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Admirable Hooks
A not-so-great hook. Visit https://thisibelieve.org/youth/ and look at the various hooks (e.g., first sentences or paragraphs) of the...
A not-so-great hook. Visit https://thisibelieve.org/youth/ and look at the various hooks (e.g., first sentences or paragraphs) of the...
Why do Jordan and Nick have such a hard time believing if Gatsby is telling the truth about Oxford? Has anything Gatsby said about his past been true or is he just trying to cover up his shady past?
ReplyDeleteGatsby and Daisy have a past. They were seemingly romantically involved in some capacity before Gatsby left overseas. By the time he returned, Daisy had already married Tom Buchanan, but the night before their wedding Daisy received a letter. What did it say and was it from Gatsby?
ReplyDeleteDid Daisy really fall in love with Tom after the wedding, or was she faking it?
ReplyDeleteWhat is really going on between Daisy and Gatsby? Were they really just former lovers? Or is there something deeper which has something to do with the rumors? - Zoe Rigoulot
ReplyDeleteWhat was on the white card that Gatsby showed the policeman? How were they just able to leave after that?
ReplyDeleteHow is Daisy able to tolerate a man she doesn’t love? Will she leave Tom for Gatsby and Tom will leave her for Myrtle? Additionally, Gatsby seems very perturbed when Mr.Wolfsheim questions if Nick is the businessman. His reaction makes me wonder what he is hiding.
ReplyDeleteWhy did Daisy marry Tom when she clearly didn’t want to and even had a breakdown about it right before getting married? Why couldn’t she wait for Gatsby to come back from the war, and why didn’t he find her immediately after he got back?
ReplyDeleteIn his car, on the drive to the city, Gatsby tells Nick about his past and shows Nick his evidence/possessions such as his metal from Montenegro. Why does Gatsby carry this with him everywhere or was this intentional for him to do so to prove his story to Nick?
ReplyDeleteGatsby tells Nick he is from a Midwestern city and then says San Francisco, which is not in the Midwest. Where is he actually from? Why does Gatsby feel the need to lie and cover up about his past? Is he embarrassed by his upbringing?
ReplyDeleteI find that throughout chapter 4, Gatsby's description of himself becomes very contradictory. Although he says he went to Oxford, Mr Wolfshiem says he went to Oggford. Although he says he grew in San Francisco, he also says he grew in the MidWest. All and all, he seems very secretive and seems to be hiding something, and I want to know why -Raphael Thesmar.
ReplyDeleteThe trip that Nick and Gatsby took to New York releases Gatsby telling Nick all about his past. How much of what Gatsby says is true?
ReplyDeleteWhy was Doctor Webster drowned up in Maine last summer?
ReplyDeleteChapter 4:
ReplyDeleteGatsby is sneaky and has un uncertain past. Gatsby is madly in love with Daisy, although the feelings don't seem reciprocated. Gatsby may be trying to become friends with Nick for the sole reason of being closer to Daisy. Why does Daisy stay with Tom if he cheats on her all of the time? Why do people think Gatsby is involved in suspicious things?
Does Dasiy still love Gatspy? If so, will she eventually leave Tom to be with Gatspy?
ReplyDeleteI thought it was interesting that Gatsby is in love with Daisy and that Nick, Daisy’s cousin, just happens to be his neighbor. Did Gatsby know this before inviting nick to his party?
ReplyDeleteWhy would Daisy go through with her wedding and marry Tom if she didn't love him? Why couldn't she just wait for Gatsby? Will she pursue a relationship with Gatsby now?
ReplyDeleteDid Daisy choose Tom because Gatsby went to war, or were their alternative motives?
ReplyDeleteDoes Gatsby really think that money alone can win Daisy back? How does Daisy feel about Gatsby’s current social stature/does she look at him beyond just his wealth?
ReplyDeleteDaisy breaks down while looking through Gatsby’s vast collection of luxurious shirts. Does Daisy regret losing Gatsby because she lost both love and money? If so does she blame it on her selfishness?
ReplyDeleteDoes Gatsby believe that Daisy will be attracted to him solely because of his wealth? Why is he so scared to talk to her as himself?
ReplyDeleteWhy would Daisy choose to marry Tom if she loved Gatsby?
ReplyDeleteGatsby seems really nice but why were there so many rumors about him killing people? As some others have pointed out it seems weird that Gatsby has evidence to prove his past on his person and we don't know if he's telling the truth.
ReplyDelete• What was the white card that Gatsby showed the cop to get him off the hook?
ReplyDeleteGatsby inherited his money from family members who died. Does he have an income besides that? If so, what is the source of his income?
ReplyDeleteWill Daisy choose to be with Gatsby in the future and will his efforts to win her back be successful?
ReplyDeleteNick and Jordan have a hard time believing Gatsby about his past, so was Gatsby completely truthful when he was explaining his past or was he lying about some parts?
ReplyDeleteGatby’s guests seem a little weird/unhappy. In the long listing of names, Nick mentions a suicide, a drowning, a wife-strangling, some divorces and a guy who got drunk and had his hand run over as he lay in the driveway. I think he wants us to see that Gatsby’s partiers aren’t exactly living the dream.
ReplyDeleteWhen Nick went to lunch with Gatsby and Mr.Wolfshiem, they saw Tom, and Nick introduced Gatsby to him. Tom and Gatsby are neighbors, so you'd think they would already know each other. If they do already know each other, does Tom already know about Daisy's interest in Gatsby?
ReplyDelete-Evan Bak
DeleteWhy was Daisy so upset before her wedding? Was the letter from Gatsby?
ReplyDeleteDoes Tom’s affair have any weight on Nick’s decision to go through with the demand?
ReplyDeleteWhy Gatsby refer to Nick as "Old Sport"? Is there significance to it?
ReplyDelete-Seiyoung Jang
Romance between Gatsby and Daisy seemed rekindled when Nick got them together to have tea.
ReplyDeleteWhy does nobody know about Gatsby even though he’s available at his parties?
ReplyDelete- Cameron Gurwell
Why did Gatsby introduce Nick to the man in New York?
ReplyDeleteWhy doesn’t Gatsby personally ask Nick himself about his favor? Wouldn’t him telling Jordan only increase the amount of people that will know about his past relationship with Daisy?
ReplyDeleteGatsby seems to have met Mr. Wolfsheim under mysterious pretenses and Mr. Wolfsheim is much more brazen about how he came upon money than Gatsby is. With Gatsby's backstory seeming so implausible, are we supposed to assume that he came upon his money through criminal dealings with Mr. Wolfsheim?
ReplyDeleteDaisy; If Gatsby is across the water and seemingly still in love with her, why is she with Tom. Even if she values wealth over love- Gatsby has both.
ReplyDeleteI am curious to see how Tom would react if he found out about Gatsby’s feelings- I believe that he would be very angry even though he is having an affair and apparently has had many in the past
ReplyDeleteI was wondering how Daisy was unaware that Gatsby was alive and living so close to her. It seems that everyone always talks about Gatsby and his parties so I’m confused why Daisy didn’t know about him.
ReplyDeleteEverybody has a theory about gatsby but nobody knows for sure. I like the part from chapter 3 about how everybody talks about him even those who don’t really gossip. We meet a very good friend of his, someone who is shady and it leads me too believe that gatsby is shady. He says he’s been to oxford and that he was in the army. Idk I like gatsby the character because he’s mysterious.
ReplyDeleteWhat was the significance of Meyer Wolfschiem shows of his molar cuff buttons? Is he trying to demonstrate to Gatsby that despite him being part of the organized crime world, he is still classy and has taste? There seems to be a correlation in this book between how ‘legitimately’ you made your money and how confident you are about your wealth. Old money like Daisy and Tom are confident in their wealth, and don’t publicly talk about it, and don’t really talk about it that much at all. Old money is relatively open about their uglier sides, like Tom’s violence and racism and Myrtle’s gossiping. New money like Jordan and the people at Gatsby’s party seem to behave with more decorum and basically pretend to be classier than they are. Then when we get to Mr. Wolfshiem, he knows he’s made his money through shady channels, so he doesn’t feel very confident, which is why he shows off his fancy cuff buttons in such a brazen and inelegant way. Maybe I’m totally missing the point of the scene. He could just be trying to demonstrate that he is tough and dangerous because he has cuff buttons made of human teeth. But another clue that he actually is trying to show off is that just before, he proudly asks Nick if he’s aware that Gatsby is an “Oggsford” man, demonstrating a veneration he has for old money traditions and institutions.
ReplyDelete-Jona Lehmann
"Every one suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known."(65)
ReplyDeleteFitzgerald gives Nick this character trait so that we trust the narrator. We realize that he may be flawed, but in general, we could get a good picture of Gatsby and of everyone through Nick's eyes. It doesn't let you "interpret away" the message of the book. Nick is also very perceptive and modest, further increasing his trustworthiness. When Nick notices Gatsby shifting his eyes when saying he went to Oxford, it is called out to the reader, and he balances rumours with Gatsby's half truths to give an even story
It's interesting that the time table is dated July 5th. It seems like a weird day for a party considering that the most American holiday is the day prior. Something about that feels off.
ReplyDeleteWhy exactly did Daisy have a breakdown about marrying Tom? Why did she still marry him (perhaps the cold bath affected her in some way, or she had already lost hope)?
ReplyDeleteIs Gatsby and Daisys relationship going to be a Romeo and Juliet type of situation where both of them don’t have a sense of self which eventually leads to their demise?
ReplyDeleteGatsby shares many parallels to Nick: they are both outsiders to New York, having received an elite education before going off to war and settling in West Egg. That said, Gatsby is shown to be much better established and connected in New York. I wonder if this plays into the "contempt" for Gatsby expressed by Nick and Jordan Baker, because of envy.
ReplyDeleteOliver
DeleteFitzgerald has habit of mixing past events with the present in such a way that characters' backstories are introduced after the characters themselves. Throughout chapter four, rumors and reminiscences are thrown around regarding Gatsby, adding to his mysterious personage, drawing the reader in, causing them to wonder why he is indeed the titular character. Rumors shared by acquaintances give Nick, and thus the reader, insight into who Gatsby is to an outsider, and memories from Jordan inform us of who he actually is to the people that know him more closely. Or, at least, how he cares to present himself to those people.
ReplyDeleteHow Gaspby and Daisy's past feelings will affect the plan to get themtogether end up
ReplyDelete