Chapter I

1. Telling the story in Nick’s point of view instead of Gatsby’s is beneficial because Nick isn’t biased towards any of the other characters. Because of what his father told him, he is able to talk about the characters without negatively criticizing or judging them. His father told him that whenever he has a sudden urge to criticize someone, he should always “remember that all the people in the world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had” (Fitzgerald 1). This allows the reader to further connect to the story by giving them a chance to form their own opinions about the character.
2. In the very beginning of the story, the reader learns that Nick Carraway has the ability to hold back any urges of judgment. We also learn that he graduated from New Haven in 1915, and that he fought in World War I. After the war, he went through a long period of intense restlessness. Soon after, he made the decision to move eastward in order to educate himself with the bond business. Nick states that the reason he chose to make this decision was because, “Everyone [he] knew was in the bond business so I [he] suppose[d] it could support one more single man. “ (Fitzgerald 7). His Aunts and Uncles discuss the situation, and his father agreed to finance him for a year. This was all he needed to start his journey toward the East.
4. Nick Caraway’s home is small and simple. He describes it as a house that was “squeezed into two huge places” (Fitzgerald 9). Right away, this shows that Nick isn’t one of the wealthier people in the story, but rather ordinary middle class person. In contrast, Gatsby’s house is described as a “factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville Normandy…” (Fitzgerald 9). The “old-world imitation”,” new ivy”, and “wasteful enormity”, all suggest that Gatsby’s house is greatly admired by many (Fitzgerald 9). The Buchanan’s house is described as, “cheerful red-and-white Georgian Colonial mansion overlooking the bay, and displayed obvious elegance of powerful wealth.” (Fitzgerald 10). It was previously stated that Tom Buchanan came from a wealthy family.
5. Nick describes Tom as a “sturdy, straw haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner.” (Fitzgerald 11). Tom is a very strong, wealthy, courageous man that cheats on his wife. It is blatantly obvious that he and his wife are miserable together. Daisy is a very charming, quiet woman who tends to keep to herself, but it seems as if she’s keeping a secret from everyone. She is, “p-paralyzed with happiness.” When Nick arrives (Fitzgerald 13). She continues to admire Nick’s visit, but, like before, it seems as if she has something bottled up inside her. Jordan is a strange friend of Daisy’s the abnormally wants to know everything that went on between Daisy and Tom.
6. Nick leaves the Buchanan house both confused and disgusted because of what he had witnessed take place. After learning about the woman that Tom was cheating on his wife with, Nick expected Daisy to “rush out the house, child in arms” (Fitzgerald 25). However, the outcome was the completed opposite of what Nick expected to happen. He was confused as to why Daisy chose to stay and pretend nothing abnormal was going on with her husband. He wanted to know what possessed Tom to do this to his wife. He also wanted to know why they continued to “happily” live together.
7. Gatsby’s name was only briefly mentioned in the first chapter at the dinner that took place in the household of the Buchanans. It seems as if the group was trying to avoid bringing his name into the conversations because when his name came up, the conversation was either interrupted, or quickly changes. For example, “Before [Nick] could reply that [Gatsby] was [Nick’s] neighbor dinner was