1) Upon its publication in 1925 H.L. Mencken, America’s foremost literary and social critic, called The Great Gatsby’s plot a “mere anecdote.” But since then many critics have advanced The Great Gatsby as the Great American Novel. What theme of the novel is intrinsically “American,” and how does Fitzgerald develop that theme? What traditionally American concepts find themselves at odds in the dream of Jay Gatsby?
2) Although he is the title character, is Jay Gatsby the most important character (or even the protagonist) in the novel? If he is not, who is? If he is, who are the other major characters in the novel and what roles do they play in defining Gatsby?
3) Although the novel’s title has been widely hailed as instrumental to an understanding of the novel, Fitzgerald had second thoughts, wanting to change the title even after his book had been sent to press. Why is The Great Gatsby such an effective title? What ideas, revealed about the title character in the novel itself, does the title reinforce?
4) Some critics have faulted Fitzgerald’s portrayal of Gatsby, claiming that the character is not fully drawn and detailed. Is such criticism justified? If it is not, how would you describe Fitzgerald’s development of Gatsby? Why would Fitzgerald draw his character in such a manner?
5) Both friends and enemies criticized Fitzgerald for holding a misguided fascination for wealth and the wealthy. What is Fitzgerald’s view of the rich as epitomized in The Great Gatsby?
6) Nick Carraway stresses, “Tom and Gatsby, Daisy and Jordan and I, were all Westerners, and perhaps we possessed some deficiency in common which made us subtly unadaptable to Eastern life.” How and why does Fitzgerald contrast the East and West in The Great Gatsby?
7) Recent critics have focused increasingly upon Nick’s narration, even questioning Nick’s reliability as a narrator. What instances in Nick’s narration raise doubts in regard to his reliability?
8) The Great Gatsby is not a traditional Bildungsroman. On the night of the accident, however, Nick realizes that it’s his thirtieth birthday. What importance do such concepts as youth and age play in the novel?
9) In his first novel, This Side of Paradise, Fitzgerald writes of his protagonist, Amory Blaine, “It was always the becoming he dreamed of, never the being.” In what ways does The Great Gatsby present the duality between becoming and being?
10) Is The Great Gatsby a tragedy (within the parameters of the literary definition of tragedy)?