Download The Great Gatsby: Novel Road Map to Success and more Study notes Voice in PDF only on Docsity!
Character List
Below is a list of the major characters.
Nick Carraway: Nick is the first person narrator and protagonist of the novel; every incident is filtered through and interpreted by him. Nick represents the middle class.
Jay Gatsby (James Gatz): Gatsby is the supposed hero of the novel. He is a slippery character; his language, home, books, cars, and attire all glimmer like gold, but no one really knows what goes on inside of him or who he is.
Daisy Buchanan: Daisy is a Louisville, Kentucky, socialite born into tremendous wealth. She is an empty-headed character, as fake and airy as her voice. She is lovely, slight, and careless. She lacks any substance.
Tom Buchanan: Tom is Daisy’s husband, a native Chicagoan from a hugely wealthy family. He is rugged, gigantic, and brash, as well as racist, arrogant, and adulterous.
Jordan Baker: Jordan is a golfer—young, taut, and tan—and a pseudo love interest of Nick’s. Jordan, too, lacks substance.
Myrtle Wilson: Myrtle is a resident of the valley of ashes, wife of George Wilson, mistress of Tom Buchanan. She is desperate to escape her fate.
George Wilson: George is the sad proprietor of the gas station in the valley of ashes. He is the product of his economic hardship. George is Myrtle Wilson’s husband.
Doctor T. J. Eckleburg: T. J. Eckleburg is the doctor whose advertisement—a billboard featuring a pair of gigantic blue eyes behind enormous yellow spectacles—looks down upon the valley of ashes. George Wilson calls those eyes the eyes of God.
Before We Start Handout 1 Name
Date Hour
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was educated at Princeton University.
Synopsis
The Great Gatsby tells the tale of Jay Gatsby, aka James Gatz, a self-made millionaire whose lavish parties, shiny suits, and magnificent house and car make him the talk of the town. But Gatsby’s appearance and his motives come into question the more Nick, the narrator, observes his often bizarre behavior. As the story progresses, we learn that there is much more to the characters than what their glistening facades lead us to believe.
The story takes place on the fictional peninsulas of East and West Egg on the Long Island coast of New York. The story contrasts the lavish lifestyles of the peninsulas with the gritty reality of the valley of ashes, an area between West Egg and New York City. The Great Gatsby highlights the gap between those who are living the American Dream and those who desperately want to.
Before We Start Handout 2 Name
Date Hour
Target on Text
ow it’s time to start reading. Target on Text contains a
chapter-by-chapter progression of activities to enhance
your students’ understanding and enjoyment of The
Great Gatsby. This guide divides the novel into four sections of
roughly the same length. Each section has individual chapter
summaries, target objectives, and a variety of activities to
highlight key story and literary elements.
While some of the activities are designed to be done individually,
working with peers provides students with the opportunity to
practice cooperation and creates richer results as the students
build on one another’s ideas.
N
Literary Allusions: The River Styx
A literary allusion is when an author refers to another piece of literature, a myth, or an incident in history. The passage about taking the bridge to New York City is an allusion to the River Styx, the mythological river in hell. This activity helps you get more out of the text.
Directions: Research the River Styx. Answer the following questions in the space below.
What is it? What does it look like? Why is it an important place?
How does Fitzgerald draw on the imagery of the River Styx in order to make a point about the valley of ashes? What is this point? Do you think the comparison between the River Styx and the valley of ashes is an appropriate one? Why or why not?
Name
Date Hour
Chapter II Handout 1
