Summer Reading Guide

The Great Gatsby

by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Introduction

Written in 1925 by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby serves as one of the greatest literary documents of 1920s America—a time when the economy thrived and brought unprecedented levels of prosperity to the nation.  In 1919, the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution called for a ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol, which made millionaires out of bootleggers and generated a culture of private partiers.  These revelers managed to escape police notice, enabling secret clubs to become rich selling liquor.  After experiencing the turmoil and violence of war, he generation that fought in World War I came home in a state of shock and gravitated towards wild and wasteful living as they sought compensation and healing.  Although earlier decades preferred conservatism, this generation valued money, luxury, and excitement.  Uncontrolled materialism abounded in society, particularly in the large cities of the East.  Still, like Nick in The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald clearly saw moral emptiness and hypocrisy beneath the sparkle of what he called the “Jazz Age,” and a part of him craved the restoration of morality and order.  The Great Gatsby is Fitzgerald’s satirical description of this modern society.

Questions to Answer As You Read (3 points each)

Directions: On a separate sheet of paper, answer each of the following in complete, thoughtful sentences.

CHAPTER I

1.) Why did Nick Caraway come to the East?

2.) Why doesn’t Nick call to Gatsby when Nick first spots him on the lawn?

CHAPTER 2

3.) Why, according to Catherine, has Tom not left Daisy to marry Myrtle Wilson?

4.) Why does Nick, observing the events in the apartment, identify with “the casual watcher in the darkening street”?

5.) What does Tom’s breaking of Myrtle’s nose indicate about his respect for her and for Daisy?

CHAPTER 3

6.) Why does Gatsby throw huge, expensive parties for people he does not know?

7.) What does the reaction of the drivers of the wrecked automobile suggest about the values of Gatsby’s guests?

8.) What does Nick see as his “cardinal virtue”?

CHAPTER 4

9.) What is the importance of Gatsby’s implied business connection with Meyer Wolfsheim?

10.) As revealed by Jordan, what was Gatsby’s original relationship with Daisy?

CHAPTER 5

11.) After his private conversation with Daisy at Nick’s house, how has Gatsby changed?

12.) While taking Nick and Daisy through his house, what does Gatsby do that causes Daisy to “cry stormily”?

CHAPTER 6

13.) Who is Dan Cody?

14.) After the party, when Gatsby tells Nick, “It’s hard to make [Daisy] understand,” what does he really want her to do?

CHAPTER 7

15.) How does Daisy reveal to Tom that she is in love with Gatsby?

16.) After running Myrtle down, why doesn’t Daisy stop the car?

CHAPTER 8

17.) Why had Gatsby first fallen in love with Daisy?

18.) Why had daisy married Tom Buchanan?

CHAPTER 9

19.) Why does no one come to Gatsby’s funeral except his father, Owl Eyes, and Nick?

20.) Why, after Gatsby’s death, does Nick decide to “come back home” to the Middle West?

Critical Thinking Questions (8 points each)

Directions: On a separate sheet of paper, answer each of the following in three-four thoughtful sentences.

21.) Compare and contrast the characters of Tom and Gatsby.  In what ways are they similar?  In what ways are they different?  Next, compare and contrast the characters of Nick and Gatsby.

22.) Analyze Fitzgerald’s use of symbolism in the novel.  What do the following symbols represent: the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleberg, the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock, and Daisy’s voice full of money.  What other symbols does he use?

23.) Discuss what led to the downfall of Gatsby’s dream.  What can you learn from this?

24.) Explain how The Great Gatsby reflects 1920s America, or the “Jazz Age.”

25.) What lessons or morals does this story teach?  How can you apply them to your own life?

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