The Great Gatsby

1. The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald

2. Fitzgerald (1896-1940) • F. Scott Fitzgerald is named for Francis Scott Key (wrote Star Spangled Banner), a distant relative. • He married Zelda Sayre. • He coined the phrase “The Jazz Age,” defined the era, lived it to the fullest, and he and Zelda were crowned its king and queen. • The Great Gatsby was published in 1925, right in the middle of the roaring 20’s. • Fitzgerald died from a heart attack at the age of 44. • DRAMATIC ACTION: action that comes from the character’s thoughts, emotions, and motivations rather than physical action.

3. 1920s Vocabulary • Prohibition • Speak Easy • Bootlegger

4. Main Characters • Nick Carraway • Narrator, Looking for new beginnings • Cousin to Daisy • Jay Gatsby • Seems to live in splendor • Living the American Dream • New Money/West Egg • Daisy & Tom Buchannan • Established families and wealth/Shallow • Old Money/East Egg • Jordan Baker • Friend of Daisy/Pro-Golfer • Myrtle & George Wilson • Only poor characters in the novel/Valley of Ashes

6. 2012 Movie Trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rARN6agiW7o

7. Chapter One • Introduction to Nick Carraway, our narrator and fictional author of the story. • Still regionalism, even though proper, as told in his voice/his point of view. • (Read first page of Ch. 1) • What is his view on judgment of other people? • What type of person always confides in Nick? • What is his view of New York? • “To Nick, New York is simultaneously fascinating and repulsive, thrillingly fast-paced and dazzling to look at, but lacking a moral center.”

8. Nick tries to figure it out… • We see that they seem to embody everything that Nick hates about New York. Examples? • Tom discusses a book with racial undertones. • Tom has a girl in the city. • Daisy seems to know and puts up with it. • Jordan seems to be a bad girl, in a sense. • “We are left with this understanding: East Egg is associated with the Buchanans and the monotony of their inherited social position, while West Egg is associated with Gatsby’s gaudy mansion and the inner drive behind his self-made fortune.” • They are also using glamour to cover an inner emptiness.

9. The Introduction of Gatsby Discussion: Nick returns home to find Gatsby doing what? How does he feel about his new, lavish neighbor?

10. Symbolism of Colors • Green: • renewal, good luck, youth, spring, generosity, nature, fertility, jealousy, misfortune • White: • reverence, purity, birth, simplicity, cleanliness, peace, humility, innocence, marriage, sterility, cold, clinical • Grey: • security, reliability, intelligence, modesty, dignity, maturity, conservative, practical, old age, sadness, boring • Yellow: • joy, betrayal, optimism, idealism, imagination, summer, philosophy, dishonesty, cowardice, jealousy, deceit, covetousness, illness, hazard • Blue: • peace, tranquility, cold, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth, confidence, conservatism, security, cleanliness, order, loyalty, sky, water, depression

11. Chapter Two • The Valley of Ashes and Myrtle Wilson. What is this image/color symbolism? • Look at the billboard description. (Draw)What do you think that it symbolizes? • What is Myrtle’s physical description? • What are some of the rumors about Gatsby? • What startling event happens to end the party? • How does Nick act at the party, and how does he feel when he leaves it?

12. Chapter Three • Rumors fly about their lavish host, but he seems removed from it all and oddly sober. Why throw the parties? • Gatsby seems to be using decadence to cover up a different kind of emptiness. What is it? Thoughts? • How do Nick and Gatsby seem to know each other? • Who is Nick romantically interested in at the end of the chapter?

13. Ch. 3: Gatsby and Owl Eyes • Think back to Chapter 2 & the billboard in The Valley of Ashes. What is it? • An eye doctor advertisement. • Owl Eyes is in the library at the party in Chapter 3. Though he is not Dr. Eckleburg, he reminds Nick of the billboard. Owl Eyes is also extremely drunk. Why did Owl Eyes go to the library? • Answer: To see if the books are real; indeed they are. This moment is a metaphor for the fascination with Gatsby and whether Gatsby himself is real.

14. Chapter 4 • Nick travels into the city with Gatsby and learns several things about him. • Oxford/Cricket • The white card • Wolfsheim • Do you believe these statements? Does he seem as though he is in a real business? • What do you think of Gatsby so far? • Is the mystery intriguing? / DRAMATIC ACTION • What secret do we learn from Jordan about Gatsby and Daisy?

15. Chapter 5 • The reunion of Gatsby and Daisy • Journal: How does the reunion of Gatsby and Daisy make you feel? What do you hope will happen? What do you think will happen? • Discussion: Do you think that Daisy has the right to pursue her love with Gatsby? Why?

16. Chapter 6 • What are some important facts we discover about Gatsby? What do we think of his past? • Everyone attends a party at Gatsby’s. Tom becomes increasingly suspicious… What does he think of Gatsby? • Look towards the end of the chapter. Gatsby wants to repeat the past. Is that possible? • Discussion: Look at the following question. Thoughts? Complete the analogy. Gatsby loves Daisy like: Tom loves Myrtle Nick loves Jordan Tom loves Daisy None of these

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18. Chapter 8 • Pg. 154 Nick says, “They’re a rotten crowd… you’re worth the whole damn bunch put together” to Gatsby. • Pg. 159 Wilson mentions the eyes on the billboard as a metaphor for God; he is referencing Myrtle’s affair.

19. Chapter 9 / Ending • Where are Tom and Daisy? • Gatsby sold illegal bonds to make his money. • HowdidWolfsheimaffect this process? • Mr. Gatz shares a book Gatsby had as a child. What do you make of Gatsby’s schedule? What does it symbolize? • It seems that no one was really his friend; they were all in it for the party and the money only. • What do you think about Owl Eyes coming back for the funeral, claiming no one could get into the gates at the house? • Pg. 176. Compares NY to El Greco (Spanish painter) • Jordan encounter / Tom encounter • Pg. 180. The green light. Thoughts? • Last line: what does it mean?

20. MAJOR CONCEPT: The Loss of the American Dream

21. Gatsby – The Tragic Hero • Definition: a literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy • Aristotle: “’A man cannot become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall.’ It should be noted that the hero's downfall is his own fault as a result of his own free choice, but his misfortune is not wholly deserved. Usually his death is seen as a waste of human potential. His death usually is not a pure loss, because it results in greater knowledge and awareness.” • What are the characteristics of a classic tragic hero? • Of noble birth • Tragic Flaw • Fall from Grace • His actions result in an increase of self-awareness and self-knowledge • Catharsis

22. Gatsby: modern day Tragic Hero • “Of Noble Birth” • Modern Day: our novel starts with him having money. In our modern world, that is noble. • What is Gatsby’s Tragic Flaw? • the tragic flaw that eventually leads to his downfall. • Gatsby’s Fall from Grace? • a reversal of fortune brought about by the hero's tragic flaw • What kind of self-awareness is discovered? • Maybe not by Gatsby, but rather whom? • What is the Catharsis? • The audience must feel pity and fear for this character.

23. Study Guide • Fitzgerald’s Biography • Relation to the story of Gatsby • Time Period/Historical Context (Jazz Age) • Feminine Writing Style • Color Symbolism • Loss of the American Dream • Class System (old money vs. new money) • Modern Day Tragic Hero • General Plot/Character Questions