| Describe the valley of the ashes. | Impoverished, dusty, smoky, gray, poor, covered in soot, lonely, working class, a go-between and dumping ground, with dirty people and a fetid river. |
| What do the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg’s defunct practice represent? | “God” looking over the forgotten class. |
| What three shops occupy the ashen strip mall? | An empty space for rent, a restaurant, and a garage. |
| Describe Myrtle Wilson. | voluptuous, full of life and energy, flashy, vital. |
| Why is George Wilson covered in ash? | He is inseparable from the place. He is one with the ash. |
| What does Tom buy for Myrtle? | A dog and a leash. |
| What do we learn about Tom’s character from this jaunt into the city? | He is a brute. |
| Why does Myrtle tell us she married George? | She thought he was a gentleman. |
| Why is Tom involved with Myrtle? | He likes her bold vitality and her embracing of life. |
| Why is the evening in Tom’s New York apartment hazy and dim? Contrast this with the evening setting at Tom and Daisy’s mansion. | Everyone is getting drunk. Everyone at the Buchanans’ home that afternoon was sharp and crisp and sunny; “a levity was inthe air.” |
| How is the theme of sight and blindness shown in this chapter? | The haziness of the evening mirrors Nick’s haziness as he descends into confused drunkenness. He is losing his sense of self. |
| What happens to the concept of time? | Time is completely obliterated. |
| Transcendent | surpassing all others of the same kind; pre-eminent; above and independent of the material universe |
| Oculist | an optometrist or an ophthalmologist |
| Proprietary | appropriate to an owner; indicating ownership |
The Great Gatsby Chapter 2
March 29, 2020