Gatsby Chapter 3 Discussion Questions

Chapter 3

1. Compare and contrast Gatsby’s party with Tom’s party. What do those parties say about those characters? How are they similar or different?
   
   1. How do these parties relate to Jordan’s take on parties: “And I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy” (49).
      
2. What is the effect of the rumors Nick hears about Gatsby before meeting him?  How does this characterize Gatsby?  Why did Fitzgerald choose to introduce Gatsby in this way?
   
3. What are the first details about Gatsby that stand out to Nick (and he chooses to describe as a narrator)? What kind of impression does Gatsby have on Nick at this point? What is the impression Gatsby is trying to make on others? Is he succeeding?
   
   1. *Hint: Connect to poems we read earlier.
      
4. Why does Fitzgerald include the scene with the car accident at the end Gatsby’s party?  What is Fitzgerald saying about the type of people who attended this party?
   
5. What does Jordan’s take on car accidents and careless people (58) say about her as a character? What does it imply about her social class?
   
6. What Nick’s quote “I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known” say about his narration? (59).