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StudyQuestions1.DiscussGatsby’scharacterasNickperceiveshimthroughoutthenovel.WhatmakesGatsby“great”?Inonesense,thetitleofthenovelisironic;thetitlecharacterisneither“great”nornamedGatsby.HeisacriminalwhoserealnameisJamesGatz,andthelifehehascreatedforhimselfisanillusion.Bythesametoken,thetitleofthenovelreferstothetheatricalskillwithwhichGatsbymakesthisillusionseemreal:themoniker“theGreatGatsby”suggeststhesortofvaudevillebillingthatwouldhavebeengiventoanacrobat,anescapeartist,oramagician.NickisparticularlytakenwithGatsbyandconsidershimagreatfigure.HeseesboththeextraordinaryqualityofhopethatGatsbypossessesandhisidealisticdreamoflovingDaisyinaperfectworld.ThoughNickrecognizesGatsby’sflawsthefirsttimehemeetshim,hecannothelpbutadmireGatsby’sbrilliantsmile,hisromanticidealizationofDaisy,andhisyearningforthefuture.TheprivateGatsbywhostretcheshisarmsouttowardthegreenlightonDaisy’sdockseemssomehowmorerealthanthevulgar,socialGatsbywhowearsapinksuittohispartyandcallseveryone“oldsport.”Nickaloneamongthenovel’scharactersrecognizesthatGatsby’sloveforDaisyhaslesstodowithDaisy’sinnerqualitiesthanwithGatsby’sown.Thatis,GatsbymakesDaisyhisdreambecausehisheartdemandsadream,notbecauseDaisytrulydeservesthepassionthatGatsbyfeelsforher.Further,GatsbyimpressesNickwithhispowertomakehisdreamscometrue—asachildhedreamedofwealthandluxury,andhehasattainedthem,albeitthroughcriminalmeans.Asaman,hedreamsofDaisy,andforawhilehewinsher,too.Inaworldwithoutamoralcenter,inwhichattemptingtofulfillone’sdreamsislikerowingaboatagainstthecurrent,Gatsby’spowertodreamliftshimabovethemeaninglessandamoralpleasure-seekingofNewYorksociety.InNick’sview,Gatsby’scapacitytodreammakeshim“great”despitehisflawsandeventualundoing.2.WhatisNicklikeasanarrator?Isheareliablestoryteller,ordoeshisversionofeventsseemsuspect?Howdohisqualitiesasacharacteraffecthisnarration?Nick’sdescriptionofhimselfintheopeningchapterholdstruethroughoutthenovel:heistolerantandslowtojudge,someonewithwhompeoplefeelcomfortablesharingtheirsecrets.Hiswillingnesstodescribehimselfandthecontoursofhisthoughtsevenwhentheyareinconsistentorincomplete—hisconflictedfeelingsaboutGatsby,forinstance,orthelongmusingattheendofthenovel—makeshimseemtrustworthyandthoughtful.Hispositioninrelationtotheothercharactersgiveshimaperfectvantagepointfromwhichtotellthestory—heisDaisy’scousin,Tom’soldcollegefriend,andGatsby’sneighbor,andallthreetrustandrelyonhim.ThoughNickparticipatesinthisstoryanditseventscertainlyaffecthim,TheGreatGatsbyisnotreallyhisstoryinthesenseofbeingabouthim.However,itishisstoryinthesensethatitisofcrucialimportancetohim:hedefineshimselfintheprocessofwritingit.Indeed,hestruggleswiththestory’smeaningevenashetellsit.ThoughNickprofessestoadmireGatsby’spassionasaloverandadreamer,Nick’sownactionsinhisrelationshipwithJordanBakercastanironicpalloverhisadmiration:withJordan,Nickisguarded,cautious,andskeptical.Overall,NicksuggeststhatGatsbyisanexceptiontohisusualwaysofunderstandingandjudgingtheworld,andthathisattractiontoGatsbycreatesaconflictwithinhimself.3.WhataresomeofTheGreatGatsby’smostimportantsymbols?Whatdoesthenovelhavetosayabouttheroleofsymbolsinlife?Apartfromgeographiclocations,thetwomostimportantsymbolsinthenovelarethegreenlightattheendofDaisy’sdockandtheeyesofDoctorT.J.Eckleburg.ThefirstisaperfectexampleofthemannerinwhichcharactersinTheGreatGatsbyinfusesymbolswithmeaning—thegreenlightisonlyagreenlight,buttoGatsbyitbecomestheembodimentofhisdreamforthefuture,anditbeckonstohiminthenightlikeavisionofthefulfillmentofhisdesires.TheeyesofDoctorT.J.Eckleburgworkinthesamefashion,althoughtheirmeaningislessfixed.UntilGeorgeWilsondecidesthattheyaretheeyesofGod,representingamoralimperativeonwhichhemustact,theeyesaresimplyanunsettling,unexplainedimage,astheystaredownoverthevalleyofashes.TheeyesofDoctorT.J.Eckleburgthusemphasizethelackofafixedrelationshipbetweensymbolsandwhattheysymbolize:theeyescouldmeananythingtoanyobserver,buttheytendtomakeobserversfeelasthoughtheyaretheonesbeingscrutinized.Theyseemtostaredownattheworldblankly,withouttheneedformeaningthatdrivesthehumancharactersofthenovel.Ingeneral,symbolsinthenovelareintimatelyconnectedtodreams:Gatsby’sdreamofDaisycauseshimtoassociateherimagewitheverythinghevalues,justasheassociatesthegreenlightwithhisdreamforthefuture.InreadingandinterpretingTheGreatGatsby,itisatleastasimportanttoconsiderhowcharactersthinkaboutsymbolsasitistoconsiderthequalitiesofthesymbolsthemselves.4.Howdoesthegeographyofthenoveldictateitsthemesandcharacters?WhatroledoessettingplayinTheGreatGatsby?Eachofthefourimportantgeographicallocationsinthenovel—WestEgg,EastEgg,thevalleyofashes,andNewYorkCity—correspondstoaparticularthemeortypeofcharacterencounteredinthestory.WestEggislikeGatsby,fullofgarishextravagance,symbolizingtheemergenceofthenewrichalongsidetheestablishedaristocracyofthe1920s.EastEggisliketheBuchanans,wealthy,possessinghighsocialstatus,andpowerful,symbolizingtheoldupperclassthatcontinuedtodominatetheAmericansociallandscape.ThevalleyofashesislikeGeorgeWilson,desolate,desperate,