Analysis by Chapter (Leaving Cert English): Revision Notes
Analysis by Chapter
Chapter 1 analysis
The opening chapter establishes the fundamental themes and conflicts that will drive the entire novel. Nick Carraway presents himself as having certain advantages that come from his 'old money' status, though he doesn't judge others based on class. This immediately highlights the judgemental culture and class dynamics that were essential to the Roaring Twenties.
The chapter introduces the central opposition between 'old money' East Egg and 'new money' West Egg, which symbolically represents the class rivalry of the era. This geographical divide reflects the novel's central theme about how people from different social backgrounds view wealth and success differently.
Critical Theme Alert The East Egg vs West Egg divide is not just geographical - it represents the fundamental class conflict that drives the entire novel. Understanding this opposition is essential for analysing character motivations and the novel's critique of American society.
Tom Buchanan as antagonist
Tom's character is established through his brute-like appearance and monstrous body, which suggests the hyper-masculinity that underpins his role as the novel's antagonist. His physical presence challenges Gatsby, undermines Nick, hurts Daisy and ultimately ruins Myrtle. Tom's body becomes a symbol of his underlying monstrous behaviour beneath his social grace.
Tom's racist opinions and attitudes highlight the white-supremacist, colonial ideologies still present in 1920s 'old money' society. His misogynist, libertine tendencies paint him negatively as Daisy and Myrtle become his victims.
The green light symbolism
The chapter ends with Gatsby's famous pose with outstretched arms towards the green light, which represents his yearning for Daisy. This extraordinary gift for hope shows Gatsby's belief in the future as a man of promise and faith. However, the irony is that while everyone moves forwards with arms outstretched looking to the future, they are actually searching for a lost past.
The green light symbol will recur throughout the novel, evolving from a symbol of hope to one of impossible dreams and the corrupted American Dream itself.
Key quote analysis
Quote Analysis: Gatsby's Appeal
"There was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life"
This description introduces a sense of homoeroticism in Nick's admiration for Gatsby. Nick's love for Gatsby drives him to narrate this tale to immortalise Gatsby's ability to love. The phrase emphasises Gatsby's homoerotic undertones and embodies ideas of hyper-masculinity. Gatsby believes he is destined to marry Daisy, who represents the 'promises of life' to him.
Chapter 2 analysis
This chapter introduces the Valley of Ashes, which recalls T.S. Eliot's poem The Waste Land. The Valley represents the people excluded from the Roaring Twenties prosperity. The ashes and dust remind readers of the 'foul dust' that preyed on Gatsby, while the unblinking eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg watch everything like an absent God figure.
Symbolic Landscape The Valley of Ashes serves as the novel's moral wasteland - a crucial symbol representing the spiritual emptiness beneath the era's glittering surface. This setting will become increasingly important as the novel progresses.
Myrtle's character and exploitation
The Wilson couple is exploited by Tom's indifferent and callous attitudes. While George is described as a 'spiritless man, anaemic', Myrtle carries her 'flesh sensuously', highlighting her desperation to escape her life and enter the world of desire, money and luxury. She cuckolds her husband and changes her 'costume' often to fit the wealthy status she desires but cannot achieve.
Myrtle is bought by Tom - he purchases gifts like dogs as pets, and in return gets to have sex with her. He views their relationship in material terms rather than as an emotional commitment. In contrast, Gatsby's love for Daisy is entirely emotional.
The apartment as symbol
The apartment represents a place of immorality where the group engages in gluttony and lust. There's even suggestion of a homoerotic episode when Nick puts Mr McKee to bed. When Tom punches Myrtle for mentioning Daisy's name, he performs an act of wrath. The apartment becomes a fertile ground for sin and evil.
Key quote analysis
Quote Analysis: The Valley of Ashes
"This is a valley of ashes—a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens"
Here, 'wheat' and 'gardens' are associated with life and nature whilst 'ashes' belong to the realm of death. Fitzgerald combines these contrasting images to highlight how beauty is destroyed when ashes grow like wheat. This simile reveals the spread of immorality in 1920s America. The repetition of 'and' creates a polysyndeton that slows the reading pace, emphasising the trudging drudgery of life in the valley.
Chapter 3 analysis
Fitzgerald uses poetic language to create a magical atmosphere for Gatsby's parties. The 'blue gardens' come alive with 'whisperings and champagne and stars'. This description appeals to all five senses, making readers feel present at the party.
Notice how Fitzgerald's sensory language creates an almost fairy-tale quality to describe these parties, which contrasts sharply with the emptiness that lies beneath the glamorous surface.
The emptiness of wealth
Fitzgerald exposes the depravity and hedonism of wealthy 1920s America through Gatsby's parties. There's an unsettling contrast between the guests' reckless behaviour and the enchanting surroundings that luxury provides. This highlights both Nick's and Fitzgerald's attraction and repulsion for the era.
The emptiness of this era is symbolised by the 'oranges and lemons' that are reduced to 'pulpless halves' by Monday, showing how quickly the glamour fades.
Gatsby's smile and performance
Gatsby's 'new money' guests exploit his parties for luxury even when they barely know him. Nick's feeling of discomfort suggests he senses the emptiness of the party. The party's emptiness reflects the shallowness of the American Dream.
Gatsby's smile represents both hopeful disillusion and distance because he aspires to rekindle his love for Daisy. The smile is a façade that has been perfected over years, making both Gatsby and his admirers fundamentally empty.
Key quote analysis
Quote Analysis: Gatsby's Manufactured Charm
"It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it"
Nick is fascinated by Gatsby's smile and its psychological power. The smile offers 'eternal reassurance' because it attempts to convey desperation and need for support. However, readers later understand that Gatsby is a façade, a performance mastered over years. Gatsby's smile is only skin-deep - he has perfected a way to make others feel meaningful, making both Gatsby and those he smiles at fundamentally empty.
Chapter 4 analysis
This chapter opens with another damning portrayal of the 1920s, as Nick expects readers to recognise these people and their immoral ways. This emphasises the darkness beneath the lavish and carefree lifestyle.
Gatsby's reinvention
Gatsby's story reveals how he reinvents his identity after coming to New York and becoming rich. While he achieves the American Dream of incredible wealth, he sacrifices his real identity. Gatsby's 'extraordinary gift for hope' persists even when circumstances are against him.
The American Dream's Dark Side Gatsby's self-reinvention represents both the promise and the corruption of the American Dream. Success requires sacrificing authentic identity for a manufactured persona.
Wolfsheim's significance
Wolfsheim's connection to Gatsby signifies the corruption of the American Dream. He represents bad news from the beginning, showing the corruption of the Jazz Age. When Tom and Gatsby meet, it foreshadows the conflict between 'old money' and 'new money'.
Daisy's choice
Jordan's story highlights Gatsby's real purpose in life. He has achieved the Roaring Twenties version of the American Dream by becoming very rich. However, Daisy chose the security of money over love when she chose Tom over Gatsby. The green light represents both Gatsby's dream of recreating his past with Daisy and the corrupt American Dream of extreme wealth.
Key quote analysis
Quote Analysis: The Possibility of Reinvention
"Even Gatsby could happen, without any particular wonder"
Nick shows that the myth of Gatsby is plausible because of America's limitless ability to dream. While Nick struggles to believe Gatsby's outrageous stories about his past, he doesn't challenge them. For Nick, anything is possible in America, especially in the liberated city of New York. Gatsby's success is only possible because of America's promise that being successful without a generational reputation is achievable.
Chapter 5 analysis
When Gatsby arranges the meeting with Daisy, he reveals how he has been corrupted by his pursuit of money. He believes money was crucial to making his love for Daisy a reality, viewing everything through the green lens of money.
The broken clock symbolism
The most symbolic moment occurs when Gatsby accidentally knocks over the 'defunct mantelpiece clock'. The obsolete clock suggests the ship has already sailed for Daisy and Gatsby. This heart-wrenching moment shows how time and love are interconnected.
Perhaps the clock symbolises a crutch - Gatsby uses time as support for his hopes of winning Daisy back. The fact that 'time is money' is demonstrated throughout the novel, and the broken clock may symbolise that 'time is up' for their relationship.
Symbolic Moment Alert The broken clock is one of the novel's most significant symbols. It represents the impossibility of recapturing the past and foreshadows the tragic outcome of Gatsby's quest.
Daisy's materialism
Daisy's inherent materialistic nature is exposed when she cries over Gatsby's beautiful shirts. She chooses Tom over Gatsby because of money, showing she only sees the world through green-tinted lens of money. Her base desire mirrors Gatsby's own desire to win her through wealth.
Key quote analysis
Quote Analysis: Daisy's Voice as Symbol
"The exhilarating ripple of her voice was a wild tonic in the rain"
Daisy's voice becomes an extended metaphor throughout the text. It is a 'wild tonic in the rain' or 'full of money'. Her voice has siren-like quality that draws Gatsby in and becomes enchanting and alluring. The sound represents the American Dream that Gatsby must chase at any cost.
"There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams"
Nick expresses doubts about the couple's compatibility. Daisy has changed too much and Gatsby remains stuck in the past. Fitzgerald's poetic language amplifies the gut-wrenching heartbreak of both characters. The reader knows they face tragedy. Gatsby's 'extraordinary gift for hope' is presented through the 'colossal vitality of his illusion', but his dreams were 'beyond' reality, leaving his heart 'ghostly' when Daisy disappoints him.
Chapter 6 analysis
Gatsby is revealed as a self-made man who achieved the American Dream, even if somewhat corrupted. He literally created himself, changing his name and creating his own myth. Gatsby represents a quintessential member of the rags-to-riches class, but at the heart of his quest for success is Daisy, who represents the class and wealth he aspires to.
This chapter provides crucial backstory that explains Gatsby's motivations and the extent of his self-transformation. His reinvention is both admirable and tragic.
The conflict between old and new money
The conflict between Gatsby and Tom continues to build. Gatsby fails to understand the 'old money' manner of insincere politeness, mistaking it for actual politeness. This shows the difference between earnest 'new money' and corrupted 'old money', though both share shallowness.
Nick feels sorry for Gatsby and sides with him against Tom. The fact that Daisy is not enjoying herself suggests that Gatsby might not be able to rekindle their love due to too many obstacles.
Key quote analysis
Quote Analysis: Gatsby's Divine Mission
"He was a son of God - a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that - and he must be about His Father's business, the servant of a vast, vulgar and meretricious beauty"
Fitzgerald's comparison of Gatsby and Jesus showcases Gatsby's inherent earnest feelings. His purpose revolves around Daisy in the same way Jesus's mission revolved around saving others. Gatsby serves a big, crude and empty shell of a life. Perhaps Fitzgerald suggests that Jesus was similar in his purpose - the world is too cruel for those with pure and earnest hearts.
"You can't repeat the past! [...] Why of course you can!"
This quote summarises the entire novel. While Gatsby has achieved his American Dream of wealth, he loves a girl he cannot possess. Daisy is unreachable, buried in her careless 'old money' life. This shows the class divides of the Roaring Twenties. Gatsby holds onto his 'extraordinary gift for hope', but it may be foolish to think he can turn back time.
Chapter 7 analysis
This chapter represents the climax of the novel. After finally getting Daisy, Gatsby quits the parties, showing how turbulent and ever-changing the 'new money' world was.
Climax Chapter Chapter 7 contains the novel's dramatic peak - the confrontation between Gatsby and Tom, and the tragic car accident that sets the final tragedy in motion.
The confrontation
When Daisy kisses Gatsby, both readers and Gatsby feel he's won. However, Gatsby is left shocked when he sees Daisy's daughter, who symbolises a shared past between Daisy and Tom that Gatsby cannot change.
Tom senses Gatsby and Daisy's affair and confronts them. Daisy's comparison of Gatsby to an advertisement shows her corruption by media and consumer culture. She is empty and only cares for material concerns.
Myrtle's death
Gatsby and Tom's car swap is crucial to the plot. Myrtle seeing Tom in Gatsby's car drives her to her death. This event destroys Wilson's dream of moving west and pushes Tom over the brink.
Nick notices the fundamental similarity between Tom and Wilson - both are separated by money but are otherwise identical in their brute force.
Key quote analysis
Quote Analysis: Daisy's Moment of Agency
"As he left the room again she got up and went over to Gatsby and pulled his face down, kissing him on the mouth"
Here, Daisy is surprisingly active in her display of love towards Gatsby. For the first time, Gatsby is not the one continually courting her. She shows bold displays of affection, placing Gatsby as the object of her love. However, this shatters when she chooses Tom over Gatsby - Gatsby becomes merely a sideshow for Daisy.
"You resemble the advertisement of the man"
This paints Daisy as inherently materialistic. She views love as a material object that can be consumed. This shows the rise of media and consumer culture and highlights the class divide between Daisy and Gatsby. Like advertisements, Gatsby sells himself through his myth, failing to dispel rumours about his identity.
Chapter 8 analysis
This chapter marks that Gatsby's dream is dead. Gatsby's story explains his actions - he was in love with the idea of Daisy. Daisy's love gave Gatsby an identity and made his 'new money' identity legitimate. It seems Gatsby believes he can only preserve his feelings through Daisy.
The end of the dream
Myrtle's death destroys Wilson's dream, leaving him nothing. The Roaring Twenties conflict between old and new money has destroyed Wilson completely. Gatsby dies shouldering his mattress, which amplifies the image of Gatsby as Jesus. Nick calls him a 'son of God' to highlight Gatsby's earnest intentions.
Notice how Gatsby's death is presented with Christ-like imagery, reinforcing his role as a tragic figure who dies for his idealistic pursuit of love and the American Dream.
The destruction of relationships
The hedonistic recklessness of the Jazz Age destroys every relationship: Myrtle and Wilson, Myrtle and Tom, Daisy and Gatsby, Jordan and Nick. Only 'old money' prevails as Daisy returns to Tom, though she sacrifices her real happiness.
Key quote analysis
Quote Analysis: The Final Hope
"He was clutching at some last hope and I couldn't bear to shake him free"
Nick sees that Gatsby is clinging to every last strand of hope. His 'romantic readiness' is admirable, but Nick cannot save Gatsby. Gatsby is too invested in Daisy and his fatal flaw - his tragic death is driven by Daisy, who was behind the wheel but lets Gatsby take the blame.
"The holocaust was complete"
Gatsby's birth name is James Gatz, a Jewish name. Throughout the novel, there are references to Germany and Gatsby's supposed connections with Kaiser Wilhelm. These connections with Germany, especially during the inter-war years, make Nick's comment about the 'holocaust' significant, though ambiguous in meaning.
Chapter 9 analysis
In death, Gatsby remains a myth. The abandonment of Gatsby at his funeral reveals the emptiness of the age and the American Dream. Wolfsheim and the Buchanans prove corrupt at heart.
The final judgement
Gatsby's 'new money' friends are shallow people who care only about his money. Wolfsheim exhibits the worst qualities of the 'new money' class - he is corrupt, selfish, and callous, believing that money is everything.
The most chilling aspect is that Tom doesn't even know that Daisy was driving the car. He sees himself as a victim for losing Myrtle, his mistress, and his corruption is complete.
The symbolic ending
Nick connects Gatsby's American Dream of winning Daisy's love to the American Dream of the first settlers. Both dreams were noble and ultimately more complicated and dangerous than predicted. Nick sees Gatsby as symbolic of everyone in America, each with their own great dream - and each dream is an effort to regain a past already lost.
Universal Theme The ending connects Gatsby's personal tragedy to the broader human condition - we all struggle against the current of time, trying to reclaim something that's already gone.
Key quote analysis
Quote Analysis: The Careless Elite
"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy - they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back to their money or their vast carelessness"
Tom and Daisy are corrupted by their money. They have achieved the American Dream through generational wealth. Daisy abandons Gatsby at his funeral, showing her great lack of care. She continues with her life, making her as corrupt as Tom. She is deeply selfish and sees the world through its material value rather than sentimental value.
"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past"
The plosives in this quote emphasise the drudgery of life and the continued conflict between past, present and future. This recalls the image of the Dutch sailor-settlers. Gatsby's struggle with his past is a lesson for everyone, but most importantly, it represents American society in the roaring 1920s.
Critical perspectives
Early critical views
Many early critics thought Fitzgerald was attacking society by exposing the wealthy as hedonistic and shallow. The novel was debated as either a realist text or a satire.
1940s interpretations
When Fitzgerald died in 1940, critics began viewing the novel as a self-portrait of Fitzgerald himself.
1950s New Criticism
Literary criticism focused on symbolism and meaning, largely ignoring the historical context. Critics looked for deeper symbolic significance in the text.
Feminist readings (1970s)
Feminist critics examined the roles of women in the novel. They saw Daisy as somewhat blamed for not being able to choose between Gatsby and Tom, while she gets cheated on by her husband constantly and her dreams are ignored by Nick, Tom and even Gatsby.
Marxist readings (1980s)
Marxist critics viewed the book as social commentary, seeing everything as objects and material. They focused on class divide and struggle as well as the Valley of Ashes representing the ruin of civilisation.
Understanding different critical perspectives helps you develop your own analytical approach. Each lens reveals different aspects of the novel's complexity and enduring relevance.
Key Points to Remember:
- The green light symbolises both Gatsby's hope for Daisy and the corrupted American Dream - it represents the unattainable nature of both
- Class conflict between 'old money' East Egg and 'new money' West Egg drives the central tensions throughout the novel
- Gatsby's smile and parties are carefully constructed façades that hide the emptiness and desperation underneath his wealthy exterior
- The Valley of Ashes represents the spiritual wasteland and moral decay hidden beneath the glittering surface of the Roaring Twenties
- Time and the past cannot be repeated despite Gatsby's desperate belief that they can - this is the novel's central tragic irony