| Why did Nick Carraway come to the East? | He wanted to learn the bond business. |
| Why do Daisy and Tom invite Nick to dinner? | Nick is Daisy’s cousin and he went to college with Tom. |
| How does Daisy respond to the phone calls from Tom’s “woman in New York?” | She pretends she doesn’t know about it and continues her conversation. |
| Why doesn’t Nick call to Gatsby when Nick first spots him on the lawn? | He thought that Gatsby wanted to be alone, it looked that way. |
| Why does “white ashen dust” veil Mr. Wilson’s “dark suit and his pale hair?” | It represents his innocence about his wife Myrtle having an affair with Tom. |
| According to Catherine, why has Tom not left Daisy to marry Myrtle? | Catherine says that Tom does want to leave her, but can’t because she is Catholic and doesn’t believe in divorce, but that is a lie. |
| Why does Nick identify with “the casual watcher in the darkening street?” | Since Nick was drunk, his mind was all over the place and switching from one thing to another. |
| What does Tom’s breaking of Myrtle’s nose indicate about his respect for her and for Daisy? | It shows his lack of respect for women and belief that women are below men. |
| Why does Gatsby throw huge, expensive parties for people he doesn’t know? | He wants people to know his name, but more importantly, he wants Daisy to notice him. |
| What does the reaction of the drivers of the wrecked automobile suggest about the values of Gatsby’s guests? | Owl Eyes said he had been drunk for a week, which suggests that his guests have very few morals and not much character. |
| What do Jordan’s leaving a borrowed car out in the rain with the top down and her golf scandal reveal about her? | They reveal that she is dishonest and how she thinks everyone uses her. It also reveals that she has a willingness to use people and forget the consequences. |
| What does Nick see as his “cardinal virtue?” | He sees that his cardinal virtue is “I am one of the few honest people I have ever known.” |
| Why does Gatsby show Nick the medal from Little Montenegro? | He wants Nick to believe his stories. |
| What is the importance of Gatsby’s connection with Meyer Wolfsheim? | It shows how Gatsby got his money. |
| What was Gatsby’s original relationship with Daisy? | Gatsby was a lieutenant and flirted with Daisy when they were younger. |
| Why does Nick agree to arrange a meeting between Daisy and Gatsby? | Nick had learned a lot about their past relationship and he wanted to make Gatsby happy. |
| Why does Gatsby act “like a little boy” when Daisy first arrives at Nick’s? | He had always dreamed of seeing her again and he got very shy and uncomfortable, but at the same time he was very giddy. |
| After his private conversation with Daisy, how has Gatsby changed? | Gatsby looked much happier and he was glowing. |
| While taking Nick and Daisy through his house, what does Gatsby do that causes Daisy to “cry stormily?” | Daisy sees all of Gatsby’s shirts and says, “It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such beautiful shirts before.” (Fitzgerald 92) |
| Why does James Gatz of North Dakota row out to Dan Cody’s yacht? | He warns him about an impending storm. |
| What happened to Gatsby’s $25,000 inheritance from Dan Cody? | His mistress prevented him from claiming it. |
| Why do Tom and the Sloanes snub Gatsby after asking him to dinner? | The Sloanes were just using Gatsby as a pit stop. |
| After the party, when Gatsby tells Nick, “It’s hard to make [Daisy] understand,” what does he really want her to do? | He really wants Daisy to tell Tom that she never loved him and to be with Gatsby. |
| Why does Gatsby look at the Buchanans child Pammy “with surprise,” having never “really believed in its existence before?” | It made him feel like Tom and Daisy were going to be linked to each other forever. |
| How does Daisy reveal to Tom that she is in love with Gatsby? | Daisy reveals her feelings to Gatsby, but not directly to Tom. |
| Why does Wilson lock up his wife in anticipation of taking her West? | He found out that she was having an affair with Tom and he got very angry with her. |
| Why does Tom’s recollection of “that day I carried you down from the punch bowl to keep your shoes dry” remove “the rancor” from Daisy’s voice? | She remembered a time when they actually loved each other. |
| Why does Tom press Gatsby about his dealings with Wolfsheim? | He thinks Gatsby got his money by being a bootlegger and he shames him for it. |
| After running Myrtle down, why doesn’t Daisy stop the car? | She was so panicked she couldn’t stop. |
| Why had Gatsby fallen in love with Daisy? | She represented everything he wanted in his life. |
| Why had Daisy married Tom? | She married him because he had money. |
| Why, after first admitting to himself that Daisy “might have loved [Tom] just for a minute” does Gatsby say “it was just personal?” | This convinces the reader that he is a platonic conception of himself. |
| Why does no one come to Gatsby’s funeral except his father, Owl Eyes, and Nick? | Tom and Daisy didn’t come because they left town to avoid any investigation into Myrtle’s and Gatsby’s death. |
| What are Tom’s motives in telling Wilson that Gatsby owned the death car? | Tom never liked Gatsby because Daisy loved Gatsby instead of him. |
| Why does Nick say that he cannot forgive or like Tom? | Tom was responsible for Gatsby’s death and Gatsby was really the only person that Nick liked. |
| Why does Nick decide to come back home to the Middle West? | He doesn’t like the East and he thinks that the people are shallow and brutal. He doesn’t want to be associated with them anymore. |
Great Gatsby
April 9, 2020