The Great Gatsby Essay Questions

Nick realizes from his experiences that people in East Egg are very fake and absentminded. Tom and Daisy are perfect examples of this kind of lifestyle. They are very self-centered and express no sympathy

Gatsby and Daisy had met years prior, but ended up going their separate ways. However, Gatsby remained in love with Daisy and longed for her affection. The two reconcile, and Daisy starts seeing Gatsby outside of her marriage with Tom. In this, Daisy is leading Gatsby on by making him believe he will attain his ultimate dream: a life with her. However, Daisy knows deep down she will not leave Tom for Gatsby. This is proven when a confrontation about the affair sparks between Tom and Gatsby, and Daisy attempts to defend Gatsby and stick up to Tom, but ultimately fails and retreats back to her husband. “Her frightened eyes told that whatever intentions, whatever courage she had had, were definitely gone” (Fitzgerald 135). Daisy’s carelessness shines through in leading Gatsby to believe she would abandon Tom for him, but fails to follow through. She recklessly broke the heart of the man who had been in love with her for many

This is a trend, which carries throughout this novel continuously with all of Nick’s ‘east coast friends.’ During the same evening Nick notes that Daisy’s eyes “flashed around her in a defiant way, rather like Tom’s, and she laughed with thrilling scorn” (20). This quote is juxtaposed to an unflattering insight into Daisy’s character, as Nick observes in the insincerity of her comments about sophistication and the falsity of his evening spent with her and Tom. Yet despite all this, he still acknowledges that Daisy’s character always seems to be promising “gay and exciting things” have already happened and are still yet to come. Daisy represents the wild side of high end New York, but we see that this lifestyle is not quite as superior as everyone believes it to be. In fact, Daisy seems to view it in quite a bittersweet manner and cries that it is not entirely satisfying. What Fitzgerald is displaying through the two figures of Tom and Daisy is that while they want for nothing, they long for everything. In order to satisfy their desires they turn to money and society, and still find these lacking.

After reading this chapter, I have many reactions to some of the actions some of the characters made and the overall plot of the story. All the relationships that I had once loved, are tragically ending in flames. There is no chance Gatsby and Daisy will be together anymore, which cripples my soul. I do not think Tom deserves any satisfaction in life and unfortunately he gained some by embarrassing Gatsby and taking the only happiness Gatsby ever had. Jordan and Nick have hit a rough patch, due to Nick being “sick of” everyone, meaning all old money people. I hate that Nick let Tom ruin his relationship with her, Tom’s actions have made him disgusted by everyone in the group. I will never feel sympathy for Tom, I think he is an ego-inflated jerk who needs to bring people down in order to make himself happy. He literally was flabbergasted about Daisy’s cheating, saying does no one understand a family anymore. How hypocritical!! Tom acts as if he has done nothing wrong in his entire life, as if he understood what a marriage meant. He had cheated on Daisy for god knows how many years, yet he has the audacity to criticize Daisy’s actions. Tom’s ego may be gigantic however, it is extremely fragile. Tom got so threatened about Gatsby going to a different school than him and wearing a colored suit, that he had to through so many accusations to suppress his insecurities about himself. I feel sorry for Myrtle, honestly. Her husband locked her upstairs and was planning on

In the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, we know that Gatsby, the main character, is a mysterious man who doesn’t seem to show much personal growth throughout this book. Although, we do learn a lot about him through what the other characters reveal. We learn many different things about Gatsby through these rumors that it helps give us a better understanding of things.

Continuing with the examination of the characters we come to Daisy. In chapter 1, the reader will read of how Tom had been having an adulterous relationship with Myrtle. One may actually have some type of sympathy for Daisy. However there is a time in which Gatsby, Nick, and Daisy were all at Gatsby’s house. While in the house Gatsby was giving a tour of the house with Nick and Daisy,

We do also see Daisy portrayed as very boring character “Do you always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it etc” (p.17). This also implies that Daisy might not be as bright as Tom and Nick and that she doesn’t shape her destiny or takes control of her life. E.g. she attempted to plan something with Nick. she said, “What'll we plan? What do people plan?” meaning she has never had to make decisions nor has she had much responsibility. Again unlike Tom who is very much in control and has got firm charge over his future (That he thinks). Daisy however does not have much loving feelings for Tom as when Jordan mentions to Nick that she knows Gatsby, it raises Daisy's interest momentarily “Gatsby? demanded Daisy. What Gatsby?”, but the conversation is quickly diverted by the announcement of dinner.

Daisy’s sudden, simple respect for the truth is startling to the reader because Nick’s perceptions of her throughout the novel are so very limited to her superficial manner … her stubborn honesty … is a logical outgrowth of her inner struggle to resolve conflicting needs. It is a brief, futile attempt to declare emotional independence (Fryer 54).

Gatsby is determined to win back the love of his life. He concludes that if he amasses a substantial wealth, he will be able to manipulate time, erasing Daisy’s marriage and fixing her future with him. Perhaps, this is why so many people are able to resonate with Gatsby, he invokes the sentiment of a common man. So many others have believed that if they simply change one aspect of their life and imagine it to be a particular way, the future will fall right into their hands.

Tom attends the party in many ways to try and ruin Gatsby he is critical about everything like also the decorations the people that are there, the way Gatsby behaves. Anything he can criticize of he does so also he attempts to make a rumor that Gatsby is a bootlegger. And decides after the party that he will really get into Gatsby’s past and try to harm him. And this starts to take a path of destruction. It starts becoming clear that Daisy’s love for Gatsby is false just like the love for Tom and there sadly Gatsby’s love that he thought to find when he asks Daisy to abandon Tom and be at his side. So Tom wants to ruin Gatsby and Gatsby wants Daisy which is a pretty big difference and he is not looking for any paypack like Tom is.

Gatsby also threw parties every weekend as a method to be able to reconnect with Daisy. In one point during his parties, he spotted Daisy, but felt that she didn’t have a good time. As Nick tells Gatsby that he can’t turn back time, he responds, “Why of course you can!”(Fitzgerald 116) Although Gatsby’s and Daisy’s connection with each other has somewhat reestablished, Gatsby says that he can’t truly love Daisy because of Tom, Daisy’s husband. Also, Gatsby wants her to forget about the past with Tom and have a relationship with Gatsby. Here, Gatsby is trying to recreate spring. This creates a conflict where someone is trying to move against the current and results in unhappiness or worse for the rest of their

Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, Nick and Jordan have gone out to the city for the day. Gatsby and Daisy are all over each other, when Gatsby finally reveals to Tom that him and Daisy have loved each other for five years. Tom responds to Gatsby stating, “And what’s more I love Daisy too. Once in a while I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back, and in my heart I love her all the time.’ ‘You’re revolting,’ said Daisy” (131). This shows that Tom thinks he can do whatever he would like, and Daisy will still love him after he goes on cheating sprees. Daisy proves him wrong. Tom says he loves Daisy, yet he continues to cheat on her because he knows from past experiences that she will just continue to stay with him, until now, he wants Daisy back because he realizes that she now loves another man. Tom thought that he could do as he pleased, and not stay faithful to Daisy and she would take that, but Daisy ended up finding another man, and loving him, and becomes further disgusted with Tom, something Tom never thought would happen. As Tom, Nick and Jordan are driving back home they realize that there has been a crash. Tom sees that Myrtle is dead and he overhears that she has been hit by what he believes is Gatsby’s car. Nick reveals Tom’s reaction as they drive home:“In a little while I heard a low husky sob, and saw that the tears were

Gatsby’s aspirations reflect the time period. The “Roaring Twenties”, as it is called, was a period of prosperity, and the Americans were obsessed with acquiring wealth, and thought that “those who have wealth should be splendid, happy people”

He is complacent to the fact that women don’t hold a place in society. It is virtually impossible for her to leave. After Gatsby’s death, Daisy and Tom go on living their life as if nothing happened. Nick realizes that is how they are in the following excerpt, “ They were careless people, Tom and Daisy-- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made” (187-188). Tom and Daisy don’t care what they should do, they continue to do what they want to do.

A. Towards the end of the novel, Nick criticizes Tom and Daisy's careless nature. This highlights