The Great Gatsby - Theme Quotes

Question 1

How Does The Chapter 1 Quote Describing what ‘preyed ‘ on Gatsby ‘what foul dust floated’ in the ‘wake of his dreams’ imply about the American Dream?

Gatsby - The American Dream

Answer 1

• ‘Foul dust’ = dust created by high-class material possessions e.g. automobiles
• G achieved the American Dream, obtaining these materials - but this ‘dust’ is blocking him from his real dream (being with Daisy)
  -The American dream corrupts people’s real ambitions

Question 2

What does the green light represent?

Gatsby - The American Dream

Answer 2

• ‘green light’ is symbolic of G’s dreams - to be with Daisy
• This light is inaccessible , separated by ‘dark water’
  -Showcases the illusion of the American dream being achievable by anyone (Chapter 1)

Question 3

What quotes about Jordan indicate that she may need male attributes to be successful in 1920’s America?

Gatsby - Gender roles

Answer 3

• Nick describes her as being a ‘young cadet’ and having a ‘hard’ body with ‘slender muscles’
• Jordan is the only independent, self-sufficient female character, suggesting females still need male attributes to be successful

Question 4

What is the ‘best a girl can be’ according to Daisy?

Gatsby - Gender roles

Answer 4

‘a beautiful little fool’ (Chapter 1)

Question 5

What does Daisy’s philosophy about being a ‘beautiful little fool’ suggest about 1920’s America? How does her always wearing ‘white’ corroborate this?

Gatsby - gender roles

Answer 5

‘beautiful little fool’ (chapter 1) implies that a woman’s value is from their appearance, not their intellect - they are trophies for men in society, a reward for their hard work
Daisy always wearing ‘white’ corroborates this as she wears it to appear pure

Question 6

Nick subtly acknowledging gender roles in chapter 1 by saying he went to go eat dinner with the ___

Gatsby - gender roles

Answer 6

‘Tom Buchanans’

Question 7

How does Eckleburg’s advertisement looming above the ‘valley of ashes’ where ‘ashes grow like wheat’ showcase the result of American’s lust for wealth?

Gatsby - Wealth and status

Answer 7

-Pairing ‘ashes’ (connotes death) with ‘wheat’ (a plentiful and valuable necessity) emphasises that these ‘ash-grey men’ are necessary to satiate the lust for wealth - their suffering is necessary and the result of the American’s never ending hunger for wealth and status

Question 8

In Chapter 7, what does Gatsby say Daisy’s voice is full of?

Gatsby - Wealth and status

Answer 8

‘her voice is full of money’

Question 9

Quotes which showcase the role of material possessions in Tom and Daisy’s marriage, how this is corrupting love (Chapter 4)

Gatsby - Wealth and status

Answer 9

• ‘Give ‘em back’ = rejection of Tom’s marriage
• ‘pearls around her neck’ is the main focus, showcasing the importance of material possessions in love

Question 10

Quotes Contrasting Gatsby’s ‘new money’ with Tom’s ‘old money’ (Chapter 1)

Gatsby - wealth and status

Answer 10

• Tom’s house: a ‘cheerful Georgian - Colonial mansion’ which is ‘broken by a line of French windows’
• Gatsby’s house: ‘marble swimming pool’

Question 11

Quotes which showcase that the materialistic and impersonal nature of the 1920s are a cause of isolation?
(2 Quotes from G’s party in chapter 3 and one from Chapter 9)

Gatsby - isolation

Answer 11

G’s Party CH3: ‘Introductions forgotten on the spot’
‘Enthusiastic meetings between men and women who never knew eachother’s names ‘
Tom and Daisy: ‘smashed up things and retreated into their vast carelessness’ (Nick reflecting on them at the end of Chapter 9)

Question 12

Chapter 3 quote following people leaving Gatsby’s party, showcasing Gatsby needs to be ostentatious to be happy

Gatsby - isolation

Answer 12

‘a sudden emptiness seemed to flow now from the windows’

Question 13

2 Quotes which showcase Gatsby puts on an illusion of popularity through his parties, yet is ultimately alone (due to the insignificance of his relationsips)

Gatsby - Isolation

Answer 13

At his party in chapter 3 he can be seen ‘standing alone on the marble steps’
Nobody comes to his funeral in chapter 9 ‘it wasn’t any use. Nobody came.’

Question 14

2 Spontaneous expressions from Daisy in chapter 1 of the great Gatsby which showcases her constant need to shift her attention, seeking stimulation

Gatsby - restlessness

Answer 14

‘Look…I hurt it’
‘What do people plan?’

Question 15

Quote at the beginning of Gatsby’s party in chapter 3 which emphasises the restlessness of people at the time, their constantly changing experiences making most things lack meaning to them

Gatsby - Restlessness

Answer 15

‘people came and went like moths’

Question 16

Quotes contrasting Gatsby’s schedule with Benjamin Franklin’s, which the schedule at the end of chapter 9 is based off of

Gatsby - The American Dream

Answer 16

Benjamin Franklin’s Question on his schedule: ‘What good shall I do this day?’ vs no question in Gatsby’s schedule
Gatsby ‘save $5 [crossed out] $3 per week’ vs Franklin ‘faults…satisfaction seeing them diminish’

Question 17

What Does Owl Eyes Call Gatsby in Chapter 3?

Gatsby - Superficiality

Answer 17

‘regular Bilasco’ - Theatre producer known for his set design

Question 18

What does Tom call his affairs in chapter 7?

Gatsby - Corruption and Immorality

Answer 18

‘Once in a while I go on a spree and make a fool of myself’

Question 19

Quotes which show how the media take advantage of Gatsby’s death in chapter 9?

Gatsby - Corruption and immorality

Answer 19

News stories: Wilson = ‘madman’, reports described as ‘grotesque, circumstantial, eager and untrue’

Question 20

Quote about Gatsby paying a price for something in chapter 8

Gatsby - Gatsby’s Dream/American dream

Answer 20

‘paid a high price for living too long with a single dream’

Question 21

Quotes at the end of chapter 8 showing that Gatsby is sickened by reality as it can never live up to his fantasies?

Gatsby - Gatsby’s Dream/American Dream

Answer 21

‘unfamiliar sky’, ‘grotesque thing a rose is’, ‘raw..sunlight’, ‘scarcely created grass’, the real world is described as a ‘new world’

Question 22

What does Nick say Gatsby would want Daisy to do about her and Tom’s marriage so that he can relive the past? (Chapter 7)

Gatsby - Gatsby’s dream/American dream

Answer 22

Wanted ‘nothing less’ of Daisy than to have ‘obliterated’ her marriage to go back to ‘just as it was’

Question 23

2 ways in which Gatsby sees crime?

Gatsby - Corruption and immorality

Answer 23

1. Gatsby sees crime as a ‘opportunity’
2. Aspires to commit crime as Wolfshiem does, sees it as an aspiration ‘Fixed the World series…he added cooly’ (sees it as something to brag about, aspiration)