The Great Gatsby

Question 1

When and where was The Great Gatsby set?

Answer 1

1922 America

Question 2

(The Great Gatsby) What social problems were going on at the time?

Answer 2

The prohibition

Organised crime

Massive social divide

The American Dream

Question 3

Which character does Fitzgerald show himself through?

Answer 3

Nick

Question 4

What is the difference between East Egg and West Egg?

Answer 4

East Egg - old money, posh, where Gatsby, Tom and Daisy live

West Egg - new money, rough area, where George and Myrtle live

Question 5

(The Great Gatsby) When was the novel first released?

Answer 5

1925

Question 6

(The Great Gatsby) Where was Fitzgerald born and how does that link to context?

Answer 6

Minnesota (American Midwest) meaning he hares his midwestern routes with all of the main characters.

Question 7

(The Great Gatsby) Was Fitzgerald from old or new money?

Answer 7

New money.

However, he attended Princeton University where many of his peers were from old money with far wealthier backgrounds than his own.

Question 8

(The Great Gatsby) Context - alcoholism

Answer 8

Fitzgerald struggled with alcoholism throughout his adult life and it was thought to have affected his work.

Alcoholism is shown in TGG.

Question 9

(The Great Gatsby) Context - reaction against WW1

Answer 9

People became much more materialistic.

Issues such as music and fashion started to influence society.

The ideology of love also changed.

Question 10

(The Great Gatsby) Context - the prohibition

Answer 10

1920-33 - a law which made it illegal to create, transport and sell alcohol

Question 11

(The Great Gatsby) Context - Zelda

Answer 11

Fitzgerald fell in love with Zelda while he was the second lieutenant in WW1.

He asked her to marry him and she said yes but delayed the wedding day until Fitzgerald was a successful man as all she desired was wealth, leisure and luxury.

Question 12

How is Fitzgerald like Gatsby?

Answer 12

They both:
- idolise wealth and luxury
- fell in love with a woman outside of their social class
- tried very hard to prove their social standing in order to secure love
- suffered a lot of sadness in thier endless pursuit of happiness

Question 13

(The Great Gatsby) Context - women

Answer 13

Flappers - subverted social and gender norms, cut their hair short, wanted liberation

Jordan Baker - Jordan and Baker were makes of cars, subverts femininity with her job as a golfer, described as masculine

Myrtle - uses femininity/sexuality to climb the social ladder

Question 14

(The Great Gatsby) What was the American Dream?

Answer 14

Advertised as the ‘land of opportunity’: a place where if you worked hard enough you would be successful and wealthy, regardless of social background.

However, it was actually unachievable.

Question 15

“It was an extraordinary…”

Answer 15

“… gift for hope”

Nick talking about Gatsby - Chapter One

Gatsby’s hope/desire to reunite with Daisy.

Before Gatsby is even really seen in the novella.

Question 16

(The Great Gatsby)
“Her eyes flashed around her, in a defiant way, rather than like Tom’s.”

Answer 16

Nick talking about Daisy - Chapter One

Recurring image of eyes throughout the novella.

While Daisy and Tom may dislike each other and they have significant problems within thier marriage, there is something very similar about them that keeps them together.

Question 17

(The Great Gatsby)
“His [T.J. Eckleburg’s] eyes brood on over the solemn dumping ground.”

Answer 17

Chapter Two - The Valley of Ashes

VOA would have been a very dirt-stricken area and it is where both George and Myrtle live.

The use of eyes again. His eyes “brooding” makes it seem as though something is about to happen. The VOA is where everything happens in the end.

Question 18

Verisimilitude

Answer 18

The appearance of being true/real.

Question 19

(The Great Gatsby)
“Young men didn’t drift coolly out of nowhere.”

Answer 19

Chapter Three - Nick talking about Gatsby

Just before he meets Gatsby.

Shows how calm Gatsby is. He is trying to be effortless like the Buchanan’s as he is from new money - not old.

Question 20

(The Great Gatsby)
“Endowing with complete isolation the figure of the host.”

Answer 20

Chapter Three - Nick describing Gatsby at the end of their first meeting.

Gatsby truly is alone and “isolated” - no family etc.

Described as a “figure” rather than a human relating to Gatsby’s image/stereotype is a projection rather than who he truly is.

Question 21

(The Great Gatsby)
“…all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages hat you’ve had.”

Answer 21

Chapter One - a quote from Nick’s dad

Clearly establishing the fact that Nick is from a position of privilege. But at least he is grateful for it and is thinking of others rather than just himself (like the other wealthy characters in the novella).

Question 22

(The Great Gatsby)
“Two shining, arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face.”

Answer 22

Chapter one - Nick describing Tom

Eyes are a recurring image in the novella.

Tom’s physical and brutish nature is showing through the “dominance” of his eyes.

Question 23

“I hope she’ll be a fool-…”

Answer 23

“…that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”

Question 24

“He invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old boy…”

Answer 24

“…would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end.”

Question 25

“They were careless people, Tom and Daisy - they smashed things up…”

Answer 25

“…then retreated back into their money…and let other people clean up the mess they made.”

Question 26

“I married him because I thought he was a gentleman…”

Answer 26

“…but he wasn’t fit to lick my shoe.”

Question 27

“I wasn’t actually in love…”

Answer 27

“…but I felt a sort of tender curiosity.”

Question 28

“This is a valley of ashes…”

Answer 28

“…- a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat…where ashes take the forms of houses.”

Question 29

“I believe that on the first night I went to Gatsby’s house…”

Answer 29

“…I was one of the few guests who had actually been invited.”

Question 30

“I am one of the…” (Nick, Ch 3)

Answer 30

“…few honest people that I have ever known.”

Question 31

“Yeah, Gatsby’s very careful about women…” (Wolfsheim, Ch 4)

Answer 31

“…He would never so much look at a friend’s wife.”

Question 32

“There are only the pursued…” (Nick, Ch 4)

Answer 32

“…, the pursuing, the busy and the tired.”

Question 33

“I think he revalued everything in his house…” (Nick about Gatsby, Ch 5)

Answer 33

“…according to the measure of response it drew from her well loved eyes.”

Question 34

“If it wasn’t for the mist…” (Gatsby, Ch 5)

Answer 34

“…we could see your home across the bay… you always have a green light that burns all nit at the end of your dock.”

Question 35

“There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams-…” (Nick about Gatsby, Ch 5)

Answer 35

“…not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion.”

Question 36

“Women run around to much…” (Tom, Ch 6)

Answer 36

“…these days to suit me.”

Question 37

“A lot of these newly rich people…” (Tom, Ch 6)

Answer 37

“…are just big bootleggers, you know.”

Question 38

“Can’t repeat the past?….” (Gatsby, Ch 6)

Answer 38

“…Why of course you can!”

Question 39

“He had discovered that Myrtle had some sort of life…” (Nick about Wilson, Ch 7)

Answer 39

“…apart from him in another world, and the shock had made him physically sick.”

Question 40

“They weren’t happy…” (Nick about Tom & Daisy, Ch 7)

Answer 40

“…and yet they weren’t unhappy either.”

Question 41

“They’re a rotten crowd…” (Nick to Gatsby, Ch 8)

Answer 41

“…You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together.”