Gatsby - WHS english department

The Great Gatsby!
The Great American Novel!
!
Chapter 1!
! Setting:!
! 1920s!
! Long Island, New
York!
!  West Egg!
!  East Egg!
! Narrator Nick
Carraway!
! Midwesterner!
! Bond business!
! Reserves judgment!
! Well-to-do family!
! Wants money (the
American Dream)!
Characterization:
Descriptive Words!
! Tom!
! Immensely Wealthy!
! Limited excellence!
! Arrogant eyes!
! Supercilious (scorn)!
! Enormous power!
! Contempt!
! Harsh, defiant!!
! Daisy!
! Absurd, charming
little laugh!
!
!
!
!
 Murmur!
 Sad and lovely!
 Passionate mouth!
 Singing compulsion!
Characterization cont.!
! Jordan Baker!
! Athletic, golfer!
! Self-sufficiency!
! Erect carriage!
! Discontent!
! Sun-strained eyes!
! Yawned…sat as if
getting into bed!
Quotations from Chapter 1!
1.  Nick: “Reserving judgment is a matter
of infinite hope” (1).!
2.  Tom: “‘Have you read ‘The Rise of
the Coloured Empires’ by this man
Goddard?’” (17).!
3.  Daisy: “‘That’s the best thing a girl
can be in this world, a beautiful little
fool’” (21).!
Chapter 2:
Discuss questions from Read#2!
1.  Summarize Chapter 2!
2.  Two new characters: George and
Myrtle Wilson.!
3.  Take note of the fight between Tom
and Myrtle (41).!
4.  Who is Gatsby? (37).!
5.  Why does Tom choose Myrtle? (40)!
Symbols:!
! Eyes of Dr. TJ Eckleburg: eyes of God;
blindness of 1920’s America!
! The color Yellow: Corruption of wealth!
! The Valley of Ashes: Industrial
corruption and waste!
Valley of Ashes
Described in the beginning paragraphs of Chapter 2
!
Eyes of Dr.TJ Eckleburg!
!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5. 
6. 
Chapter 3: Gatsby’s Party
! do people speculate concerning Gatsby’s
!What
background and source of money? What do you
speculate? (44/48)!
!Make a list of words Nick uses to describe Gatsby
(48/52). What is the impression?!
!Nick sees Jordan as “incurably dishonest” and himself
as “one of the few honest people.” Your thoughts?
(58-60/62-64)!
!Read the Library Scene with Owl Eyes. What impression
is Gatsby creating? (45/49)!
Read the Parking Lot Scene, again with Owl Eyes
(54-56/58-62). Consider humor & new technology.!
6. Make a list of words Nick uses to describe Jordan,
!who epitomizes the 1920s flapper. (58-60/62-64) !
!
!What impression do you get?!
Why does Gatsby have
parties?!
! The Flapper
Lifestyle as
depicted on
the cover of
Life
Magazine!
Prohibition
The Volstead Act was passed in the
summer of 1919. As a result, sale and
distribution of alcohol became illegal.
The social climate of the era did not
respond to this regulation. Many
people became involved in an
underground movement to sell and
distribute alcoholic beverages.
Chapter 4: Theme!
! Separating reality from illusion:!
!  What is the truth and what is staged?!
! Daisy’s wedding and marriage (Y:81, N:
76).!
! Contradictions in Gatsby’s story (Y:69, N:
65).!
! Consider Wolfshiem and the lunch. Who is
he and what is his relationship to Gatsby?
(Y:73; N: 70)!
Chapter 5 Discussion!
1.What does Gatsby offer Nick in return
for Nick’s cooperation in inviting Daisy
to his house?!
2.What is the meeting between Gatsby
and Daisy like initially?!
3.What does Gatsby reply when Nick
asks him how he makes his money? !
4.Why do you think Daisy sobs when
Gatsby shows her his shirts?!
5 continued….!
5.What is the weather like in this chapter? How does it reflect on the emotional
climate of Gatsby and Daisy?!
6.In this chapter, Gatsby’s dream seems
to be fulfilled. What indications are
there, though, that reality cannot satisfy
his dream?!
Art Deco Movement
1920-42!
Art Deco District, Miami!
Art Deco
Fashions!
Chapter 6 Summary!
! Gatsby’s “true” background is revealed!
! Nick’s motive as narrator (Y:107; N:101)!
! Daisy and Tom attend Gatsby’s party!
! Daisy “was appalled by West Egg”!
! Read the last 1-1/2 pages of Chapter 6.
Analyze references to the past and forgetting!
!Theme: Holding the past vs. moving to future!
!(old vs. new; east vs. west; country vs.
urban)!
Chapter 7!
! Discuss the following ideas:!
! Weather corresponds with the tone!
! Daisy as the femme fatal (a seductive woman who
!
!
!
!
lures men into dangerous or compromising
situations)!
Tom and Wilson realize their wives are having
affairs…how do their reactions differ? Why?!
Cheating/infidelity…are there double-standards?
What constitutes “cheating”?!
Tom transitions from libertine (free thinking,
unrestrained) to prig (narrow-minded, unforgiving)!
How does Gatsby get rich?!
Why The Great Gatsby?!
! Compare Gatsby to The Great Houdini!
! 1874-1926!
! Most famous illusionist, escape artist,
magician!
! Otherwise known as King of Handcuffs,
The Genius of Escape, Master of Mystery,
and others.!
In a typical act he was shackled with chains and placed in
a box that was locked, roped, and weighted. The box was
submerged from a boat, to which he returned after freeing
himself underwater. In another outdoor exhibition he
allowed himself to be suspended, head down, about 75
feet (23 m) above ground and then freed himself from a
straitjacket. These demonstrations were typically watched
by many thousands of people. Houdini's uncanny escape
abilities depended partly on his great physical strength
and agility and partly on his extraordinary skill at
manipulating locks.
Is Gatsby a Tragic Hero?!
Antihero
!
!
!
!
We feel both pity and terror!
Character has (had) high moral character!
He experiences a change in fortune!
He goes from happiness to misery because of
a mistake!
! He possesses a tragic flaw!
! Error in judgment!
!
Is Nick a reliable source of
information?!
! Point of View: The fallible or unreliable
narrator!
! Excessive innocence or over sophistication
or moral obtuseness make a narrator
flawed and capable of distorting “center of
consciousness” in the work.!