Jay Gatsby

Question 1

What does the novel’s title sound like?

Answer 1

A magicians act, emphasising the idea that Gatsby has created an illusion.

Question 2

What makes Gatsby seem God-like at his parties?

Answer 2

• He watches the crowds from above and stands “alone on the marble steps”. He seems to be in control of his American Dream.
• But when Daisy finally comes to a party he mingles with the crowd, loses his God-like status, feels far away from Daisy and hints at the failure of his American dream.

Question 3

What does Fitzgerald pin the American Dream down to?

Answer 3

Class:

• Gatsby has to adopt the persona of an eccentric aristocrat to be accepted.
• His dream of obtaining Daisy fails because of his class, which suggests that the American Dream is no longer feasible.

Question 4

Gatsby’s dream of an idealised Daisy falls away, what does this reveal?

Answer 4

The corruption that money causes, which also reinforces the idea that the American dream has been replaced by the selfish and immoral pursuit of wealth.