Chapter Three Flashcards
Where does Nick receive an invitation for?
One of Gatsby’s famous parties
He visits his neighbour’s mansion for the first time
What does Nick spend the evening doing?
With Jordan Baker trying to find the host of the party, Jay Gatsby, but they just hear a lot of wild gossip and rumours.
What does Nick realise when he finally meets Gatsby?
That he’s nothing like what he expected
Why does Gatsby speak to Jordan? Does she tell Nick?
About a private matter but Jordan refuses to tell Nick what Gatsby said
What description does Nick give after the party?
Gives a brief description of his life in New York and his developing relationship with Jordan
What does the poetic language create?
A magical atmosphere of the parties. Gatsby’s “blue gardens” are alive with “the whispering and the champagne and the stars” - the list form draws together sound, taste and sight
How does the pace of the party and Nick’s perspective change?
The party scene seems to increase in pace as the evening progresses, and Nick’s perspective changes as well - initially Nick sees everything from far away and it seems romantic and poetic: “floating rounds of cocktails permeate the garden outside, until the air is alive with chatter and laughter”
Later when Nick focuses in on the people and becomes involved in the party’s action, everything becomes sharp and vivid: “she narrowed her eyes and shivered. Lucille shivered. We all turned and looked around for Gatsby.”
What type of character is Gatsby?
an eponymous character (title character of the work eg Gatsby in The Great Gatsby)
What does the wild excess and drunkenness at Gatsby’s parties suggest?
That Fitzgerald wanted to give a sense of both the depravity and the hedonism of the wealthy in 1920s America. There’s a sharp contrast between the guests’ bad behaviour and the magical surroundings. This highlights both Nick and Fitzgerald’s simultaneous attraction and repulsion for the era
How is the emptiness of the lifestyle symbolised?
By the “oranges and lemons” that are reduced to “pulpless halves” by Monday
Who does Nick meet in Gatsby’s library? How does Fitzgerald use him?
A “stout, middle-aged man, with enormous owl-eyed spectacles”. This man, later known as ‘Owl Eyes’, is amazed that Gatsby’s books are “real”.
Fitzgerald uses him to highlight the tension between appearance and reality in Gatsby’s life. The books are real but have never been read - they’re props
How does Owl Eyes emphasise the importance of appearance in the Egg community?
He praises Gatsby’s attention to detail in maintaining the illusion that he’s a well-read gentleman. He compares Gatsby to David Belasco, a broadway producer known for his realistic sets, as if Gatsby’s an entertainer or illusionist
How could Owl Eyes himself be a symbolic presence in the library?
Owls are traditionally seen as symbols of wisdom and Owl Eyes is the only guest to see through Gatsby’s personal.
However owls are also seen as bad omens
How does Owl Eyes foreshadow later events in the novel?
- He mutters to himself that “if one brick was removed the whole library was liable to collapse” - emphasises the point that if one part of Gatsby’s outward image were to falter the entire illusion would be shattered
- He’s involved in a car crash as he leaves the party and is mistakenly thought to be the driver - “You don’t understand…I wasn’t driving”. Foreshadowing Gatsby’s involvement in Myrtle’s death
What rumours are there about Gatsby?
That he’s said to have “killed a man” and to have been “a German spy”
What does Jordan say Gatsby was, what is Nick’s reaction to this before and after Jordan says she doesn’t believe it?
he “was an Oxford man” and Nick starts to imagine a “dim background”, but when she says she doesn’t believe it, the mystery starts building again
What does all Jordan really know about Gatsby?
That “he gives large parties”
What does Nick pay close attention to when he meets Gatsby? What early hint does this give?
His smile which has “a quality of eternal reassurance”. Nick describes the smile using words like “believe”, “impression” and “convey”, and comments on Gatsby’s affected “formality of speech” - this gives an early hint that Gatsby’s smile and speech are part of a deliberately crafted persona
What communities attend Gatsby’s parties?
Even though the East Egg ‘old rich’ deny the West Egg ‘new rich’ entry to the American ‘upper class’, both communities attend Gatsby’s parties.
How do the East Egg community behave and how is this ironic?
The East egg community are “carefully on guard” to maintain their respectability. However, in reality the East Eggers are just as badly behaved as the West Eggers
What is a suggestion of sexual promiscuity among the guests?
One East Egg woman tried to stop her husband from flirting by hissing “You promised!” into his ear, which implies that her husband often behaves badly
How do the Englishmen behave?
They’re desperate to follow the american dream. They talk business even at the party: “looking a little hungry, and all talking in low, earnest voices.” Their ‘hunger’ for wealth is always present
How does Gatsby contrast with his party?
His party is packed making him seem to be a popular man. But most of the time he lives alone in an empty house
How does Gatsby stand at the party and how does he seem as the party gets wilder?
stands “alone” at the edge of his party. the wilder the party gets, the more Gatsby seems like an outsider - he doesn’t drink or flirt and grows “more correct as the fraternal hilarity increased”.
