied about it (not a car wreck - but close and due to someone being careless. This is also Jordan's 1st "lie" that the reader becomes aware of). Nick quickly remembers what "eluded me that night at Daisy's. At her first big golf tournament there was a row that nearly reached the newspapers --a suggestion that she had moved her ball from a bad lie in the semi-final round." The caddy withdrew his statements and it was dropped, but there it was. According to Nick, "Jordan instinctively avoided clever, shrewd men" (ah - so back to the undergrad). "She was incurable dishonest...and wasn't able to endure being at a disadvantage."
Then - Jordan drove so close to a workman that the fender flicked a button on the man's coat. Nick tells her that she is a rotten driver and should be more careful. Jordan responds that it takes two to make an accident (love is a car wreck metaphor).
Nick: "Suppose you met somebody just as careless as yourself."
Jordan: I hope I never will. I hate careless people. That's why I like you."
Nick claims at the end of the chapter that he is one of few honest people that he has known. (interesting statement. He says it after admitting he needs to break it off with some girl back West who he has been writing letters and signing them "Love Nick".
Nick Carraway is invited to his party, but he claims to be one of the few. People at Gatsby's party's at "according to the rules of behavior associated with amusement parks." A chauffeur in a "uniform of robin's egg blue" (is this important?) brings Nick the invitation.
Gilda Gray - Follies (allusion -Ziegfield Follies). Lots of mentions of automobiles in this chapter.
Nick quickly runs into Jordan Baker at the party. Jordan is with a younger man who is still in college (there is a reason for this - he is "a persistent undergraduate given to violent innuendo"). Nick and Jordan sit with a few girls who share some gossip:
1) One rip her dress at a former party and Gatsby sent her a new one worth $265 - because "He doesn't want any trouble with anybody"
2) Rumor #2 - Gatsby had "killed a man once." Gatsby's name = BY GATs
3) "He was a German spy during the war". Rumor #3
The three girls are all with girls named "Mr. Mumbles" (this is a joke).
Jordan and Nick go to Gatsby's library where they meet OWL EYES (think of the name). Owl Eyes tells them that Gatsby's library is full of real books, but the pages are uncut.
Owl Eyes is in the library because he's "been drunk for about a week" and he "thought it might sober" him up "to sit in the library." Mrs. Claud Roosevelt brought him. Allusion.
Nick later accidentally meets Gatsby. Gatsby recognizes him from the war and uses the phrase "Old Sport" a lot.
Gatsby's smile "was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance". The butler comes and tells Gatsby that Chicago is on the line.
Jordan than tells Nick - Rumor #4 - that Gatsby claims to be an Oxford man. She doesn't believe him.
Mr. Tostoff's "Jazz History of the World" plays out in the Gardens (allusion - think Jazz Age and famous musicians).
There are a bunch of "drunken" fights as husbands tried to get there wives to leave. Nick then witnesses a car crash with someone so drunk that they don't even know that they crashed and the wheel of the car is no longer connected. (1st mention of car crashes)
Nick and Jordan after a while begin dating. He says, "I felt a sort of tender curiosity." At a house-party in Warwick, Nick reports, Jordan borrowed a car and left it in the rain with its top down and then lied about it (not a car wreck - but close and due to someone being careless. This is also Jordan's 1st "lie" that the reader becomes aware of). Nick quickly remembers what "eluded me that night at Daisy's. At her first big golf tournament there was a row that nearly reached the newspapers --a suggestion that she had moved her ball from a bad lie in the semi-final round." The caddy withdrew his statements and it was dropped, but there it was. According to Nick, "Jordan instinctively avoided clever, shrewd men" (ah - so back to the undergrad). "She was incurable dishonest...and wasn't able to endure being at a disadvantage."
Then - Jordan drove so close to a workman that the fender flicked a button on the man's coat. Nick tells her that she is a rotten driver and should be more careful. Jordan responds that it takes two to make an accident (love is a car wreck metaphor).
Nick: "Suppose you met somebody just as careless as yourself."
Jordan: I hope I never will. I hate careless people. That's why I like you."
Nick claims at the end of the chapter that he is one of few honest people that he has known. (interesting statement. He says it after admitting he needs to break it off with some girl back West who he has been writing letters and signing them "Love Nick".
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