the great gatsby

Question 1

nick carraway

Answer 1

-represents the quiet side of fitzgerald
-turns 30 during the novel
-travels to new york in 1922 to learn the bond business
-lives in the west egg next door to gatsby
-daisy’s cousin
-open minded/quiet/good listener (people trust him)
-has a romantic affair with jordan baker
-sometimes used as fitzgerald’s voice

Question 2

jay gatsby

Answer 2

-title character of the novel
-had an impoverished childhood
-made money by organised crime
-made and sold alcohol during prohibition
-became rich to be with daisy
-throws his parties for daisy to notice him
-develops a strong friendship with nick

Question 3

daisy buchanan

Answer 3

-partially based on fitzgerald’s own wife
-loved gatsby when he was in the military
-promised to wait for gatsby
-married tom in 1919
-in love with money/easy/material life
-not loyal and has no care
-represents amoral aspects of aristocratic east egg
-represents a mans fantasy and ideal woman

Question 4

tom buchanan

Answer 4

-characterised by physical and mental hardness
-physically large = large muscles
-went to college with nick and was a good athlete
-cheats on daisy and has a mistress
-stereotypical american man in the 1920s
-believes strongly in white supremacy

Question 5

jordan baker

Answer 5

-mysterious/aloof/alluring
-upper class member of society
-became a famous golfer
-cheated to win her first tournament
(dishonest character)
-lies to protect herself from society
-cynical and self centred personality makes her a ‘new’ american woman
-represents a new path for women

Question 6

myrtle wilson

Answer 6

-constantly seeking a better life for herself
-married to george
-feels trapped in marriage
-lives in the ‘valley of ashes’
-becomes tom’s mistress
-can pretend to be upper class with him
-believes tom loves her
-killed by a car crash

Question 7

george wilson

Answer 7

-working class
-starts an unsuccessful business
-‘blond, spiritless man, anaemic and faintly handsome’
-unaware of myrtle’s affair
-only character to fear punishment
-has little power to change his circumstances
-kills gatsby as a false accusation for myrtle’s death
-symbolises the powerless working class of america

Question 8

owl eyes

Answer 8

-eccentric drunk
-meets nick at gatsby’s party
-found looking in the books in gatsby’s library (shocked they are real)

Question 9

klipspringer

Answer 9

-shallow freeloader
-lives in gatsby’s house
takes advantage of his money
-disappears when gatsby dies
-doesn’t attend his funeral

Question 10

meyer wolfsheim

Answer 10

-gatsby’s friend
-prominent figure in organised crime
-helped gatsby make his first fortune by bootlegging
-friendship with gatsby suggests gatsby is still involved in illegal acts