Question: Why is Nick Carraway the narrator?

Answer: Nick has the talent to reserve judgment about other people; he is objective and not involved.

Question: What kind of relationship exists between Nick and the Buchanans?

Answer: Nick knew Tom Buchanan from Yale.

Question: Why does Daisy always speak in exaggerated terms?

Answer: She wants Nick to see she is charming, over the top, and that everything is her life is wonderful, revealing she is superficial.

Question: What is the significance of Tom’s reference to the book he is reading?

Answer: It reveals that Tom is a racist and stupid.

Question: Why does Daisy hope her child will be a beautiful fool?

Answer: She values the beauty of women over their intelligence.

Question: Why does Nick feel that Daisy is trying to show off her cynicism?

Answer: Her life is meaningless but she wants everyone to think it is wonderful. She pretends to not know of Tom’s affair.

Question: Why does Daisy describe her youth as a “white girlhood”?

Answer: She always dresses in white and white symbolizes pure and innocence.

Question: Why does Gatsby reach out to the water?

Answer: He tries to reach out to Daisy and repossess his old love. The green ight represents hope.

Question: Why is Wilson covered with dust from the ashes?

Answer: He is poor. The dust symbolizes poverty and failure.

Question: Why does Myrtle Wilson behave with such hauteur, both toward her husband and in the city apartment?

Answer: She wants to show off that she has an affair with such a wealthy man.