The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

Characters

Nick Carraway   Tom and Daisy Buchanan Pam – daughter   Jay Gatsby “James Gatz”   Henry C. Gatz – Gatsby’s father   Jordan Baker – golfer   Myrtle Wilson George – husband Catherine – sister   Meyer Wolfshiem – gambler, bootlegger   Walter Chase – Tom’s friend, partnered with Gatsby and Wolfshiem   Dan Cody – employed Gatsby as a teenager   Michaelis – witness to accident, owned coffee shop next to Wilsons   Doctor T. J. Eckleburg – billboard near Wilson’s store

 

For Discussion:

1.       Why does Gatsby call everyone “old sport?”

2.       Why didn’t anyone come to Gatsby’s funeral?

3.       What did you think of the various characters: Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, Jordan, and Nick?   Were you able to relate to any of them?

4.       Do you think Daisy loved Gatsby?

5.       At Gatsby’s funeral, his father brought a book his son had read when he was a boy in 1906.   Inside the back cover Gatsby had outlined a plan for self-improvement including his daily schedule, what he would read, how he would save his money, etc.  (Chapter Nine).  Was this a good plan?   Do you think the plan succeeded?

6.       When Tom told Wilson who owned the car, do you think he knew Daisy was driving?  Did he suspect what Wilson would do?

7.       What was the point of the billboard in the story? After Myrtle had been killed, George looked out the window at the billboard and told Michaelis, “God sees everything” (Chapter Eight).

8.       In the end, Gatsby achieves the American Dream (success evidenced by great wealth) but is very unhappy.  Is this a positive or negative aspect of the book?

9.       According to the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (www.ala.org/advocacy) The Great Gatsby is one of the top 100 novels of the 20^th century that have been banned or challenged, mostly because of language and sexual references. Do you think this is a valid criticism?  How do you think this novel would be understood by a high school student today?

10.   In the first chapter, Tom is telling Daisy and Jordan about a book he is reading that promotes white supremacy.  This was not mentioned in many of the reasons why the book was challenged.  Do you think that would change in today’s atmosphere?

11.   This novel was written in 1925 and is considered a classic.  Is it relevant today?  Why?