LCC- English 3rd Semester-------PR7 of tragedy, and highlights the Islanders’ deep-seated belief in the
Q. What role does Superstition Play in “Riders to the Sea”?
Ans. Superstition is a concept that runs throughout John
Millington Synge’s play ‘Riders to the Sea’. The play is set in the
Aran Islands, off the west coast of Ireland, and examines the
impact of superstition on the lives of the islanders. The
superstitions held by the characters often influence their decisions
and actions, ultimately shaping the narrative of the play. In this
article, we will explore the role of superstition in ‘Riders to the Sea’
and its impact on the characters.
Superstition in "Riders to the Sea":
Superstition is evident from the opening lines of the play, which
establish the atmosphere of fear on the island. The line ‘they’re all
gone now, and there isn’t anything more the sea can do to me’
sets the tone for the play, as the characters are depicted as
powerless against the wrath of the sea. The character Maurya, the
matriarchal figure of the play and mother of seven sons, embodies
the superstitions of the islanders. She believes fervently in the
power of the sea to take what it wants, as evidenced by her tragic
life experiences of losing her husband and five of her sons to the
sea. Her belief is exemplified in the scene where she tells her son
Michael that he should not go out to sea, as he is fated to die
there.
The symbolism of the supernatural elements in the play also serve
as a means to convey the importance of superstition. The ghostly
presence of Maurya’s dead sons also serves to accentuate the
ultimate power of the sea. Each of her sons is associated with an
object or element, such as the cloak, which the sea used to bring
Michael’s body back to the island. The cloak is seen as a sacred
object, imbued with the power and strength of the son it
represents. The symbolism of the objects serves as a reminder
that the islanders believe in the power of the sea, and that the
elements themselves are privy to the fates of the inhabitants of
the island.
The character Bartley is another example of the influence
superstition has in the play. Although Maurya expresses her fear
for each of her sons, it is Bartley that is the most superstitious of
all of them. He is fixated on the idea of needing a new horse for
the fair, believing that his success is dependent on obtaining the
horse. His superstitious beliefs highlight the almost compulsive
need to please fate, and his concern for the future is evident when
he worries about the way the sea will look when he goes to the
mainland.
However, it is important to note that superstition is not always
portrayed as a means of controlling fate. Synge also depicts the
concept of free will as a catalyst for the ultimate fate of the
characters. The character Cathleen, for example, constantly
asserts the need for free will in order to influence the outcome,
saying “It’s the will of God, and I’m thinking you weren’t going to
have an easy life with him, or with any man.” Cathleen’s
acknowledgement of the importance of individual will in the face
of overpowering forces such as the sea contrasts with the heavy
emphasis on superstitious fatalism in the play.
Superstition ultimately shapes the narrative of the play, as the
characters’ beliefs become self-fulfilling prophecies. Maurya’s
fixation on fate leads to a tragic outcome, as each of her fears are
realized in the loss of each one of her son’s bodies. The final scene
in the play, where the women of the island are left mourning their
sons, is a poignant reflection on the powerlessness of the islanders
against the forces of nature. The undercurrent of superstition that
runs throughout the play serves to heighten the tension and sense
supernatural.
In conclusion, ‘Riders to the Sea’ presents a haunting picture of
life on a remote Irish island, where superstition reigns supreme.
The play’s characters are depicted as powerless against the forces
of nature, but equally unable to resist their compulsion to appease
fate. Despite the fatalism of the play and the inevitability of
Maurya’s tragic fate, the play ultimately implies a certain degree
of individual will and agency in the face of the supernatural.
Superstition is a central theme of the play and provides a
compelling insight in the beliefs of the Islanders, who saw
themselves as at the mercy of both the sea and the unseen forces
of fate.
Q. Character Analysis of VASU in The Man-Eater of Malgudi?
Ans. R.K. Narayan professes to set forth the eternal conflict
between good and evil in ‘The Man-Eater of Malgudi’. There is no
attempt at originality of thought, the novelist’s aim being mere to
reinstate the triumph of good or evil. This he does by drawing
upon a mythological tale in which Bhasmasur destroys himself.
Vasu is the prototype of Bhasmasur who like this demon no wishes
the illusion of becoming omnipotent. The placid world of Malgudi
is beset with his deeds. The taxidermist plunge this world in
disorder, as a result, the restlessness is large on his face. There is
no respite in Vasu’s devilish activity until it completes the circle in
his self-annihilation.
Vasu is an epitome of Demonic power and mercilessness. His fist
is strong enough to pulverize granite into small pieces. The
matchless might and muscular feature of Vasu is an amazing
achievement and a specimen of the skill of Suleiman and
Pahalwan utterly callous to the positive aspects of a virtuous life.
Vasu had no hesitation in kicking his master out. It was brazen
ungratefulness but Vasu trampled all values displayed a
wholesome disregard for the goodness of life. The attic of the
press is rented out but no longer does he begin to live these, he
back out from paying any farthing as rent devoid of all moral and
ethical consideration, Vasu appears to personify all that restricts
the flow of goodness in life. He is anti-life and anti-faith. The
collection of money to celebrate the religious ceremony is duped
by him. He stuffs dead animals for he rejoices in it. On the other
hand, it is a means to quench the lust for lucre for the sensual
excitement he being women of all reputation. Vasu is evil-
incarnate and he is bent on defeating all that supports life.
Vasu is anti-nature, anti-religion and anti-god. He believes in
extinction and this deserts one and all to serve his purpose. He
procures gun-license but betraying the bond of friendship to kills
innocent wild creatures in Mempi forest. He lets loose a reign of
terror in the immediate surroundings. Unfortunately, the world of
Natraj is too good to resist his heartless misdeeds. Thus, Vasu
relishes in his trade and there is anarchy is Malgudi. A foul smell
continuously emanates from the attic and the brute enjoys himself
in the suffering of humanity. Being a bully, he reacts menacingly
even at the slightest protest. Not only the law-protector but his
benefactors also suffer humiliation at his hands and at times get
thrashed. The blessed soil of Malgudi turns into a cursed place and
the ordinary mortals are reduced to silent spectators. Vasu
through a challenge even to God and kills ‘Garuda’ a mythical bird
associated with Lord Vishnu. On being accosted by Natraj, he
shows his blasphemy and says “I want to try and make Vishnu use
his feet now and then.” Vasu is a wrecker of life, a pitiless
messenger of death. On the day of a religious procession, he
makes up his mind to shoot Kumar, the temple elephant. But the
elephant becomes ‘Gajendra’ for bringing about salvation not only
for himself or Malgudi but for humanity at large. To quote Dr. D.V.
Raghavacharya, Narayan schematizes the mythological motif by
employing the metaphysical triangle of Gunas as a model for
analyses and projection of human character. It is an asuric strength
and disoriented energy which spring from bethal combination of
Tamas and Rajas and compounded by lack of self-knowledge
egotism, like Bhasmasur, he seeks to stay God and destroys himself
by Tamasic logic and punishing casualty of his own drive for Rajasic
power. He is destroyed by the fetishism of his own strength and
his elimination is brought about by the unvanquishable faith of the
traditional community.
Q. Justify the title of “Riders to the Sea” by J.M.Synge?
Ans. ‘Riders to the Sea’ literally means people venturing out into
the sea. In this play, Riders to the Sea the life of the Aran Islanders
is represented through one family. The death of all its male
members shows how the sea acts as an agent of fate. The sea
sustains these people; it also swallows all the earning members of
Maurya family. But Synge suggests the cruelty of the sea and
human helplessness before its omnipotent power. Synge’s choice
of title is the superb brainwork of his genius.
The title “Riders to the sea” is the most significant and symbolic to
the thematic journey. The main theme of the play, Riders to the
Sea is the conflict between man and the sea. The title is very
attractive and thought-provoking. The readers are curious to know
who the riders are. They will deep into the sea with the riders.
Then the mystery will be revealed and the readers will shed tears.
The two riders Barthey and Michael represent the whole riders of
the peasant families of Aran Islanders. Real beauty will come out
with the fragrance of the title.
In the play there are two riders rides on the grey pony and Bartley
riders on the red mare. They ride on their horses to the sea. The
Sea is the source of their living and dying. The Sea is the giver and
taker of their lives. Through the riding of Michael and Bartley, we
see the Aran islanders. Happiness and enjoyment bid them
farewell. Sorrows and sufferings are the part and parcel of their
riding. They have to fight constantly against the stony soil from
which they will produce food grains after the hard toil and sweat
of their body. And the hungry sea is ready to devour the riders.
Firstly she tempts with the bait of their source of living and lastly,
she snatches away every fisherfolk of the islanders.
The title helps us to go deep into the text and the sea. The story is
about the tragic fate of Maurya an old woman of the island. She
has her father-in-law, her husband, and six sturdy sons. They are
all riders to the sea. But all of them except Bartley were devoured
before the curtain rises. The play is about the last rider, Bartley.
Maurya’s fifth son Michael was drowned in the sea nine days
before the play begins. Bartley wants to go to the sea. Maurya
dissuades but Bartley says Cathleen “It’s a life of a Youngman to
be going to the sea.” The sea devours him also.
The title has a biblical significance. If we have a look at the Book
of Exodus in the old testament we will realize the symbolical
meaning. When the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his
horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought back the waters of
the sea upon but the people of Israel walked on dry ground in the
midst of the sea. Then Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of Aaron,
took a tumbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her
with timbrels and dancing. Miriam songs-
“Sing to the Lord, for he has
Triumphed gloriously;
The horse and his rider he had
Thrown into the sea.”
Pharao’s riders are destined to die as Maurya’s ‘riders’ are fated to
meet their death in the sea.
The title has also a supernatural element. One of the riders is the
ghost of Michael who pursues his living brother and takes him
from this world. To quote T.R. Henn-
“It (the sea) is the killer of the young, the breadwinners, whose life
is to be upon it. The fishermen are all its riders, mysteriously linked
to the human and super-human riders, here and in tradition.”
The title also emphasizes the mythic and supernatural elements.
It indicates the manner in which the final tragedy overtakes
Maurya. The sea has devoured all the males of Maurya’s family. All
are the riders to the sea. The lives of the Aran islanders are
determined by the sea. Their fates are destined by the hungry sea,
whereas Pharash’s horsemen were punished by their misdeeds.
Synge with his tragic scheme pushes the riders into the sea. So all
the riders have taken shelter under the sea after their death.
Hence the title is very suggestive and symbolic.
Q. Life of Aran Islanders as depicted in Synge’s ‘Riders to the
Sea’?
Ans. Synge’s ‘Riders to the Sea’ (1904) is undoubtedly a regional
play with a local colouring. It gives a vivid account of the life and
manners of the poor islanders off the West-Coast of island. Synge’s
deep and intimate acquaintance with the life of the poor, innocent
and simple nearted peasantry has enabled him to re-capture the
beauty and poetry of their life.
Born and brought up as they are in the island their life has
been inextricably tied up with moorlands, rugged chiffs, windy
heaths and howling seas. They cultivate their small plots of land,
but land, being rocky as it is alone cann’t give them the necessary
subsistence. Hence, they take to fishing in the sea around. They
cann’t do, they cann’t subsist without venturing out on the sea.
Maurya seeks to prevent her only surviving son from crossing over
the stormy sea saying—
“he wasn’t go this day with the wind rising the south and
west.” But Bartley will have to go to the mainland for selling the
horses.
The dark landscape, the monotony of the wave, the simple
dignity of the Islanders and their customs, dresses, festivals have
in them, the elements of a fairly tale, yet the tragic overtone is
unmistakable even the most ordinary things of life are made to
have tragic implication life for them in a unending sorrow. They are
in horrible economic plight. The women folk work at the spinning
wheels, mend torn pieces of cloths and cook their simple food.
The men folk rear sheep, pigs and horses and make ashes out of
the sea weeds for the manufacture of soda and potash. They make
fuel out of the decomposed vegetable matter because they cann’t
afforeded carthy fuel.
Poverty and sufferings are then the part and parcel of life of
these people. Man jet drowned and die every now and then. The
peculiarity of the circumstances of their life is that whether they
like or not they can’t but take risk in sailing ever the perilous sea.
If they do not take risk they will have to starve at home. There in
lies the predicament of their life. The sea by delivering the
successive blows to them has made them fatalist. Maurya realizes
in the end that which is totaled for them can’t be blotted. She has
learnt from her own experience that what can not be cured must
be endured.
Thus, Synge in his ‘Riders to the Sea’ (1904) has faithfully
reproduced the inner beauty and harmony in the life of these
primitive people who have not yet lost the poetry of an
imaginative life by sophistication.

Q. Why did Gatsby organize parties?
Ans. Jay Gatsby is Nick Carraway's extremely wealthy neighbor. He
lives in a magnificent mansion in the West Egg, directly across the
sound from the Buchanan estate. When Jay Gatsby returned from
the war, he became business partners with Meyer Wolfsheim and
amassed a fortune in the illegal bootlegging industry. He never lost
his love for Daisy, and he purchased an extravagant mansion
directly across the water from her home. Gatsby knew that Daisy
had married Tom Buchanan, but he still held onto his dream of one
day marrying her. In an effort to reconnect with Daisy, Gatsby
hosts elaborate parties, where strangers from all over the East and
West Egg are invited. Interestingly, Gatsby does not participate in
the revelries taking place at his home but passively watches over
his parties as a host, hoping that Daisy will attend. At the end of
chapter four, Jordan Baker explains to Nick how Daisy and Jay
Gatsby originally met. Gatsby throws huge parties because he
hopes Daisy will hear of them and someday show up at one. He
also hopes that someone who knows her will show up at the
parties and perhaps offer him access to her. He has purchased his
mansion because it is across the water from hers, in close
proximity. Although he lives close enough to Daisy to watch the
green light at the end of her pier, and although he has become
wealthy, Gatsby is hampered by not being in her social class (the
"old money"). He is also hampered by not wanting to recognize
that Tom is part of her life. When he learns that Nick is her cousin
and has full access to her—and also that Nick lives next door to
him—a plan to reconnect with Daisy without including Tom begins
to form in Gatsby's mind.
Q. In The Great Gatsby, why does Gatsby throw huge expensive
parties for people he does not even know?
Ans. To a large extent, it's a sign of insecurity. Like a lot of members
of the new rich, Gatsby is acutely aware that the old money
families look down on those who worked for their wealth rather
than inherited it. As someone from a humble Midwest background
who made his fortune from various criminal enterprises, Gatsby
feels like he doesn't truly belong among the social elite, no matter
how much money he has. Lavish parties and other ostentatious
displays of wealth are a way for Gatsby to try and find a place for
himself in high society, even if it's all just on the surface. If he has
to buy his way in, then so be it. Although the East Eggers may look
down on Gatsby and his kind, many of them will still attend his
parties. Then as now, money talks.
His parties are also an outward sign to Gatsby that he's made a
clean break in life. The parties, and all the other trappings of his
enormous wealth, allow him to place a veneer of respectability
over a life that, up until now, has been anything but. Throwing
lavish parties and playing the gracious host confer a sense of
respectability on Gatsby, making people think that he's just like
any other legitimate businessman with a taste for the finer things
in life. For Gatsby, as with many people in this materialistic age, it
doesn't matter what you are; what matters is what people think
you are.
Q. How does Nick Carraway first meet Jay Gatsby?
Ans. Nick is Gatsby’s neighbor, and he first sees him out on the
lawn one dark night, reaching his arms toward a green light across
the water. However, despite seeing his silhouette, and despite
hearing many rumors about him, the two men do not meet until
Nick attends one of Gatsby’s summer parties. The actual moment
of their acquaintance proves awkward. Nick mistakes Gatsby for
another guest, telling the stranger that “this man Gatsby sent over
his chauffeur with an invitation,” but that he “hasn’t even seen the
host” yet. Gatsby announces himself and apologizes for being a
poor host. Now knowing that this stranger is Gatsby, Nick notes a
subtle contradiction in the man’s behavior. On the one hand,
Gatsby has an earnest smile that exhibits “a quality of eternal
reassurance.” Yet Gatsby’s “elaborate formality of speech” also
indicates “that he was picking his words with care,” and hence may
not be as earnest—or honest—as he first appears.
Q. Why did Daisy marry Tom?
Ans. Even though she was still in love with Gatsby, Daisy most likely
married Tom because she knew he could provide her with more
material comforts. In Chapter 4 Jordan recounts how, the day
before the wedding, she found Daisy drunk, sobbing, and clutching
a letter. Daisy has thrown away a pearl necklace Tom gave her – a
necklace that cost $350,000. Presumably, the letter is from Gatsby,
who most likely has learned of the wedding and is begging Daisy
to reconsider. While Tom has just given her an insanely expensive
necklace, Gatsby is still a student, living abroad, and has yet to
make his fortune. Daisy must know Tom will be far more likely to
provide her with the lifestyle she’s accustomed to. Once Daisy
takes a bath and calms down, she consents to marry Tom, and
appears, initially at least, happy with her decision.
Q. Why does Gatsby arrange for Nick to have lunch with Jordan
Baker?
Ans. Although Nick doesn’t realize it at first, Gatsby arranges for
him to have lunch with Jordan as part of his plan to get close to
Daisy. More specifically, Gatsby wants to arrange it so that Daisy
will come to West Egg, where she can be reunited with Gatsby and
witness his wealth firsthand. Having Daisy come to West Egg has
the advantage of isolating her from Tom, and also makes it
possible for Gatsby to stage an apparently accidental encounter
with her. In order for these events to happen, Gatsby needs Nick
to invite Daisy over under the pretense of having tea. Instead of
asking Nick to do this himself, Gatsby employs Jordan to convince
Nick. The meeting between Nick and Jordan in Chapter 4 is part of
a longer-term plan that Gatsby initiated before Daisy moved to
East Egg. According to Jordan, Gatsby has kept tabs on Daisy for
years and followed her when she and Tom moved from Chicago to
the east coast.
Q. How does Tom find out about the affair between Gatsby and
Daisy?
Ans. Tom finds out about the affair between Gatsby and Daisy in
Chapter 7, just before the three of them, along with Nick, take a
trip to New York. Although no one explicitly communicates this
fact, Tom picks up on suspicious body language. Specifically, he
notices Gatsby and Daisy exchange glances: “Their eyes met, and
they stared together at each other, alone in space.” Nick watches
Tom as he, in turn, watches the exchange between his wife and
Gatsby. Nick writes: “She had told [Gatsby] that she loved him, and
Tom Buchanan saw. He was astounded.” Even though Tom realizes
the nature of Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship early in Chapter 7,
he does not confront Gatsby until later in the chapter, in a room at
the Plaza Hotel. Nevertheless, the moment Tom sees what’s going
on marks the beginning of the end.
Q. Why does Myrtle run out in front of Gatsby’s car?
Ans. At the end of the Chapter 7, Myrtle runs out in front of
Gatsby’s car because she mistakes it for Tom’s car. The mistake
occurs because, earlier in the day, Tom suggests that he and
Gatsby swap cars for the drive to New York. Gatsby drives straight
to New York, but Tom, driving Gatsby’s car, stops for gas at the
Wilsons’ garage. Myrtle sees Tom from the room where her
husband has locked her up. Later that night, Tom and Gatsby drive
their own cars back from the city. When Myrtle sees the yellow car
coming down the road, she assumes it’s Tom, breaks out of her
room, and runs out to seek his help. Myrtle’s mistake proves fatal
when Daisy, who’s driving Gatsby’s car, accidentally hits her, killing
her instantly.
Q. How does Gatsby make his money?
Ans. Although Gatsby himself never explicitly says how he became
wealthy, readers could assume his money comes from illegal or
nefarious practices, working as either a German spy or a gambler.
Readers know from Gatsby’s relationship with Meyer Wolfsheim,
the character in the novel who fixed the 1919 World Series, that
Gatsby was involved in criminal activities. During Tom and Gatsby’s
fight in Chapter 7, Tom brings up Gatsby’s business with
Wolfsheim, saying he heard that they “sold grain alcohol over the
counter” at drug stores in New York or Chicago. Gatsby responds
to the accusation with “What about it?”, suggesting that Tom is
right, and that Gatsby likely made the majority of his money
through bootlegging.
Q. How are West Egg and East Egg different?
Ans. Nick explains that West Egg is “the less fashionable of the
two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and
not a little sinister contrast between them.” While readers know
that Gatsby’s house is huge and opulent, West Egg is considered
less fancy because the people who live there, including Gatsby, are
“new money.” While those in West Egg are eager to show off their
money, like Gatsby, the residents of East Egg are more private
about their wealth.
Q. What is the importance of the character Owl Eyes?
Ans. Before readers are introduced to the more prominent eyes in
the novel—those of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg—Nick meets a character
he knows only as “Owl Eyes” at the first party he attends at
Gatsby’s house. Nick comes across a drunk Owl Eyes in the library,
in disbelief that all of the books in Gatsby’s library are real. Owl
Eyes is the only character, perhaps besides Nick, who is curious
about Gatsby and wants to see him for who he truly is. Readers
may note that Owl Eyes is also the only character apart from Nick
to attend Gatsby’s funeral, a detail that reveals that Owl Eyes cares
for Gatsby beyond his wealth.
Q. Does Daisy love Gatsby or Tom?
Ans. Daisy seems unhappy with her marriage to Tom from the
outset of the novel. Even the night before their wedding, she got
drunk and told Jordan to tell everyone she had changed her mind.
She tells Gatsby, “You always look so cool,” and everyone else can
see that “[s]he had told him that she loved him.” However, Daisy
chooses Tom in the end and even lets him tell George that it was
Gatsby who killed Myrtle. Although Daisy may have loved Gatsby
once, she does not love him more than the wealth, status, and
freedom that she has with Tom.
Q. Why does Tom insist on switching cars with Gatsby when they
go to the city?
Ans. The group decides to go to the city shortly after Daisy “told
[Gatsby] that she loved him, and Tom Buchanan saw.” Wanting to
belittle Gatsby, Tom insists that he take Gatsby’s car while Gatsby
takes his car, knowing that the suggestion would be “distasteful to
Gatsby.” Tom also expects Daisy to ride with him, thereby proving
to Gatsby that she would choose him, her husband, over Gatsby.
However, Daisy chooses to ride with Gatsby, and Nick and Jordan
ride with Tom, setting off the night’s tragic events.
Q. Why is Nick the narrator of the story?
Ans. As the narrator, Nick offers a unique and revealing point of
view. Coming from a “prominent, well-to-do” yet humble family
from the Midwest to the comparatively riotous East of the 1920s,
Nick is able to look at the debauchery and brazen displays of
wealth with fresh eyes. Viewing the story through Nick’s point of
view allows one of the novel’s main themes—the hopelessness of
the American dream—to shine through. Had the narrator been a
character who enjoyed wealth, like Tom, or aspired to it, like
Myrtle, readers may not have been able to see the emptiness of
their dreams and values.
Q. Why does Daisy cry over Gatsby’s shirts?
Ans. As Gatsby shows Daisy around his house, she sees the “Marie
Antoinette music-rooms and Restoration salons” and “period
bedrooms swathed in rose and lavender silk and vivid with new
flowers,” but Daisy does not react until Gatsby shows Daisy the
shirts that a man in England sends to him each season. Upon
seeing the shirts, Daisy cries and explains, “It makes me sad
because I’ve never seen such—such beautiful shirts before.” One
reason for Daisy’s reaction could be that she only cares about
material goods, and so something like fine clothing can make her
feel affection for Gatsby. However, the shirts more likely symbolize
how far Gatsby has risen since she last knew him, and she may feel
emotional that she doesn’t have the chance to marry him now.
Q. Why does Tom bring up race so often?
Ans. During Nick’s first dinner with the Buchanans, Tom responds
to Nick’s comment about Daisy making him feel “uncivilized” by
starting a conversation about how “civilization’s going to pieces,”
referencing a book titled The Rise of the Colored Empires and
insisting that the white race is becoming “submerged.” Later in the
novel, he finds a way to shoehorn in the topic of race by saying the
institution of marriage is being so disrespected that “next they’ll
throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between
black and white.” Tom’s racism reveals his belief that there are only
a few people in the world—himself included—who deserve
wealth and power and that he feels threatened by the idea of
others rising to his level.
Q. Why is Myrtle attracted to Tom?
Ans. Although George Wilson seems to be a caring, hardworking
husband, Myrtle claims to have regretted marrying him from the
day after their wedding. Since George did not have a suit of his
own to get married in and had to borrow one from a friend, Myrtle
thought that “he wasn’t fit to lick [her] shoe.” Tom, on the other
hand, is powerful and wealthy and promises the lifestyle Myrtle
craves. Despite her own modest background, Myrtle believes she
deserves more without actually working for it, and as Tom’s
mistress, she can at least act as though she is of a higher social
class.
Q. Why does Gatsby stop throwing parties?
Ans. Early in the novel, when Jordan explains Gatsby’s relationship
with Daisy to Nick, she says that Gatsby “half-expected [Daisy] to
wander into one of his parties, some night.” After Daisy and Tom
finally attend one of Gatsby’s parties, Gatsby abruptly stops
throwing them, for there no longer is a reason to hold such events.
Now that both Daisy and Tom have seen proof of Gatsby’s wealth,
he doesn’t feel the need to show it off anymore.