The Great Gatsby

1. Chapters 1-3 The Great Gatsby

2. Quiz: Gatsbych. 1 • What advice did the narrator’s father give him when he was younger? • What book has Tom been reading (or describe what it is about)? • What does Miss Baker tell Nick (the narrator) about Tom at the dinner table? • What does Daisy say she hopes her daughter will become? • How is Gatsby introduced into the novel?

3. Nick Carraway • opening self-characterization • Advice from father (*1) • Holds back from judging others • People confide in him Q: Why does Nick opens the novel by making these claims about himself? Q: Is Nick a reliable narrator? (the million dollar question!)

4. Nick Carraway • Midwest background (Minnesota) • Graduated from Yale 1915 • Served in WWI • Came East spring 1922 • Pursue bond business • Escape boredom of the Midwest • Escape marrying girl back home • Lives next door to Gatsby on West Egg

5. Tom Buchanan Q: What is your first impression of Tom? • Filthy rich (family money) • Just moved to East Egg from Chicago • Former football star at Yale • 30 years old, arrogant, “cruel body” • Exhibits racism • In an affair with a woman in New York • Abusive? (Daisy’s bruised little finger)

6. Daisy Buchanan Q: What is your first impression of Daisy? • Nick’s second cousin once removed • Portrait (9) • Sad and lovely face • Compelling voice • Behavior • Flirtatious (with Nick) • Insincere (conversation about daughter) • Superficial (rumor about butler’s nose) Q: How is Daisy NOT what we expect from a mother?

7. Jordan Baker • Introduction on p. 8: “balancing something on her nose” (haughtiness) • Petite, athletic body; blond hair • Golf star • Cynical, disinterested, bored • Nick remembers hearing a “critical, unpleasant story” about her (18)

8. Jay Gatsby Q: How does Fitzgerald create a sense of mystery surrounding Gatsby in this chapter? • Nick’s opening description (*2) • Mentioned by Jordan Baker at dinner • Seen by Nick on his lawn in the moonlight (*20-21)

9. Character Wrap-Up Questions • Which character(s) are sympathetic, and which character(s) do you instantly dislike? • How does Nick compare with and interact with the other main characters?

10. Setting West Egg • New money • The “less fashionable” of the two East Egg • Old money

11. Setting: Long Island, New York • “East Egg” and “West Egg” • Today known as “the Hamptons”

12. West Egg: Gatsby’s mansion • Gatsby’s house was “a colossal affair by any standard—it was a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden.” (p. 5) Pictured to the left: Beacon Towers, thought to have inspired Gatsby’s mansion

13. West Egg: Nick’s house • Nick’s house is “a weather-beaten cardboard bungalow at eighty a month.” (p. 3) • “My own house was an eyesore…” (p. 3) • Pictured above: • an average-sized bungalow

14. East Egg: the Buchanans’ mansion • “Their house was even more elaborate than I had expected, a cheerful red-and-white Georgian Colonial mansion, overlooking the bay.” (p. 6) • Pictured to the right: a typical Georgian colonial house

15. East Egg: the Buchanans’ House • Pictured below: Lands End, the mansion that inspired the Buchanans’ house • Torn down in April 2011

16. QUIZ: Gatsby Chapter 2 • What is George Wilson’s profession? • Who is Catherine? • What is Mr. McKee’s job? • How did Myrtle know right away that marrying George was a mistake? • What does Tom do to Myrtle when she mentions Daisy’s name? • Extra Credit: Name the magazine that Myrtle buys.

17. Chapter 2Valley of Ashes • Industrial wasteland located between the “Eggs” and New York City • Modeled after a cinder dump in Queens • Ash produced by coal-fired burners dumped into marshland • Today the site of Flushing Meadows park • Symbolizes poverty and hopelessness • Imagery: bleak, barren, gray • Location of the Wilsons’ garage

18. Valley of Ashes http://www.weissmanfredi.com/projects/olympic_rowing_facilities.php “A literary traveler visiting Corona finds not an ash dump, but Flushing Meadows park, larger even than Central Park, adorned with two lakes (one of them for sailboats), an art museum, a golf course, a zoo, the National Tennis Center, and the New York Hall of Science.” --Roger Starr, City Journal, Autumn 1992

19. Valley of Ashes • “Eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg” • Faded billboard left by an oculist • Symbolism? http://thegreatgatsbysandm.blogspot.com/2011/05/eyes-of-tj-eckleburg.html

20. Chapter 2Meet Tom’s Mistress…and More • George Wilson: blond, dispirited, anemic • Myrtle: mid-thirties, sensuous, materialistic Q: Myrtle’s other traits? http://pyxurz.blogspot.com/2012/02/great-gatsby-page-3-of-8.html

21. Chapter 2Meet Tom’s Mistress…and More • Catherine (Myrtle’s sister): modern woman (bob of red hair), worldly, gossip • Mr. McKee: feminine man, photographer • Mrs. McKee: “shrill, languid, handsome, and horrible” (30); flatterer, racist comment

22. Chapter 2Plot • Tom and Nick stop at Wilsons’ garage • Introduction to George & Myrtle Wilson • Train to NYC • Myrtle buys “Airedale” • Apartment at 158th street • Decorations characterize Myrtle • Drunken party • Rumor about Gatsby: related to Kaiser Wilhelm • Tom breaks Myrtle’s nose • Nick helps Mr. McKee into bed http://www.breederretriever.com/dog-breeds/88/airedale-terrier.php

23. Chapter 2Analysis • What draws Tom and Myrtle to each other? • Why doesn’t Tom divorce Daisy and marry Myrtle? • Why does Tom break Myrtle’s nose? • What role does Nick play in the party scene? *p. 35 • “I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.”

24. QUIZ: Gatsby Chapter 3 • Identify one rumor spread about Gatsby at the party. • What is Owl Eyes surprised to discover about Gatsby’s library? • Why does Gatsby recognize Nick? • As Nick leaves the party, what “bizarre and tumultuous scene” has drawn a crowd of observers? • What character flaw does Nick detect in Jordan?

25. Chapter 3Roaring Party! • Evidence of Gatsby’s wealth (39-40) • Rolls Royce • Many servants • Crates of oranges and fruit • Lavish buffet • Alcohol • Full orchestra • The Guests • West Egg,East Egg, and beyond • Invited and uninvited • Nick’s invitation: “signed Jay Gatsby, in a majestic hand” (41)

26. Chapter 3Will the real Gatsby please stand up? • Rumors • Lucille’s replaced gown (43) • German spy (44) • Killed a man (44) • Went to Oxford (Jordan) (49) • Nick meets Gatsby • Shared war experience: Third Division • “Old sport” • Reassuring smile (*p. 48) • “An elegant young roughneck, a year or two over thirty, whose elaborate formality of speech just missed being absurd” • Invitation to go hydroplaning

27. Chapter 3Will the real Gatsby please stand up? • Behavior at party • Aloof from guests (50) • Doesn’t drink (50) • Phone calls from Chicago, Philadelphia (48, 53) • Speaks privately with Jordan (“I’ve just heard the most amazing thing…”) (50-52) http://www.forbes.com/2002/09/13/400fictional_16.html

28. Chapter 3Roaring Party! • “Owl Eyes” • Library scene • Astonished that Gatsby’s books are real (45) • Symbolism? • Car accident (54) • Confusion about who was driving

29. Chapter 3Nick and Jordan • Budding relationship • Conversation about drivers • Jordan: “It takes two to make an accident,”“I hate careless people” (58) • Jordan’s dishonesty and Nick’s “cardinal virtue” (59) • Remembered story: cheating at golf tournament (57) • Nick breaks off relationship back home (59) Q: Do you believe Nick’s claim that he is an honest person?

30. Chapter 3Analysis • What mood is created in the party scene, and how? • When Nick meets Gatsby at the party, is Gatsby what you expected?