Helen Scott's "The Great Gatsby" Discusion Questions. 17 Sept 2013

Opening Question

Respond to this quote:

It has always seemed strange to me...The things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling, are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest, are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second. 

-John Steinbeck, Cannery Row

How does Gatsby fit into this view? How does he encompass both parts?

Core Questions

Question Number 1

       Q: Why does Myrtle buy the dog in chapter two? 

       A:  Myrtle buys the dog in town with Tom to feel rich, and to oppose her life in The Valley of ashes. As a poorer family it is obvious that the Wilsons would not spontaneously buy something like a dog. This spontaneity and disregard to cost is characteristic to a person who has always been wealthy. Also the imagery of life that comes with something like a puppy is a foil to the imagery given in describing The Valley of Ashes. So I feel like Fitzgerald is using this to show how Myrtle is embracing this new life with Tom, even though it is not technically hers. And shows how she wants to, like most characters, become rich. This places a great deal of value on material possession as the indicator to a rich lifestyle. While Myrtle is excited about the dog, Tom seems bored. “’I think it’s cute,’ said Mrs. Wilson enthusiastically. ‘How much is it?’… ‘Is it a boy or a a girl?’ she asked delicately. … ‘It’s a bitch,’ said Tom decisively, ‘Here’s your money. Go buy ten more dogs with it’” (27). Here Tom sounds annoyed but Myrtle is excited, because she would typically not have the chance to buy something like this.

Question Number 2

       Q: Why does Gatsby always drive so fast, and have an obsession with machines like cars and planes that are fast-paced? 

       A: The reader often is given scenes where Gatsby is driving quickly; he owns a hydroplane, and a fleet of automobiles. This all points the reader to the fact that Gatsby has this need for speed, and it makes it seem like he feels like he has fallen behind. I think that this is due to the fact that he wasn't born rich, and no matter how much money he makes now he is still behind people like Tom and Daisy, who are "old money". His fast driving exemplifies how he is trying to speed up and catch up to this thing that is unattainable. Gatsby’s love for cars is seen in “It was a rich cream color, bright and there in its monstrous length with triumphant hat-boxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes, and terraced with a labyrinth of wind-shields that mirrored a dozen suns.” (pg.64) Only this is the more materialistic side. As far as him driving fast, Fitzgerald presents it to the reader in chapter 4 (p. 68) when a policeman tries to pull Gatsby over. Obviously Gatsby’s driving was reckless or a policeman would not have attempted to pull him over.

        

Closing Question

To what extent does the corruption presented in The Great Gatsby still exist today?