Chapter Six: Gatsby Study Questions and Vocabulary Packet

GATSBY STUDY QUESTIONS and VOCABULARY PACKET The following questions are a combination of comprehension/knowledge level questions and interpretive level questions. Answering them will help prepare you for class discussion, quizzes, and the final test for the unit. CHAPTER SIX 1. When does James Gatz change his name? Why? James Gatz changes his name to Jay Gatsby at the age of seventeen. He does so because he is dissatisfied with his humble upbringing and wants to reinvent himself as someone more glamorous and sophisticated 2. What is Daisy’s real response to the party, according to Nick? According to Nick, Daisy's real response to Gatsby's party is one of disappointment and disillusionment. She is unimpressed by the ostentatious displays of wealth and the superficiality of the guests 3. What does Gatsby tell Nick he wants Daisy to do? Gatsby tells Nick that he wants Daisy to tell Tom Buchanan that she never loved him and that she never intended to marry him 4. Plato held that reality was an imperfect reflection of an ideal, permanent realm. With this in mind, what would you say Nick means when he says that “Jay Gatsby sprang from his Platonic conception of himself?” When Nick says that "Jay Gatsby sprang from his Platonic conception of himself," he means that Gatsby's persona and identity are based on an idealized version of himself that he has created in his mind. Gatsby sees himself as a self-made man and aspires to achieve greatness, embodying the ideal of the American Dream 5. How is the comparison of Gatsby with Christ (“he was a son of G-d… and he must be about His Father’s Business”) ironic? If the comparison with Christ were to continue through the book, what would happen to Gatsby? The comparison of Gatsby with Christ is ironic because while Christ's mission was spiritual and selfless, Gatsby's motives are driven by personal ambition and desire for material wealth and social status. If the comparison were to continue through the book, it would likely result in Gatsby's downfall or a revelation of his true nature 6. Tom, Mr. Sloane, and a young lady visit Gatsby and the lady invites Gatsby to come to dinner with them. What does Gatsby’s response tell us about his social sensitivity? What connection, if any, do you think this scene might have with Gatsby’s love of Daisy? Gatsby's response to the invitation from the young lady demonstrates his social sensitivity and his desire to be accepted by the upper class. This scene may have a connection to Gatsby's love for Daisy in that it highlights his efforts to fit into her social circle and win her approval 7. What is Gatsby’s view of the past? When Nick says that Gatsby “wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy,” what do you think he means? Gatsby views the past as a time of innocence and possibility, particularly his past with Daisy. When Nick says that Gatsby "wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy," he means that Gatsby wants to recapture the sense of identity and purpose he felt when he was with Daisy in the past 8. At the end of the chapter, Nick describes Gatsby kissing Daisy in Louisville five years before. What is Gatsby giving up when he kisses her? Why? At the end of the chapter, Gatsby kisses Daisy in Louisville five years before. By kissing her, Gatsby is giving up his idealized vision of Daisy as his lost love from the past. He realizes that Daisy is not the same person he remembers, and their reunion may not live up to his romanticized expectations