Question

1. What was the advice given to Nick by his father? How, do you suppose, this makes him a good person to tell this story?

2. How is West Egg different from East Egg?

3. What is the reader left to think about Daisy’s emotional state and her relationship with Tom?

4. Who is Jordan Baker? What has Nick heard about her?

5. At the end of this chapter, Nick sees Gatsby on the lawn and is about to call to him and introduce himself, but he does not. What stops Nick? What does Gatsby’s “trembling” suggest?


Answer these questions from the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Only From the first chapter of the book. In complete sentences. As an 11th grader would write it. Not too formal yet not to informal either, thank you.

Answer 1

1. Nick’s father told him, “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” This advice makes Nick a good person to tell the story because it explains why he tries to reserve judgment and listen to people before condemning them, which helps him notice details and motives that a more judgmental narrator might miss.

2. West Egg is different from East Egg because West Egg is full of new money and flashy displays of wealth, while East Egg represents old money, refinement, and established social status. The people in East Egg seem more polished and aristocratic, whereas West Egg’s residents are more ostentatious and less socially sophisticated.

3. The reader is left thinking that Daisy is charming and lively on the surface but inwardly unhappy and emotionally fragile. Her bright, musical voice and laughter hide a sadness and cynicism, and her remark that it would be “nice” if her daughter were “a fool” suggests she feels trapped and disappointed in her marriage to Tom.

4. Jordan Baker is a professional golfer and a friend of Daisy’s who is described as slender, cool, and somewhat cynical. Nick has heard rumors that she is dishonest and not entirely trustworthy, and he senses that she has a self-contained, slightly careless attitude.

5. Nick is about to call to Gatsby but stops because he feels it would be intrusive to interrupt the strange, private gesture Gatsby is making toward the water; he decides not to break the moment. Gatsby’s “trembling” suggests intense longing and vulnerability, as if he’s reaching for something he desperately wants but can’t quite grasp.