The Great Gatsby

Chapter 1: Analysis Questions

While reading the introductory chapter, focus on the following elements of craft: symbols,
motifs, imagery, metaphors, repetition, character development, syntax, irony, narrative POV,
order of events, and the title (I know it’s a lot to look for, sorry!). Then answer each of the
following questions in 3-4 concise sentences.

DO NOT RESEARCH THESE ONLINE!

CHALLENGE YOUR INTELLECT AND DO THE WORK YOURSELF!

1. Focusing on characterization, choose THREE of the most pertinent quotes that reflect
important attributes for Daisy Buchanan and provide commentary for each that explains their
significance. *All quotes must include proper citations.
A. “Daisy, surprising me by opening up again in a flower-like way” (Fitzgerald 18)
This quote is pertinent to the attributes of Daisy Buchanan because it is repeated
throughout this chapter. Additionally, flowers are often associated with happiness, joy, and other
generally good emotions. These associations are likely to relate to how Daisy acts.

B. ““I’m p-paralyzed with happiness.” She laughed again, as if

she said something very witty, and held my hand for a moment, looking up into my face,
promising that there was no one in the world she so much wanted to see.” (Fitzgerald 10)
This quote shows another similar attribute of Daisy, which is that she seems to be quite the
performer in social situations. She makes it very clear that she is happy to see the narrator and
goes out of her way to draw attention to herself. She also may be rather ditzy due to her stutter.

C. “She looked at us all radiantly. “Do you always watch for the longest day of the year and
then miss it? I always watch for the longest day in the year and then miss it.” (Fitzgerald
12)
This quote shows yet again Daisys rather whimsical nature and that she seems very happy. It also
supports the idea that she loves being the center of attention in social settings with her answering
her own questions.

2. Next, do the same for Tom Buchanan:

A. “Tom Buchanan compelled me from the room as though he were
moving a checker to another square.” (Fitzgerald 12)
Toms’s forceful movement of the narrator in this quote shows his rather straightforward mindset.
It shows that Tom has no problem using force or his body to get what he wants and that he is a
rather dominating person.

B. “I hate that word hulking,” objected Tom crossly, “even in kidding.” (Fitzgerald 12)
This quote shows that Tom may have more to him than simply brutish behavior. He does not
enjoy being viewed as a violent or sad person despite sometimes acting as such. The quote also
shows that Tom may not be the most humorous person.

C. “Why ——” she said hesitantly, “Tom’s got some woman in New York.” (Fitzgerald 14)
This quote from Daisy’s friend, if true, would show that Tom is apathetic towards his own wife
and most likely not a good person.

3. Analyze at least two passages where Fitzgerald is clearly criticizing the values or attitudes of
the upper class in this chapter. Provide a direct quote, as well as commentary that explains his
criticism.
A. One of the passages where Fitzgerald is criticizing the values or attitudes of the upper
class in this chapter is when Tom is describing his book on race and why the white man is
superior. Fitzgerald expresses that Tom “is pathetic in his concentration” and as such
views the issue poorly. Fitzgerald obviously disagrees with this idea of racial inequality
and that is why someone who is not seen as a great person at the moment is a supporter of
it. The upper class, especially the white upper class, has historically been very concerned
with losing power so it makes sense historically that Tom is also preoccupied with the
uprising of other races.

B. Another passage where Fitzgerald criticizes the values of the upper class is when Nick
enters the room and sees the women for the first time. He enters to see “pale flags,
twisting them upward the frosted wedding-cake of the ceiling”, this shows the extreme
wealth that the upper class is surrounded by. Fitzgerald does not believe that this is fair or
right for the lower class and as such paints Tom and his wife as rather cruel or at least
ditzy characters. By surrounding these characters with as much wealth as possible and
also making them generally unpleasant, Fitzgerald is insinuating that they are likely
corrupt or not deserving of this wealth.

4. Last, conduct further investigation of the opening epigraph! Discuss any pertinent information
that you find, as well as the potential meaning of the quote (which we briefly discussed already
in class).
By further investigating the opening epigraph, I found that the general idea behind it is that, if
you want a girl to love you, impress her with your wealth and social skills until she has to fall for
you. This idea was very important up until very recently (and still is to a degree). This is likely
related to something that will happen later in the story wherein a man attempts to impress a
woman by following the advice of this epigraph.