The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald

Nick Carraway “I am inclined to reserve all judgements.” “When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and a sort of moral attention for ever.” “the less fashionable of the two.” “To a certain temperament the situation might have seemed intriguing – my own instinct was to telephone immediately for the police.” “I was confused and a little disgusted as I drove away. It seemed to me that the thing for Daisy to do was to rush out of the house, child in arms – but apparently there were no such intentions in her head.”

Nick Carraway “I have been drunk just twice in my life, and the second time was that afternoon.” “They’re a rotten crowd. You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together. “I found myself on Gatsby’s side, and alone.” “After Gatsby’s death the East was haunted for me.”

Jay Gatsby “An extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person.” Jordan to Nick at the Buchanan’s house - “You must know Gatsby.” “He stretched out his arms towards the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling.” “When I had looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness.” Catherine on Gatsby - “Well, they say he’s a nephew or cousin of Kaiser Wilhelm’s. That’s where all his money comes from.”

Jay Gatsby “I’m scared of him. I’d hate to have him get anything on me.” Nick on the guests at Gatsby’s parties - “they conducted themselves according to the rules of behaviour associated with an amusement park.” “Somebody told me they though he killed a man once.” “He was a German spy during the war.” “It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four of five times in life.”

Jay Gatsby Jordan on Gatsby’s alleged stint at Oxford - “I just don’t think he went there.” “young men don’t drift coolly out of nowhere and buy a palace on Long Island Sound. “He’s a bootlegger” – rumours about the source of Gatsby’s wealth at the start of Chapter 4. “I am the son of some wealthy people in the Middle West – all dead now.” “I wondered if there wasn’t something a little sinister about him, after all.”

Jay Gatsby On Wolfsheim – “He’s the man who fixed the World’s Series back in 1919.” “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay.” “Five years next November.” His reunion with Daisy – “He literally glowed; without a word or gesture of exultation a new well being radiated from him and filled the little room.” Lies about his inherited wealth – “It took me just three years to earn the money that bought it.”

Jay Gatsby His true origins - “His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people.” On Daisy attending one of his parties – “She didn’t like it. She didn’t have a good time.” “Can’t repeat the past?” He cried incredulously. Why of course you can!” “I’m going to fix everything just the way it was before.” “I wanted somebody who wouldn’t gossip – Daisy comes over quite often – in the afternoons.”

Jay Gatsby On Daisy’s child – “I don’t think he had ever really believed in its existence before.” “Why not let her alone, old sport? You’re the one that wanted to come to town. “Your wife doesn’t love you. She’s never loved you. She loves me.” “I used to laugh sometimes to think that you didn’t know.” Nick on Gatsby’s demeanour during the confrontation with Tom – “Then I turned back to Gatsby and was startled by his expression. He looked as if he had ‘killed a man’ ”.

Jay Gatsby You loved me too? “He rose up to his position in the East.” Gatsby’s father- “Do you notice what he’s got about improving his mind? He was always great for that.”

Tom Buchanan “It was a body capable of enormous leverage – a cruel body.” On Nick’s employers – “Never heard of them.” “a brute of a man, a great, big, hulking physical specimen.” “Tom’s got some woman in New York.” “she was less than an hour old and Tom was God knows where.” “I think he tanked up a good deal at luncheon, and his determination to have my company bordered on violence.” “And if you feel that way about it, maybe I’d better sell it somewhere else after all.”

Tom Buchanan “It’s really his wife that’s keeping them apart. She’s a Catholic, and they don’t believe in divorce.” “Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand.” “I wonder where in the world he met Daisy. By God, I may be old-fashioned in my ideas, but women run around too much to suit me. They meet all kinds of crazy fish.”

Tom Buchanan “I was just thinking I don’t know a soul here.” “A lot of theses newly rich people are just big bootleggers, you know.” “I’d like to know who he is and what he does. And I think I’ll make a point of finding out.” “She had told him that she loved him, and Tom Buchanan saw. He was astounded.” “An Oxford man! Like hell he is! He wears a pink suit.”

Tom Buchanan Prelude to the argument with Gatsby in the Plaza Hotel – “The thing to do is to forget about the heat. You make it ten times worse by crabbing about it.” “That’s a great expression of yours, isn’t it?” “I understand you’re an Oxford man.” “What kind of row are you trying to cause in my house anyway?” Daisy tries to calm Tom down – “You’re causing a row. Please have a little self- control.

Tom Buchanan “I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr Nobody from Nowhere make love to your wife.” “I can’t speak about what happened five years ago because I didn’t know Daisy then – and I’ll be damned if I see how you got within a mile of her unless you brought the groceries to the back door.” “Daisy loved me when she married me and she loves me now.”

Tom Buchanan Attempting to convince Daisy she loved him – “Not that day I carried you down from the Punch Bowl to keep your shoes dry?” “They’re things between Daisy and me that you’ll never know, things that neither of us can ever forget.” “She’s not leaving me! Certainly not for a common swindler who’d have to steal the ring he put on her finger.” “He and this Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side- street drugstores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter.”

Tom Buchanan “He won’t annoy you. I think he realises that his presumptuous little flirtation is over.” “What if I did tell him? That fellow had it coming to him.” “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy – they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money.”

Daisy Buchanan “I’m p-paralysed with happiness.” “You remind me of a – of a rose, an absolute rose.” “I hope she’ll be a fool – that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” They’re such beautiful shirts. It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such beautiful shirts before.” Nick on Daisy’s reaction to Gatsby’s party – “She was appalled by West Egg.”

Daisy Buchanan To Gatsby, before going to the Plaza Hotel – “You know I love you.” “You always look so cool.” “Her voice is full of money.” To Tom, regarding his attitude towards Gatsby - “If you’re going to make personal remarks I won’t stay here a minute.” “Oh, you want too much! I love you now – isn’t that enough?”

Daisy Buchanan “Even alone I can’t say I never loved Tom. It wouldn’t be true.” “But with every word she was drawing further and further into herself.” “When the phone rang that afternoon and Long Distance said Chicago was calling I thought this would be Daisy at last.”

Jordan Baker “I’ve been lying on that sofa for as long as I can remember.” “You live in West Egg,” she remarked contemptuously.” “Don’t talk. I want to hear what happens.” “She left a borrowed car out in the rain with the top down, and lied about it.” “I had heard some story of her too, a critical, unpleasant story.” “bored haughty face.” “A suggestion that she had moved her ball from a bad lie in the semi-final round.”

Jordan Baker “She was incurably dishonest.” “She told me without comment that she was engaged to another man.”

Themes The impossibility of the American Dream The corruption of the American Dream The immorality of the wealthy elite Social class The deceptiveness of appearances The complexity of love

Setting East v West Egg Eastern seaboard v Mid West The Valley of Ashes

Symbolism East and West Egg Green light The eyes of Dr T.J. Eckleburg The Valley of Ashes Weather