Great Gatsby Final Reading Blog

Four Questions about The Great Gatsby

1.       Q: Why does Fitzgerald begin the book by having Nick tell the advice that his father gave him about criticizing others? (“‘Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,’ he told me, ‘just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.’”(p. 1))

A: Because Nick is the narrator of the story, the readers get a first person account of his interactions with the other characters in the story. Through his conversations and descriptions of the actions of the other characters, specifically Gatsby, we can learn a great deal about their personalities and motives. As Nick gets to know Gatsby a little better, we find out that he and Daisy had a previous relationship that was ended abruptly by something out of their control. Gatsby tells Nick that he had been waiting five years for Daisy, hoping that they could rekindle their relationship and that that was the only reason he lived where he did. Nick could have easily questioned Gatsby’s motives, criticized him for trying to take a married woman away from her husband, and deserted Gatsby on his quest to win her back, but he did not. I believe that he realized that Gatsby was not raised with the same values (advantages) as he was and took his father’s advice of not criticizing him. By not turning away from Gatsby, he was able to realize that Gatsby was trying very hard to hold onto something of the past that he genuinely believed could be remade into something just as good. I believe the quote from Nick’s father at the beginning was used to foreshadow this happening in the story, which leads to one of the main themes in the story, which is that people will persevere towards any goal if they truly believe they can reach it.

2.       Q: Why does Fitzgerald give Tom and Daisy such a negative ending in the novel?

A: Fitzgerald introduces Tom and Daisy at the very beginning of the story as two of Nick’s only friends, so the reader is automatically somewhat connected to them. Even though we may not agree with some of the motives and the lifestyle that they have, there is no reason for us to want much bad to happen to them. This holds true for a short part of the story for Tom, until we realize that his character represents the stereotypical “pig” of a man, who cheats on his wife while they are raising a small child and brags about it to his friends. Although we now form a more negative opinion of Tom, we still don’t have anything against Daisy. When Nick learns of Gatsby’s relationship with Daisy, the readers automatically form a higher opinion of Daisy because we like Gatsby and we want the relationship to be successful. Why, then, does Daisy earn such a negative ending? This is because of the social class ordering and differences that are portrayed in the novel. One of Fitzgerald’s themes that is conveyed in the story is that social class greatly affects the overall character of a person. Gatsby, a man who came from a poor family and had to fend for himself to survive, truly loved Daisy and wanted a genuine relationship with her. On the other hand, I believe that Daisy, who had a wealthy background, did not sincerely want that kind of relationship with Gatsby. She only showed a strong want for a relationship when she saw all of the fancy things that Gatsby had and what she had missed out on. In the end, Gatsby passed away and Daisy went on with her life with Tom in another city, obviously not greatly affected by his death. Nick describes them as “careless” people because they are so used to wealth and they let that consume them when they should be worrying about the more important things in life.

3.       Q: What kind of character (round/flat, static/dynamic, etc.) is Nick Carraway?

A: In The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway narrates the story as a young adult man who moved from the Midwest to the Eastern state of New York. Though the narrators of novels are usually the hero and do many things to develop the plot of the story, this is not the case for Nick Carraway. If the narrator was someone else, say Jay Gatsby, Nick would not have much effect on the story at all. Nick simply tells us the story of the other characters and serves as a passage into their lives. Even though this is true, I believe that Nick ends up being a somewhat dynamic character in the novel. He does not undergo any significant change as a person from cover to cover, but he does learn something that changes his viewpoint on life and other people. By going off on his own and being introduced to the real, harsh world, I believe he grows in his perception of others and can better understand the motives of others. Even though he is dynamic, I believe that Nick is a mostly flat character. He is a polite and kind man throughout the story and does not show very many other very distinguishable traits. I believe this can be attributed to the fact that he is only a narrator and does not play a huge role in the development of the story.

4.       Q: Who does Daisy really love: Tom or Gatsby?

A: After reading The Great Gatsby, I have come to the conclusion that Daisy does not truly love either one of these men. If I had to pick which one she had a stronger bond and more genuine feelings for, it would be Jay Gatsby, but I would not say she loved him. I believe that Daisy was in love with wealth, material things, and the feeling of being wanted. I think she was truly in love with Gatsby at one time, which was when they first knew each other. When they broke up, she married Tom, who she also did not love. She was having second thoughts the night before her wedding and I never really felt anything true between the two of them throughout the whole story. Daisy was just attracted to the wealth that he could bring to her and having a husband figure in her life. When Gatsby came back into her life, she was not very interested until she saw the wealth and material possessions that he also had. Although she seemed to be sincerely pursuing Mr. Gatsby, she was still involved with Tom. When the men confronted her about the situation, she said she loved both of them, which I do not believe is true. She obviously didn’t truly love Gatsby because, in the end, she was not fazed by his death and went on living her life with another man who could provide her with the thing she truly wanted: wealth.