Gatsby critical quotes

Question 1

Harold Bloom on Gatsby

Answer 1

‘Gatsby is a social climber, motivated more by ambition than true love.’

Question 2

Matthew J Bruccoli on Gatsby

Answer 2

‘Gatsby is a hollow man, more of a performance than a real person.’

Question 3

Roger Lewis on Gatsby

Answer 3

‘Gatsby is a modern tragic hero, destroyed by his own unrealistic ideals.’

Question 4

Marius Bewley on Daisy

Answer 4

‘Daisy represents the corruption of the American Dream, embodying wealth, privilege, and emptiness.’

Question 5

Leland S. Person on Daisy

Answer 5

‘She is not just a victim but a manipulator, using her beauty and charm to control men’

Question 6

Harold Bloom on Nick

Answer 6

‘Nick is as much a dreamer as Gatsby, romanticising the past while pretending to be a realist.’

Question 7

Ross Posnock on Nick

Answer 7

‘Nick is attracted to Gatsby’s dream but repulsed by its consequences, reflecting the contradictions of the American Dream.’

Question 8

Matthew Bruccoli on Gatsby

Answer 8

‘Gatsby’s tragedy lies in his idealism and inability to accept reality.’

Question 9

Miller JR on Gatsby

Answer 9

‘In Gatsby, we see the American Dream corrupted by wealth and social status.’

Question 10

M W Smith on Nick

Answer 10

‘Nick represents the voice of reason in a world of excess and moral decay.’

Question 11

Sarah Churchwell on Myrtle

Answer 11

‘Myrtle’s tragic end is a reflection of the empty promises of wealth and status.’