Great Gatsby Discussion Questions 1

Isabel Gregoire
1. Is Nick Carraway necessary? If we got the story through a third person
omniscient narrator, what would we lose? Gain?
Lose: Nicks thoughts and ideas, the mystery about peoples
thoughts/feelings
o He gives a perspective from the middle class that a third person
narrative couldnt show.
o Sees parties/way of life as extravagant and meaningless
(description of Daisy, Gatsby, Tom, etc supports the Lost
Generation)
o Nick: This is an unusual party for me (Fitzgerald 47)
Sometimes they came and went without having met Gatsby
at all, came for the part with a simplicity of heart that was its
own ticket of admission (Fitzgerald 41)
2. When Myrtle Wilson first meets Tom, she reminds herself, You only live
once (Fitzgerald). Can this philosophy apply to other characters in the
novel? Do any characters contradict this idea?
Tom is very arrogant and thinks he can do whatever he wants because of
his wealth and race
o Tom got his lady an apartment thinks hes invincible Myrtle
will be hurt if you dont come up to the apartment. (Fitzgerald 28)
Gatsby mildly contradicts this by thinking you can relive the past he
thinks there is always a second chance
Nick can relate to this because he works hard and has a goal in life -> he
wants to do the best that he can do with what he has
3. Nick remarks that Americans while willing, even eager, to be Serfs have
always been obstinate about peasantry and that Gatsbys mansion has a
feudal silhouette. What does this mean?
Hes saying that Americans were willing to be the working class, but never
the peasants -> connection to the American Dream -> wanting to have a
better life
Gatsby is the leader wit his workers underneath him that keep his
mansion up, running, and looking good
o Mondays eight servants, including an extra gardener, toiled all day
with mops and scrubbing-brushes and hammers and garden-shears,
repairing the ravages of the night before. (Fitzgerald 39)
4. It has been said that, The great skill of Fitzgerald is to create a character
which is as much a figment of his own imagination as he is the readers.
How far do you think this reflects the authors presentation of Jay Gatsby?
What literary techniques are employed to achieve this illusion?
Because Fitzgerald was a part of the Lost Generation, he could relate to
the lifestyle like Gatsby
Like Gatsby, he made a name for himself and includes the American
Dream
Uses a lot of allusions, makes slight insults to Yale, and like Daisy and
Gatsby, Zelda left Fitzgerald because he wouldnt be able to support her
5. Does Gatsby truly love Daisy?

Great Gatsby Discussion Questions 1

Isabel Gregoire
He loves her, but I think he loves the idea of her more from before her
marriage because he always talks about the great memories
He was so in love with the idea of Daisy and being with her for 5+ years
that he doesnt realize that she has different life goals and important
things in her life (ex: her child, Tom, affairs)