Chapter-by-chapter questions
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Chapter 1
1. Notice how many times Fitzgerald uses the words hope and dream. What could this mean to
the story?
2. Nick starts the novel by relaying his father’s advice, ‘Whenever you feel like criticizing
anyone … just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that
you’ve had.’ List Nick’s advantages given in the first two or three pages of the story.
3. Pay attention to time. What is the day and year during the first scene at Daisy’s house?
Could this be significant?
4. What do you know about Nick, and what do you infer about him?
5. How is Jordan Baker described? Who is she?
6. How does Fitzgerald describe Nick’s reaction to Jordan? What does this tell you about his
character?
7. What does Tom’s behaviour reveal about his character?
8. The novel is written in first person narrative, from Nick’s point of view. In what ways might
this affect the narrative?
Select a quote that you feel has particular significance to the narrative in this chapter.
Explain why your selected quote is significant.
Chapter 2
1. Describe the ‘valley of ashes’. What does it look like? Could its appearance have any
significance to the narrative?
2. Define the term ‘liminal space’.
3. How could this term relate to the ‘valley of ashes’?
4. What significance could the ‘eyes of Dr T. J. Eckleburg’ have?
5. Look at Fitzgerald’s description of Mr Wilson and Myrtle. Do they seem to fit into the
setting?
6. What more have you learned about Nick in this chapter? Is he similar or different than the
people he spends his time with?
7. Describe the violent act Tom committed against Myrtle. What does this reveal about him?
Select a quote that you feel has particular significance to the narrative in this chapter.
Explain why your selected quote is significant.
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Chapter-by-chapter questions
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Chapter 3
1. How does Fitzgerald begin Chapter 3? What might be his purpose in beginning with
something other than plot?
2. How does Fitzgerald make Gatsby’s lifestyle/parties sound? Extravagant? Ostentatious?
Exciting? Explain your answer.
3. There is a change of tense in the fourth paragraph. What tense is this part of the narrative
written in?
4. Why might Fitzgerald have changed tenses in the fourth paragraph? What is the effect on the
reader?
5. Why might there be an absence of first person in this section?
6. Why does the present tense section end in such a short sentence, ‘The party has begun.’?
7. Through the narrative voice what can you infer about Nick’s opinion of Gatsby at this point?
8. How does Fitzgerald describe Gatsby the first time Nick sees him? Select some short
quotations to support your ideas.
9. What rumours has Nick heard about Gatsby? Why does Fitzgerald reveal rumours rather than
fact? How does this mystery help to characterise Gatsby?
10. What does Nick think of Gatsby after meeting him?
11. How is Gatsby different from his guests?
12. Why do you think Nick chose to share his thoughts and feelings with Jordan?
Select a quote that you feel has particular significance to the narrative in this chapter.
Explain why your selected quote is significant.
Chapter 4
1. Why does Fitzgerald list all of Gatsby’s party guests? What purpose do they serve?
2. Gatsby chooses to tell Nick about his life on their drive to New York. Do you believe Gatsby?
Does Nick?
3. Gatsby repeatedly uses ‘Old Sport’ as a term of address. What effect does this have on his
characterisation? What sort of person would you associate this sort of language with
ordinarily?
4. What role does Meyer Wolfsheim play in the novel? What is his ethnic background? Why is
there so much focus on his nose?
5. What does Jordan’s story of Daisy’s marriage reveal about Daisy’s past? Why might Fitzgerald
have chosen to have Jordan narrate part of this section?
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Chapter-by-chapter questions
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
6. After hearing the story, how does Nick’s perception of Gatsby change? How does the
reader’s?
7. Why did Gatsby want Daisy to see his house?
8. In your opinion, is Gatsby worthy of his title as ‘great’?
Select a quote that you feel has particular significance to the narrative in this chapter.
Explain why your selected quote is significant.
Chapter 5
1. Fitzgerald creates an almost unbearably tense atmosphere at the beginning of Chapter 5.
Find a couple of quotations of narration that establish this tone.
2. List the items that Gatsby has delivered, as well as the work which is undertaken by Gatsby’s
staff, to ‘improve’ Nick’s house. Why do you think Gatsby does this?
3. Once Gatsby takes Daisy up to the house the tone changes to one of surreal wonder. Find
some quotations which establish this tone.
4. Describe the effect of rain on the scene when Gatsby and Daisy meet. Think pathetic
fallacy!
5. How does Daisy react to seeing Gatsby again? Could this foreshadow events to come?
6. Why does Gatsby offer Nick work? How does Nick feel about this?
7. Explain the significance of the green light as discussed in this section. What could the colour
symbolise? Try to give more than one interpretation.
8. Why does Gatsby get so many phone calls? What does this say about him? What is the one in
this chapter about?
9. This meeting has significance beyond the reuniting of the two lovers. Looking at the last
three paragraphs of the chapter, evaluate what Daisy has come to represent for Gatsby.
Select a quote that you feel has particular significance to the narrative in this chapter.
Explain why your selected quote is significant.
Chapter 6
1. This chapter begins with a flashback to the past of James Gatz, as relayed by Gatsby, to
Nick? Why might Fitzgerald have chosen to include this tale now?
2. Fitzgerald describes Gatsby’s ‘invention’ of himself as ‘platonic conception’. What does this
term mean?
3. Why do you think Fitzgerald chooses such a phrase? How does this add to his characterisation
of Gatsby?
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Chapter-by-chapter questions
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
4. How truthful was Gatsby when he relayed the story of his life to Nick?
5. How do Tom and Gatsby behave towards each other during this encounter? What does it
reveal about the two men?
6. Fitzgerald uses Nick’s narrative voice to describe Tom’s presence at Gatsby’s next party; he
refers to it giving the evening a ‘peculiar quality of oppressiveness’. What do you think he
intended to convey?
7. Fitzgerald describes Nick’s response to the party as if through Daisy’s eyes. He states that
she ‘wasn’t having a good time’. What reasons can you give for Daisy’s lack of enjoyment?
8. Daisy offers Tom her pencil to ‘take down any addresses’. Why does she do this? What does
this reveal about her character at this point? Has she undergone a change?
9. When Nick told Gatsby that ‘you can’t repeat the past’, Gatsby replied, ‘Why of course you
can!’ Do you agree with Nick or Gatsby? Explain your reasons.
10. What does Gatsby’s obsession with the past reveal about his character?
Select a quote that you feel has particular significance to the narrative in this chapter.
Explain why your selected quote is significant.
Chapter 7
1. Describe Daisy and Gatsby’s new relationship.
2. Compare George Wilson and Tom. What did each man learn about his wife and how did they
each react?
3. Define the term ‘pathetic fallacy’.
4. How does Fitzgerald use pathetic fallacy in the chapter to create tension? How does this
foreshadow events to come?
5. Within this chapter, find three other events or comments made by characters that add to the
building tension or suggest that something is about to go wrong?
6. How does Gatsby react to the presence of Tom and Daisy’s daughter and what might this
reveal? Use evidence to support your answer.
7. What does Tom and Gatsby’s fight reveal about their opinions of each other? Are they very
different men or do they share some personality similarities?
8. Why is the music playing in the hotel ironic given the scene?
9. Do you think that Tom knew Daisy was driving the ‘death car’? Why or why not?
10. At this point, how would you end the novel?
Select a quote that you feel has particular significance to the narrative in this chapter.
Explain why your selected quote is significant.
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Chapter-by-chapter questions
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Chapter 8
1. How does Fitzgerald achieve a melancholic mood in the beginning of this chapter? Use
quotations to support your ideas.
2. What is Gatsby desperately waiting for in this chapter? Will it happen?
3. Who is Dan Cody and what is his significance in Gatsby’s life?
4. How does Nick’s statement ‘You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together’ show a
change in Nick from the beginning of the novel? Does this influence how you, as a reader,
view Gatsby?
5. How does T. J. Eckleberg affect Mr Wilson?
6. Fitzgerald suggests that Nick believes Gatsby had given up hope. He describes this using a
metaphor about a ‘rose’. What picture does this create of Gatsby at this point?
7. Fitzgerald uses the word ‘holocaust’ to describe the death of the two men. What do you
think is the significance of this term?
Select a quote that you feel has particular significance to the narrative in this chapter.
Explain why your selected quote is significant.
Chapter 9
1. Why did Nick take care of Gatsby’s funeral? Is this significant in any way?
2. How was Jay Gatz’s childhood schedule consistent with the adult Gatsby’s behaviour?
3. Who attended Gatsby’s funeral? How and why is this significant?
4. What is the purpose of Nick’s last meeting with Jordan?
5. Why does Nick call Tom and Daisy ‘careless people’?
6. Briefly explain the final sentence of the novel in the context of the entire narrative.
Select a quote that you feel has particular significance to the narrative in this chapter.
Explain why your selected quote is significant.
NB All quotations are taken from the Penguin Classics (2000) edition of the text.
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