Gatsby Chapter 1 questions

1. What purpose do the first four paragraphs serve? 2. What advice does Nick’s father give him? Why does Fitzgerald have Nick share his father’s advice with the reader? 3. What other method does Fitzgerald use to persuade the reader that Nick is credible? 4. What does the statement “When I came back from the East last autumn...” tell you about the story to follow? (Pg. 3) 5. What importance is there in Nick’s statement that “My family have been prominent, well-to-do people…for three generations”? (Pg. 4) 6. What is the setting of the story? 7. Interpret the meaning of the simile on page 5: “They [books on investments and securities] stood like new money from the mint.” 8. How is West Egg different from East Egg? 9. What is the relationship between Nick and Daisy and Tom Buchanan? 10. Interpret the oxymoron on page 6: “two old friends whom I scarcely knew at all.” 11. Cite the device and the imagery that Fitzgerald uses on page 6 to make the Buchanan palace seem alive. 12. Describe Tom Buchanan. What tone does the author use in his description? 13. Analyze Fitzgerald’s method of creating mood inside the Buchanan’s palace. 14. Who is the other person in the Buchanan home? 15. Cite the anaphoras on page 8 and explain their use. 16. What is the author’s purpose in the use of the hyperbole on page 8? 17. What annoys Nick about Tom’s response to Nick’s employment? 18. What allusion is on page 10? What social issue does the allusion highlight? 19. Why does Miss Baker refer to California after the discussion of white supremacy? 20. What unflattering feature of Jordan Baker’s personality is revealed? 21. During the dinner conversation, Nick wanted to “look squarely at every one, and yet to avoid all eyes.” (Pg. 12) This statement is an example of what type of rhetorical device? What does this convey to the reader? 22. When the telephone rings, why does Nick say that no one “was able utterly to put this fifth guest’s shrill metallic urgency out of mind”? (Pg. 12) 23. Why is Nick’s instinct “to telephone immediately for the police”? (Pg. 12) 24. What is the reader left to think about Daisy’s emotional state and her relationship with Tom? 25. What did Daisy mean when she said of Pammy, “I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool – that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” (Pg. 13) 26. When Nick starts the engine of his car, Daisy stops him by saying, “We heard you were engaged to a girl out West.” What does Nick’s answer reveal about his character? (Pg. 15) 27. As Nick drives away from their house, he experiences a number of conflicting emotions. Why does he feel touched? Why does he feel confused and disgusted? 28. How does Fitzgerald change the mood of the story in the last paragraph on page 15? 29. The green light that Gatsby is staring at is mentioned several more times and assumes symbolic significance. Where do you think the green light might be? What can it mean?