The Great Gatsby Viewing Guide
Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of
his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of
men. From, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
As you watch the movie adaption of Fitzgerald’s classic American novel you will complete each of the following
activities.
1. Follow the three main characters: Nick, Gatsby, and Daisy
2. Complete a theme analysis
3. Answer 2 of 3 essay questions regarding the movie
Follow Nick, Gatsby and Daisy throughout the film. Be SPECIFIC!!!!
Question
What are your
initial impressions
of this character?
What role do you
think this character
will play in the
story?
Describe this
character’s physical
appearance. What
does this tell you
about them?
What is the first
major action taken
by the character?
What is another
significant action
taken by this
character? Why is
this a significant
action?
What is the last
action we see this
character take?
What is the
importance of this
action?
How has this
character changed
throughout the
story? Be
SPECIFIC!
Nick
Gatsby
Daisy
The Great Gatsby Film Study
Directions: You will select three themes below to and complete the tasks under each theme. Your paper needs to be
labeled and well organized so that I can tell which theme you are responding to in your paper.
This assignment is due on Friday April 24, 2015 @ the start of class.
Society and Class
Respond to each questions using 4-5 sentences each. Be specific and complete with your responses.
1. In The Great Gatsby, does wealth alone decide which class a character belongs to?
2. What are the various markings of the upper class in the novel? What distinguishes it from the other classes?
3. Is Gatsby in the same class as Wilson? If not, is he closer to Wilson's class, or to Tom's? Where does Meyer
Wolfsheim stand in all of this?
4. Does Gatsby love Daisy, or does he love the lifestyle she represents? Is she only his ticket to the upper classes? If
so, does Gatsby realize this?
In a well-written paragraph, indicate whether or not you agree or disagree with one of the statements below. Your
response needs to be 6-7 sentences in length.
A. In The Great Gatsby, the only element not restricted to one class is unhappiness. All members of all classes are
equally unhappy.
B. In The Great Gatsby, social norms are insurmountable barriers between people. Inter-class relationships are
impossible.
Love
Respond to each questions using 4-5 sentences each. Be specific and complete with your responses.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Is there a difference between love and romance in The Great Gatsby?
Is love an expected part of marriage in The Great Gatsby? Why or why not?
Are love and sex separated in The Great Gatsby?
Is Gatsby's love for Daisy genuine? Does he love her, or his conception of her? What about Tom – does he really
love Daisy? And whom does Daisy really love, after all? Is it possible, as she said, that she loved both Tom and
Gatsby at once?
In a well-written paragraph, indicate whether or not you agree or disagree with one of the statements below. Your
response needs to be 6-7 sentences in length.
Wilson's feelings for Myrtle are the only example of genuine love in The Great Gatsby.
Love in The Great Gatsby is only the result of self-deception and denial.
Wealth
Respond to each questions using 4-5 sentences each. Be specific and complete with your responses.
1. In The Great Gatsby, what role does wealth play in people's life expectations? Could Gatsby have achieved his
childhood goals without wealth? That is, did he really care about the money, or just about the things?
2. Does money bring happiness in The Great Gatsby, destroy happiness, or have no effect?
3. What does Gatsby mean when he says that Daisy's voice is "full of money?" Does he mean this negatively? Why
does Nick agree with him? Does this comment say more about Daisy or Gatsby?
In a well-written paragraph, indicate whether or not you agree or disagree with one of the statements below. Your
response needs to be 6-7 sentences in length.
A. Although Fitzgerald shows rich people as careless and selfish, ultimately all of the characters in the book show
themselves to be disloyal. Bad character spans all classes.
B. The Great Gatsby demonstrates the emptiness and moral vacuum created by the decadence and wealth of
capitalism.
Isolation
Respond to each questions using 4-5 sentences each. Be specific and complete with your responses.
1. Who is lonely in this book and why? Are there any characters not alienated from others?
2. Jordan remarks that she prefers large parties because they are more intimate than small parties, where there isn't
any privacy. What does this say about the nature of isolation and intimacy in The Great Gatsby?
3. Does Nick see himself as part of the rich crowd? What about his comment that they're all westerners who don't
belong in the East – is this his way of finding commonalities to share? Does he want to be a part of them?
In a well-written paragraph, indicate whether or not you agree or disagree with one of the statements below. Your
response needs to be 6-7 sentences in length.
A. Someone can experience loneliness in a crowded room.
B. Being isolated is a choice -- society does not isolate people.
Lies and Deceit
Respond to each questions using 4-5 sentences each. Be specific and complete with your responses.
1. At one point, Jordan claims that Nick deceived her. Is this true? Or was Jordan deceiving Nick? What kind of
dishonesty is she talking about, anyway?
2. Nick assures us he is "one of the few honest people" he knows. How does this affect the way we read his story? Do
we trust his narration?
3. Are Nick and Gatsby more similar than Nick would like to admit? Is it possible to see Nick and Gatsby as
possessing the same fundamental characteristic of deception?
4. In the showdown scene at the Plaza, Daisy Buchanan is ultimately honest with her husband and Gatsby despite
what she might lose. Why does she choose honesty?
In a well-written paragraph, indicate whether or not you agree or disagree with one of the statements below. Your
response needs to be 6-7 sentences in length.
A. In The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway presents himself as the voice of reason and reliability, yet ultimately he proves
to be an unreliable narrator.
B. Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby are two sides of the same coin: each has built a successful façade to fool others,
yet they can now no longer distinguish their true selves from the one they have created for the world.
The Great Gatsby and the American Dream
For 1 of the 2 questions listed below, compose an 11-13 sentence response.
Remember you only have to answer 1 QUESTION!!!!
1. What is the American Dream? How does Gatsby represent this dream? Does the story praise or
condemn Gatsby's dream? Has the American dream changed since Gatsby's time?
2. What is the meaning of the title? In what way is Gatsby great?