Part 1: Character Reading the Characters

As you read and meet the characters, think about the following questions:
 Origin and Residence: Where does this character come from? Where does
he or she live?
 Personality:  Which character traits are exhibited by each character in this
first chapter?
 Values: What does this character value?
 Wealth:  Does this character have money? Where did the money come from?
 Goals: What is this character trying to accomplish?
Keep track of the information in the following character chart. You may want to read the
chapters first, then go back and look for the information.

Origin
Personality
Character Current Values Wealth Goals
Traits
Residence

 A Shabby
 West egg house,
 He was small.
 Humility  I don’t think
Lawful Good hopeful and
he has any
wise Family
Nick Carraway Advantage Gatsbys
unassuming Wealth, He Head east
Hope
First Impression: Dad:privalalage , and has a
educated, Traditional caretaker, stocks/bonds,
College: Yale and values Dad paying
well rounded.
exhausted for first year
From Midwest
Lives alone

 Doesn’t know
Jordan Baker where he’s
going  Unknown  Unknown  Unknown  Unknown
First Impression:
unknown

Tom Buchanan  East Egg  Gruff and    Enormously  Unknown to

strong wealthy the narrator,
First Impression: Lawful Neutral arrogant maybe to be
Midwest rich with rich
people to be
Yale Grad rich together
  Charming,
Daisy Buchanan  East Egg  Unknown
stunning A  Enormously
to the  
First Impression: Chaotic Good little bit ditzy Wealthy
narrator
a little sad

Part 2. Summary Paragraph

After finishing the chart and the chapter 1 reading, write a paragraph that summary the
introductory chapter.  Focus on explaining how these characters have been introduced
by the F. Scott Fitzgerald.  What are we supposed to understand about the plot so far? 
What conflicts have been introduced?   If chapter 1 was the first 20 minutes of a movie,
what would we be interested in most as a viewers? 
Answer all of these questions in a smoothly written paragraph.    Prove that you
understand and have finished chapter 1 in its entirety.
(10-12 sentences MINIMUM)

Nick Carraway moves east to learn the bond business. I think when he finally moves, he
feels a little lost in life. His house is small and his dog ran away. Just running into a
stranger to talk a single sentence makes him feel like he has just a bit of purpose in life
which makes me wonder what he thinks of the world, because fining purpose in the
littlest possible hint od social interaction makes him seem like an existentialist. He
meets some old friends in the east side of town who seem to be richer then rich. He
eats dinner with them and catches up with them. They catch up on a lot of stuff like the
Buchanan’s daughter, which makes me wonder how long it has really been since they
talked. Daisy tells our main character when her husband is out of the room that he is
cheating on her, her husband gets really offensive when he thinks that he has been
found out. “Don’t believe everything you hear,” he says. Our main character goes home
and is a little disgusted at the relationship of daisy and her husband. At home Nick spots
who he think must be Gatsby on the stretch of land that connect them but Gatsby
doesn’t seem to want to talk so he is left alone.

Part 3. Historical Context of The Great Gatsby (Taking a Look at the

Roaring Twenties)
Watch this historical background video below.  Take organized and detailed notes. Add
them to these same notes that we are taking in class for Chapter 1. Please remember
notes will be finished in class on Friday and turned in during class. 
The 1920s and Context for The Great Gatsby (Links to an external site.) by F. Scott
Fitzgerald
Video created by Ms. Brown from Research Triangle High School in Durham, North
Carolina!

Post world 1 era, everyone wants to relax and party

Economic boom
People begin to live again, how much fun can we have?
Alcohol prohibition do to religious
Rid the land of drunkenness
Mobs and Mafia
Bribes paid to speak easys
Al Capone made 60 mil in one year
The automobile
Rebellion
Fashion change
Short skirts jewelery makeup
Men wore suits for business
Pin striped suits
Klosh hats were all the rage
Fringes and jewelery long stringy things
People would always wear there best dress
Sports began to get a lot of hype
Baseball is Americas favorite past time
Sports scandals
Silent screen
Charlie chaplan
Clara Boe the it girl
Boyish figure
Flapper, young rich and independent
The 1920s or the Jazz age
Harlem Ebcott
Setting standards
Money- people were doing very well overnight wealth
Zelda was from the old money and he was from new money