The Great Gatsby | Discussion Questions 41 - 50

In Chapter 3 of The Great Gatsby, what sets Nick Carraway apart from other guests at one of Jay Gatsby's parties?

Nick mentions that while most people attending a Gatsby party simply show up without an invitation, he had been invited. "I had actually been invited," Nick says, "with a surprisingly formal note."

In Chapter 3 of The Great Gatsby, who does Nick Carraway meet up with at Jay Gatsby's party, and what plot thread does this meeting seem to set into action?

As it is Nick's first time attending a Gatsby party, he feels a little awkward until he runs into Jordan Baker, the woman he met at Daisy and Tom Buchanan's house. This meeting introduces the plot thread with Nick and Jordan, who begin seeing each other that summer.

In Chapter 3 of The Great Gatsby, what do readers learn about Gatsby from his guest Lucille McKee, and how does her companion respond to Lucille's story about her dress?

Lucille relates that at the previous Gatsby party she attended, she tore her gown on a chair. Jay Gatsby took her name and address and sent an expensive replacement gown within a week. Hearing this, her companion responds with suspicion. "There's something funny about a fellow that'll do a thing like that," the other girl chimed in, eagerly voicing her opinion that Gatsby must be trying to avoid "trouble with anybody."

At the end of Chapter 3 of The Great Gatsby, what story does Nick Carraway remember about Jordan Baker's first big golf tournament, and why does he remember it now?

By the end of Chapter 3 Nick is spending a good deal of time with Jordan. It is at this point that he recalls the story he was trying to remember the night they met at the Buchanans'—a tale about her cheating at the first big golf tournament she participated in. As he says, "the thing approached the proportions of a scandal." The story faded away, however, when a caddy withdrew his statement. This comes up now because as he spends more time with Jordan, Nick sees that she is dishonest, yet he's developing feelings for her.

What is on the list that Nick Carraway makes for himself at the beginning of Chapter 4 in The Great Gatsby?

Nick's extensive list, written on an old timetable that he says is deteriorating at the folds, captures the names of the many people—from both East Egg and West Egg—who attended Jay Gatsby's parties the summer Nick was living in the East.

In Chapter 4 of The Great Gatsby, with what does Jay Gatsby regale Nick Carraway as they take a ride into New York City together one morning?

On the ride into New York City, which Nick calls disconcerting, Gatsby does a lot of talking. Because he is about to ask a favor of Nick, Gatsby says he wants to explain a little about himself. He then tells Nick about his upbringing as the child of a wealthy family (all of whom died), being educated abroad, serving and rising to distinction in the military—all of which led him to Long Island and West Egg.

As Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby drive into New York in Chapter 4 of The Great Gatsby, who does Gatsby say will ask Nick for a favor on his behalf?

In the course of the car ride to the city that day, Gatsby reveals that he has asked Jordan Baker to deliver a request to Nick on his behalf. Through Jordan, Gatsby asks Nick to arrange to have Daisy Buchanan and Gatsby to tea.

In Chapter 4 of The Great Gatsby, who does Jay Gatsby invite to join Nick Carraway and him for lunch in New York City?

When Nick arrives at the restaurant to have lunch with Gatsby, he discovers that Gatsby has invited a business partner named Meyer Wolfsheim to join them. After Wolfsheim has left, Gatsby describes him as a gambler and the "man who fixed the World Series back in 1919."

In Chapter 5 of The Great Gatsby, what request does Nick Carraway make of Daisy Buchanan when he calls to invite her for tea at his house?

Nick asks Daisy not to bring Tom. The more interesting aspect to this request is Daisy's response: "Who is 'Tom'?" The quick exchange between them, which includes this retort, leaves the reader wondering about her intent.

In Chapter 5 of The Great Gatsby, how does Fitzgerald portray Jay Gatsby's nervousness when Daisy Buchanan and Gatsby meet for tea at Nick Carraway's house?

Gatsby's nervousness—hints of which readers first see when he and Nick take the drive into New York to have lunch—stands in contrast to the Gatsby seen in the earlier chapters, and Fitzgerald does an excellent job of portraying that. Fitzgerald describes Gatsby's behavior through Nick's eyes. When Gatsby arrives at Nick's for tea with Daisy, Nick remarks that he is distracted, pale, and nervous. Upon Daisy's arrival, Nick escorts her into the living room and finds that Gatsby has disappeared. Moments later, he appears at the front door as if he, too, has just arrived. Nick describes the rigid pose Gatsby assumes at the outset as well as his jittery communication. He mentions that "Gatsby ... was reclining against the mantelpiece in a strained counterfeit of perfect ease." This, as well as the way Gatsby takes a seat on the couch, are telling, but it may be the mantelpiece clock being knocked askew that is the peak moment.