the weight of a moral censure. 

• For discussion: In the scene at the Plaza Hotel where Daisy is forced to choose between Gatsby and Tom, why does she decide to stay with Tom? Given the circumstances, was it the right choice for her? 
• For discussion: By having Daisy hit and kill Myrtle and not admit to it, Fitzgerald chooses to portray her in a harshly negative light. What might have been his motivation for doing this? Is fleeing a hit-and-run consistent with the behavior she has displayed up to that point in the story? 

The Role of Nick Carraway: As The Great Gatsby’s narrator, Nick is the filter through which readers receive the events of the novel. He’s mainly a passive observer, but he isn’t reluctant to interpret and render judgment on what’s happening. While he can be clever and insightful, under scrutiny some of his opinions aren’t entirely compelling—which makes him a good vehicle for introducing students to the concept of an unreliable narrator. Have them read Nick’s storytelling with a skeptical eye, and ask if they can come up with alternative interpretations for the events he describes. 

• For discussion: Early in the novel, Nick calls himself “one of the few honest people I have ever known.” Yet when he breaks up with Jordan at the end, she laments that she has misjudged him, saying, “I thought you were rather an honest, straightforward person.” Why does she question his honesty? Are there parts of Nick’s narrative that might be less than honest? 
• For discussion: In their last moments together, Nick tells Gatsby, “They’re a rotten crowd. You’re worth the whole damn bunch of them put together.” Is his high regard for Gatsby justified? Is there anything about Nick’s own background that would predispose him to admire Gatsby and to be contemptuous of Daisy and Tom? Alternatively, might Nick’s statement be disingenuous? 

Tricky Issues to Address While Teaching

The Story Contains Elements of Anti-Semitism, Racism, and Class Bias: There are moments in The Great Gatsby of unmistakable prejudice. Students will almost certainly detect anti-Semitism in the caricatured portrayal of Meyer Wolfsheim, the Jewish gangster who is Gatsby’s mentor in the world of organized crime. They also may be taken aback by a moment when Nick refers two black men in a passing car as “bucks” and says, “I laughed aloud as the yolks of their eyeballs rolled toward us in haughty rivalry.” His descriptions of white working-class characters can be similarly caricatured and unsympathetic. When Myrtle Wilson is killed, Nick is less disturbed by her death than he is worried about its ramifications for Gatsby and Daisy. 

• What to do: The biases expressed in the story come through the filter of Nick, the narrator. He possesses many of the prejudices typical of someone of his station in life at this time in American history. In comparison to the blatant prejudice of characters such as Tom Buchanan, Nick’s are relatively mild. Have students explore the effect of this filtering. What does Nick pass judgment on, and what does he ignore? Why? 
• What to do: Ask students to explore the biases of the characters by examining what they know of them. What views do the novel’s characters seem to hold? Where do those views come from? Is there any evidence that they will (or should) alter or expand their views? Have students consider the impact the characters’ prejudices have on the novel. To what extent does it matter that many of the wealthy white characters, such as Tom and the attendees at Gatsby’s parties, also come across as caricatures? 

Nick’s Narration Is Sometimes Haughty and Obscure: Nick is prone to drawing poetic, philosophical conclusions from the novel’s events. Some of his pronouncements are likely to perplex students (and teachers as well). In the opening pages, for instance, he says about Gatsby, “If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away.” It’s possible to identify the general intent behind this sentence—that Gatsby was uncommonly aware of life’s possibilities—but as a conditional “if-then” statement, it doesn’t really hold together. Throughout the book, Nick makes similar statements, sometimes grandly citing classical philosophers to bolster his arguments. 

• What to do: The storyline of The Great Gatsby is fairly simple. Nick’s commentaries are like touches of elaborate decoration. As much as anything, they’re there to create a mood, and they can be effective in that respect even when they don’t stand up to logical scrutiny. If students struggle with them, emphasize that the story can be understood without having to unravel Nick’s pronouncements. At the same time, it’s worthwhile to solicit interpretations from multiple students, and then see if they can come to a consensus. 

Alternative Approaches to Teaching The Great Gatsby

While the main ideas and discussion questions above are typically the focal points of units involving The Great Gatsby, the following suggestions represent alternative approaches that may enrich your students’ experience and understanding of the novel. 

Focus on the novel’s narrative structure. Much of the dramatic impact of The Great Gatsby depends on the ways in which Fitzgerald chooses to conceal and reveal information. Have students examine Fitzgerald’s strategies for constructing his plot and characters. Why does he choose chapter 6 as the point to tell the story of Gatsby’s past? Why does he give such a fractured view of Gatsby and Daisy’s courtship, having Jordan describe it in limited detail in chapter 4 and Gatsby elaborate on it in chapter 8, while never giving Daisy’s perspective? What other plot and character details are strategically withheld from readers? 

Focus on looking for other “American dreams” in The Great Gatsby. Jay Gatsby is commonly thought to epitomize the American dream. Do other characters have “American dreams” as well? Can the concept be applied to Daisy, or Wolfsheim, or Myrtle—or is it limited by gender and ethnicity? What about the other men in the novel? Do Tom and Nick and George Wilson have American dreams? If so, how do they differ from Gatsby’s? 

Focus on the use of symbolism. Fitzgerald employs several prominent, memorable symbols in Gatsby, including the green light at the end of the Buchanans’ dock, the valley of ashes, and the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg. What is the significance of these symbols? Beyond these conspicuous examples, are there other elements in the novel that take on symbolic meaning? More broadly, why do authors employ symbolism in works of literature?