How Does Nick Characterize The Guests At Gatsby's Party

1. What do you find is the most crucial in the plot in Chapter 1? I think its being introduced to Gatsby when he is out in the dark , looking at the water and then he vanishes. It makes him out to be mysterious. It sets the tone for the rest of the story and you want to know more about him.

2. How does Nick describe himself at the beginning of the novel? He believes he is a highly reserved person who does not judge people and is a very moral person. He also talks about being the only honest person he knows. He and his family comes from the Midwest, Minnesota.

3. How does Nick describes Tom Buchanan? He says he was a strong man who he knew from his days at Yale in New Haven. He played football at Yale and was a very wealthy person. He says

he was a “sturdy straw-haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner.”
4. Who is Jordan Baker? What does Nick find appealing about her? Jordan Baker is a friend of Daisy Buchanan, Nick’s cousin. She is also a professional golfer who cheated to win her first tournament. Nick likes that she is slender and athletic and not like most girls from the Midwest.
5. What is Gatsby doing when Nick first sees him? He has come out of the mansion he is staying in at night to look at the water. Nick advises that he wants to call out to him but that he is “he was content to be alone — he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling.”
6. How does the tone of Nick’s description of Tom reveal Nick’s feelings about Tom? Nicks words show that Tom is not someone who he likes, he makes him out to be a dominant person. Nick says that his “Two shining arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward”. This makes Tom out to be an aggressive , out for himself type of person.
Chapter 2
(Responses should be a minimum of three to five sentences each.)
1. What do you find is the most crucial in the plot in Chapter 2? I think the description of the valley of ashes is key. It sets the tone for the second chapter and also shows how different the rich and poor live. This part shows us that there is more than rich people in this book and that they struggle.
2. How does Nick meet Tom’s mistress? Nick meets Tom’s mistress when they travel to the city and stop at George Wilson’s garage. They then leave the garage and head to an apartment for a party in the city.
3. How does Myrtle react to Tom’s arrival? She seems like she was waiting for him and couldn’t wait for him to come. She doesn’t treat her husband nice at all. “She smiled slowly and, walking through her husband as if he were a ghost, shook hands with Tom, looking him flush in the eye.”
4. Describe George Wilson. How does he react to Tom’s arrival. He was a blond, spiritless man, anaemic, and faintly handsome. He had blue eyes and appears to be a somewhat sad and depressed man. When he see’s Tom , he gets excited because he is hoping Tom is here to sell him a car.
5. Describe the setting of the valley of the ashes where George and Myrtle live. What aspects of valley of the ashes are symbolic, and what do they symbolize? The valley of ashes is a dumping ground between the city and the beautiful sections of West Egg. It is where all the concrete and garbage of the city is dumped. It represents the difference between poor and rich and how differently they live. “The valley of ashes is bounded on one side by a small foul river, and, when the drawbridge is up to let barges through, the passengers on waiting trains can stare at the dismal scene for as long as half an hour.”
6. Why does Tom attack Myrtle at the end of the party? Tom attacks Myrtle because he mentions his wife. Tom doesn’t want his mistress to mention his wide, he is jealous and he is also aggressive. He has a bad temper and when he isn’t listened to, he becomes angry.
Chapter 3
(Responses should be a minimum of three to five sentences each.)
1. What do you find is the most crucial in the plot in Chapter 3? I think the most important part was Nick meeting Gatsby and realizing that he is much different than everyone else. The meeting shows that Gatsby is not a partier and actually takes responsibility for things.
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2. Describe the two ways in which Nick differs from the other guests at Gatsby’s party. He was invited to the party and he didn’t get drunk like all of the others. Also, he isn’t trying to be something he is not like all of the other people there.
3. What does Nick think of Gatsby when he first meets him? Use a quotation from the text to justify your answer. He is impressed with him, he is surprised that he isn’t acting like his guests and carrying on about things like they do. “He smiled understandingly — much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life.” He is impressed with him.
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What does Nick learn about Jordan Baker after he has spent some time with her? The she is completely dishonest and even cheated to win her first golf tournament.

5. How does Nick characterize the guests at Gatsby’s party? Nick believes that he is morally superior to the guests. He believes that his Midwest values and being a good person are much different than the people at the party. He believes the people are partiers and not concerned with anything but themselves.

6. What sense of the Jazz Age do we get from Nick’s description of the party? That people were just out for a good party and a good time. The Jazz Age was about having fun and not responsibility. There was dancing now on the canvas in the garden; old men pushing young girls backward in eternal graceless circles, superior couples holding each other tortuously, fashionably, and keeping in the corners

Chapter 4

1. What do you find is the most crucial in the plot in Chapter 4? I think when Gatsby takes Nick to lunch with Meyer Wolfsheim. This shows that Gatsby may not be rich from legitimate business. Gatsby might be doing illegal things to get his money by hanging around someone like

Wolfsheim.
2. What does Gatsby tell Nick about himself? The he attended Oxford for school. That he is from a wealthy family from the Midwest, San Francisco specifically. Also, that he traveled Europe.
3. According to Jordan, what did Daisy do on her wedding day? Why? Daisy got drunk on her wedding day. She did so because she received a letter from Gatsby, apparently it was a love letter.
4. Why does Gatsby want to have tea with Daisy in Nick’s house? Why doesn’t Gatsby ask Nick for this favor himself? He wants to have tea at Nick’s house because he thinks Daisy will come to tea if she thinks she is going to just see Nick. Gatsby doesn’t know Nick well and he knows that Jordan will be able to ask for this favor.
5. How does Daisy behave after Gatsby goes overseas? What does her behavior show about her feelings for Gatsby? Daisy starts to date different men, she is having issues dealing with her family. When another man goes overseas, she decides to start dating non-soldiers. Her erratic behavior shows that she was really in love with Gatsby and was trying to get over him. She was sad over the breakup. But, “by the next autumn she was gay again, gay as ever.”

Chapter 5
1. What do you find is the most crucial in the plot in Chapter 5? I think that Gatsby being nervous it important, it shows how concerned about the meeting and what Daisy will think of him. It shows that Gatsby has done all of this for Daisy and really wants to impress her.
2. What is the meeting between Gatsby and Daisy like initially? It is a little awkward and Gatsby is nervous, he knocks over a clock. After Nick leaves and comes back, the two seem to have reconnected and are smiling.
3. How are Daisy and Gatsby different when Nick returns to the house after a half an hour? They are smiling and having more fun. Daisy seems to have tears of joy and Gatsby is in a good mood.
4. What are Gatsby’s feeling by the end of the chapter? He seems to be feeling good about their future together. He brings someone in to play piano and is hopeful about the future.
5. Why do you think Daisy sobs when Gatsby shows her his shirts? Because it shows that he has become successful and I think she realizes he has done all of this to try to win her back. “It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such — such beautiful shirts before.”
6. What is the weather like in this chapter? How does it reflect the emotional climate of Gatsby and Daisy? It is initially raining , which sets the tone about how they are feeling before meeting. After they met and are getting along well, the skies clear which show that the future is bright together. “The rain was still falling, but the darkness had parted in the west, and there was a pink and golden billow of foamy clouds above the sea”
Chapter 6
1. What do you find is the most crucial in the plot in Chapter 6? Finding out the truth about Gatsby and that he really comes from a lower class family. It shows that Gatsby has done everything in his life just for money and to impress certain people like Daisy.
2. When does James Gatz change his name? Why? He changes his name after he meets a wealthy man , Dan Cody , who takes him on as his personal assistant. He changes his name because wants to change from being a poor person to becoming a part of wealthy society.
3. What is Daisy’s real response to the party, according to Nick? She was only happy at the party when with Gatsby for a half hour. Daisy was not having fun because the people were drinking too much and not the kind of people she wanted to be around.
4. What does Gatsby tell Nick he wants Daisy to do? Gatsby wants Daisy to leave Tom so they can be together. Nick tries to tell Gatsby he cannot recreate the past, but Gatsby wants her back.
5. What is Nick’s view of the past? Use a quotation from the book to justify your answer. Nick advises Gatsby that you cannot recreate the past, it is over and you need to move one. Nick says that Gatsby “talked a lot about the past, and I gathered that he wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy. His life had been confused and disordered since then”.
Chapter 7
(Responses should be a minimum of three to five sentences each.)
1. What do you find is the most crucial in the plot of Chapter 7? When they stop back at Wilson’s garage and you see Myrtle is locked up and looking jealously at Jordan. You knew something bad was going to happen to someone over all of the cheating going on.
2. Why does Gatsby stop giving parties? He stops the parties because he had them to try to impress Daisy. Now that she doesn’t enjoy them, he doesn’t want to have the parties.
3. When does Tom first realize that Daisy loves Gatsby? When Nick, Jordan and Gatsby are at Tom and Daisy’s house for lunch. Tom sees Daisy say to Gatsby that she loves him.
4. Why is Myrtle Wilson upset when she sees Tom and Jordan? She thinks that Jordan is Tom’s wife. She is looking at them in the car and believes she is Daisy. “I realized that her eyes, wide with jealous terror, were fixed not on Tom, but on Jordan Baker, whom she took to be his wife.”
5. Why does George Wilson lock Myrtle in the bedroom? He knows about her affair with Tom and locks her in her room because they were going to move away in a couple of days.
6. At the end of the chapter, Gatsby is standing alone, looking out at Daisy’s house. Where else in the novel does he do this? How is this different? This is the same as the first time Nick sees Gatsby looking over the water at the green light. The green light was actually Daisy’s dock. The first time Gatsby was probably thinking about seeing Daisy again, now he is wondering if they will ever be together again. “So I walked away and left him standing there in the moonlight — watching over nothing.”
Chapter 8
1. What do you find is the most crucial in the plot of Chapter 8? When they go back to George Wilson and you see what kind of state he is in and he wants revenge. You know that someone is going to pay for killing Myrtle and he wants revenge for her death.
2. What does Gatsby tell Nick the night of the accident? Why? Gatsby tells Nick everything about Daisy and him, how they met and why he became who he became. He wanted to show Daisy that he was worthy of her.
3. How does George Wilson spend the night after the accident? He spends it talking to his neighbor about Myrtle, her affair and everything that happened. He tells him that he needs revenge and must go find who killed Myrtle.
4. What evidence has Wilson found that his wife was having an affair? He found a dog collar wrapped in her dresser. He knew she was having an affair because it was an expensive collar and knew he could not afford to buy it so it had to be given to her.
5. What do the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg symbolize to George Wilson? Use a quotation from the book to justify your answer. They symbolize that God is always watching and sees everything you are doing. He also sees the sinful things you do and they cannot be undone. “God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!’”
Chapter 9
1. What do you find is the most crucial in the plot of Chapter 9? I think that Gatsby’s father coming to his funeral and still be proud of his son was the most important thing. It showed what real values were and not the values of the fake, rich people of West Egg.
2. What is the motive publicly given for Wilson’s murder of Gatsby? They said that Wilson was a deranged man, sicken with grief so he murdered Gatsby.
3. What does the telephone call from Chicago tell us about Gatsby’s business? That his business was not legitimate and probably illegal. Even if Gatsby lived, his business probably would have failed anyway.
4. Why is Gatsby’s father so proud of him? He was proud of everything that he did in life and how big and powerful he had become. He thought he was a smart person who could have done more if he lived.
5. How does Nick characterize Tom and Daisy at the end of the book? He thinks they are uncaring and shellfish people only out for their own good and they do not care about anyone else but themselves and their money. “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy — they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made. “
6.

What does the green light symbolize at the end of the novel? The green light symbolizes dreams that we all have a better and bigger life. That we can do many things if we work hard and believe in ourselves. “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter — to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther.”

FINAL QUESTION: (Your response should be a minimum of four to five sentences in length.)

Discuss the elements of the Jazz Age that Fitzgerald includes in The Great Gatsby.

During the course of the book, everything is about wealth and power and having a good time following World War I. The 1920’s were a decade of a lot of growth in our country and a lot of people became rich. Also, people spent a good amount of time partying and having fun. All of these come out during the story, people were more concerned about things than each other. The book showed that people with wealth and power were not as important or as good as someone like Gatsby’s father who worked hard and had good

values.