quotes

Question 1

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Answer 1

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Question 2

TP sentence

Answer 2

At the beginning of the novel, the circumstances of the conflict between Tom and Gatsby are made clear: they symbolise fundamentally different aspects of American society/ they conflict on a fundamentally ideological level.

Question 3

Point

Answer 3

In Nick’s opening narration, he looks back retrospectively on his experience and comes to the conclusion that Gatsby was a person who had an…

Question 4

“Extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness.”

Answer 4

Gatsby represents everything the American dream stands for like he is someone who came from the bottom and worked his way up to the top, the polar opposite of Tom who has a very fixed mindset coming from a very powerful wealthy family. This “gift for hope” suggests that it is a rare thing, something that sets Gatsby apart from the rest.

Question 5

Point

Answer 5

indeed, Nick juxtaposes this romantic view of Gatsby with a blunt, negative depiction of Tom’s character who is entitled, elitist and bored with his incredibly comfortable life.

Question 6

“supercilious manner.”

Answer 6

“supercilious” means that it is clear that Tom looks down on others because he believes himself to be superior. This is also exemplified when he talks about reading “The Rise of the Coloured Empires” and agreeing with its sentiments. It conveys that Tom has a sense of superiority that extends to race and moreover, class.

Question 7

Recap

Answer 7

Fitzgerald sets out the circumstances of the conflict between Tom and Gatsby, the circumstances being the class into which they were born. Gatsby is born dirt poor, but through determination- and corruption- makes his own fortune, while Tom, bored and listless, can only look down at the new rich from his position of privilege.

Question 8

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Answer 8

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Question 9

Tp sentence

Answer 9

There is a rising tension between Tom and Gatsby and their conflict starts escalating. They begin to have digs at each other and Gatsby attempts to show he is part of the old money society that Tom continues to shield.

Question 10

Point

Answer 10

Tom gets insulted by Gatsby’s naivety getting under his skin and decides he is going to investigate him. Tom arrives at Gatsby’s house with the Sloanes, a wealthy couple.

Question 11

Gatsby takes this as an opportunity to flaunt his prestige and power, telling Tom, “I know you wife.”

Answer 11

Gatsby begins to taunt Tom, implying through the double meaning that he is in a relationship with Daisy. This gets under Tom’s skin escalating the conflict between them. Later, just before the novel’s climax, Gatsby goes to Tom and Daisy’s house where Tom proceeds to show him around the place.

Question 12

Point

Answer 12

Gatsby can’t stand being an outsider to the upper classes of society and begins to justify himself to Tom.

Question 13

He says, “I’m right across from you.”

Answer 13

Gatsby’s statement has significant subtext. He stands up to Tom subtly to imply that he too has great wealth and that he is equal to Tom. This deepens the conflict between Tom and Gatsby because Tom would find Gatsby’s assumption insult

Question 14

Point

Answer 14

Tom is rattled by Gatsby and the idea that he doesn’t know who he is, this makes him want to look into him.

Question 15

At Gatsby’s party, he makes a decision, “I’d like to know who he is and what he does.”

Answer 15

Gatsby has offended Tom and it has become a priority of Tom to find out where Gatsby’s money comes from since he has not heard of his family.

Question 16

Recap

Answer 16

The conflict between Gatsby and Tom rises and becomes more tense. Gatsby’s confidence in his relationship with Daisy and thus in his ability to be social equals with Tom, makes him vulnerable to Tom’s power. Tom, however, does not take Gatsby all that seriously until he realises what it is that he stands to lose and what it would mean to him.

Question 17

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Question 18

TP sentence

Answer 18

During the climax of the novel all of the tension that has been building up between the two explode when Gatsby is confronted by Tom. Gatsby’s dream quickly slips out of his fingers and Tom quickly snatches Daisy back from him.

Question 19

Point

Answer 19

While Gatsby is visiting East Egg, Gatsby and Daisy make their affair obvious to Tom; he can tell by how they look at each other and by the way in which Daisy speaks to Gatsby:

Question 20

“she had told him that he loved him and Tom Buchanan saw… recognised her as someone he knew a long time ago.”

Answer 20

Tom knows in this instant that Daisy is having an affair with Gatsby because of the way she speaks to him- she compliments him twice in an intimate tone and this alerts Tom to their affair. Tom is “astounded” because he is egocentric and although he is having an affair and expects Daisy to put up with it, he would not expect Daisy to do the same. It is an immediate affront to his masculinity and to his ego, but because she is having an affair with someone who is socially inferior, it is even worse.

Question 21

Point

Answer 21

In the aftermath of Tom’s ridicule of Gatsby and his past, Gatsby blurts out what he has always believed about Daisy and Tom:

Question 22

“She never loved you… she only married you because I was poor.”

Answer 22

Gatsby outlines why he thinks Daisy married Tom. We see again that Gatsby thinks that the reason for everything is money, however in this case it is not money but social class. If money were the only object standing in his way, beating the class system would be easy.

Question 23

Recap

Answer 23

A direct consequence of Tom and Gatsby’s conflict is the explosive confrontation in the Plaza Hotel where Gatsby’s entire life is ripped apart by Tom in front of daisy. Fitzgerald is trying to show that money can’t buy social class and that this eventually caught up with Gatsby.

Question 24

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Question 25

TP sentence

Answer 25

At the end of the novel Flitzgerald’s message becomes clear, we see that Gatsby spent his whole life following an unachievable dream which is related to Fitzgerald’s view of the American Dream being only a dream and that it is impossible to achieve.

Question 26

Point

Answer 26

When Nick bumps into Tom outside of a jewellery shop a while after Gatsby’s death, Nick asks him whether he told George Wilson who was driving the yellow car.

Question 27

“that fellow had it coming to him.”

Answer 27

We see that Tom thinks that everything that he has done is justified. He thinks that Gatsby deserved to die and that it was his own wrongdoing.

Question 28

Point

Answer 28

Even though at the start of the novel Nick says that he does not Judge anyone, he makes a direct confirmation of the two elitists:

Question 29

“they were careless people… they smashed up things… and then retreated back into their money.”

Answer 29

We are now shown the ignorant behaviour that these two adopted, they refuse that any of their reckless behaviour is their own fault and let it destroy people’s lives such as Gatsbys, Myrtle and Georges.

Question 30

Recap

Answer 30

They use their money and class to shield them from all things bad and only care that their way of life is preserved. Tom wins the conflict and this is exactly what is wrong with American society.