1. The Great Gatsby
Discussion

2. Discussion Items Characters Setting Plot Theme Mood/Structure
Fictional Technique
Historical Context
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s biography
Your Point of View

3. The Five Main Characters
Nick Carraway, Narrator
Tom Buchanan
Daisy Buchanan
Jordan Baker
Jay Gatsby

4. The Secondary Characters
Myrtle Wilson
George Wilson
Mr. McKee
Meyer Wolfshiem
Ewing Klipspringer
Owl Eyes
Henry C. Gatz

5. Nick Carraway
Representative of bourgeois middle class from the Midwest
Voice of reliability and common sense
He is “one of the few honest people I have ever known” (63)
He is honorable: “full of interior rules that act as brakes” on “his desires” (63-64)

6. Tom Buchanan Old money Football hero Cruel, “hulking”
Predatory, without deep feelings, a womanizer
Racist, wanting the “Nordic race to be supreme” (18)
Simple, “there is no confusion like the confusion of a simple mind” (131)

7. Daisy Fay Buchanan Beautiful, exciting, thrilling
With “an excitement in her voice that men who had cared for her found difficult to forget” (13-14)
Romantic
Dependent
Weak
From Louisville, rich

8. Jordan Baker
Named for two cars of the period, the Jordan and the Baker
Enigmatic (puzzling)
Sporty, attractive
Dishonest
Girlhood friend of Daisy’s from Louisville
Now part of the corrupt East

9. Jay Gatsby Idealistic Naïve Romantic, flamboyant, slightly ridiculous
Hardworking, a “self-made man”
Generous
A liar and a criminal
With “an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness"

10. Minor Characters Myrtle Wilson Lower-class, vulgar Tom’s lover
Married to George
George Wilson
Owns garage in the Valley of Ashes
Dull, self-defeating
Married to Myrtle
Mr. McKee
Myrtle’s friend
Photographer
Affected, no talent

11. Minor Characters Henry C. Gatz Gatsby’s father Honest Naive
Meyer Wolfshiem
Member of “Jewish Mafia”
Racial stereotype
Brains behind Gatsby’s business
Ewing Klipspringer
Gatsby’s houseguest
Sponges off Gatsby
Does not attend funeral
Owl Eyes
Comic drunk at the first party
Recognizes Gatsby’s books
Attends funeral
Henry C. Gatz
Gatsby’s father
Honest
Naive

12. Question 1
At the end of the third paragraph of the novel, Nick claims, by implication, that he possesses "a sense of the fundamental decencies."
What do you understand him to mean by this phrase? Does Nick possess them? Are these decencies elsewhere illustrated in The Great Gatsby? Does Nick's "snobbishness" undercut his judgments?

13. Question 2
How does Nick’s perspective on the Buchanans change throughout the novel? When Nick shakes hands with Tom at the end, does he abandon his moral responsibility?

14. Question 3
What does Nick mean when he breaks his connection to Jordan Baker at the end of the novel by saying, ''I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor"?

15. Question 4
Tom breaks Myrtle’s nose with a “short deft movement” of his “open hand” (41). In what way does this movement convey the essence of Tom’s character?

16. Question 5
What characteristics of Daisy make her especially appealing for a reader? Does her allure fade as the novel progresses? Why or why not? Give examples to support your opinions.

17. Question 6
Show how even the most unlikely characters in the novel have some traits that make them sympathetic — for example, Meyer Wolfshiem and Myrtle Wilson.

18. Question 7
Consider our questions about Wolfshiem – can you answer them now?

19. Question 8
What makes Gatsby “great”?