| Why does Gatsby fire all his servants and stop throwing parties? | Gatsby wants to avoid the gossip about him and Daisy. They were replaced with Wolfsheim’s “brothers and sisters”, who can be trusted to keep secrets. |
| Why does Daisy kiss Gatsy while Tom is on the phone in the other room? | She is living recklessly and trying to get caught or get back Tom at for having a mistress. |
| What does Gatsby see at Daisy’s that he found hard to believe? | He sees Pammy, Daisy and Tom’s daughter, and realizes he cannot erase the last five years. He sees Pammy as an emotional connection between Tom and Daisy. |
| What does Jordan mean when she says, “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall” (Fitzgerald 118)? What literary devices is being used? | The reckless, carefree activities of the summer will not last forever. It foreshadows that the characters will soon have to face the reality of their actions and lives. It’s ironic that the rebirth of a season with weather that will ultimately bring destruction. Not to mention it juxtaposing the hot weather. |
| When does Tom realize that Daisy loves Gatsby? | Daisy tells Gatsby he “always looks so cool.” |
| What does Gatsby hear in Daisy’s voice? | “Her voice is full of money…inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals’ song of it…” This paradox shows that Daisy has a attitude of the upper class and “old money”, something Gatsby will never be a part of. |
| What is ironic about the way Daisy, Tom, Gatsby, Jordan, and Nick travel to the city? What does it symbolize? | Gatsby takes Daisy in Tom’s car, while Tom takes Jordan and Nick in Gatsby’s car. Gatsby and Tom have “swapped” social statuses and lifestyles for this ride into New York. |
| What conversation took place at Wilson’s gas station that made Tom feel as if he was not in control? | Wilson knows that Myrtle is cheating on him and plans to take her and move West. Tom cannot control Wilson’s (or Gatsby’s) actions, leaving these parts of his life at the hands of others. |
| Why does Nick state “there was no difference between men” in reference to Wilson and Tom? | Tom recognizes Wilson’s anguish because he feels the same way about finding out about the relationship between Daisy and Tom. |
| Why is Myrtle upset when she sees Tom and Jordan? | She thinks Jordan is Tom’s wife and becomes jealous. |
| What does the weather symbolize in this chapter? | It is very hot and stifling. Tensions are mounting and something is about to explode. Heat is like passion, jealousy, and hate. |
| Gatsby notices that”…with every word [Daisy] was drawing further and further into herself, so he gave that up and only the dead dream fought on as the afternoon slipped away, trying to touch what was no longer tangible, struggling unhappily, undespairingly, toward that lost voice across the room…” meaning… | The language and imagery create a defeated tone that reflects Gatsby’s final efforts for his dream to stay alive. |
| What memory do Daisy, Tom, and Jordan recall at the hotel suite? Why is it significant? | They are reminiscing about a guest, Biloxi, at their June wedding. This conversations solidifies that Gatsby is an outcast and has to face Daisy’s history. |
| Why is Tom questioning Gatsby’s past at Oxford? What does Gatsby do that is surprising? | Tom wants to show Daisy that Gatsby’s a “nobody”. Gatsby answers Tom honestly, which is a first in the novel thus far. |
| What is Nick’s fascination with Tom’s transition “from libertine to prig”? libertine (a person who behaves without moral principles or a sense of responsibility) to prig (a self-righteously moralistic person who behaves as if superior to others) | Nick refers to Tom’s transformation from a man who flaunts his mistress to a man who is horrified that his family might be breaking up. |
| Gatsby did not want to hear what Daisy told him. Explain. | The climax occurs when Gatsby asks Daisy to admit that she never loved Tom. Gatsby’s reversal of intention occurs when she admits that she did love Tom when Gatsby was expecting her to say she never did. This is recognized when Tom states that Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship is over. |
| What is significant about Nick forgetting, then remembering, his 30th birthday? | It’s the end of risk-taking era – the 1920’s. |
| What has George Wilson done to his wife, Myrtle? Why? | He has locked Myrtle in a room upstairs to keep her away from her affair. |
| What “incident” takes place as the first falling action after the climax” | Myrtle gets hit by a car. |
| Why did Myrtle run out in front of Gatsby’s car? | She thought it was Tom because she saw him driving Gatsby’s car into the city. |
| Who does Tom think killed Myrtle? What really happened? | Thinks Gatsby killed her, but it was actually Daisy — she was driving. |
| What is Tom’s reaction to finding out that Myrtle has died? | Upset; Nick saw tears streaming down his face. |
| Where does Nick find Gatsby when he returns to East Egg with Tom? Why? | Hiding in the bushes at the Buchanan house waiting for Daisy to run away with him after Tom goes to sleep. |
| How does Nick feel about Jordan and the Buchanans’ at the end of the day? | He doesn’t like what they represent and no longer wants to be around them. |
| What doe Nick see when he goes to check on Daisy? Why is this significant? | Nick sees Daisy and Tom sitting at the table holding hands. He knows that she will not be leaving Tom and feels sorry for Gatsby. |
| The conclusion of chapter 7 includes… | Daisy telling Gatsby she will try to protect herself from Tom while Gatsby waits outside her house all night, although Nick sees the two of them sitting at the kitchen table with each other. |
The Great Gatsby Chapter 7
April 9, 2020