The Great Gatsby Socratic Questions Directions: Prepare thoughtful answers the following questions. You will be graded on
your participation in the Socratic discussion, so be sure to include specific evidence from
the text.
1. Fitzgerald goes into great detail to describe Tom Buchanan on page 7, most notably
when he says that Tom had a "body capable of enormous leverage---a cruel body"
(Fitzgerald 7). Reread this passage. How does this first impression of Tom prepare the
reader for Tom's beliefs and actions in the novel as a whole?
2. Discuss the differences between the two "eggs" and the Valley of Ashes. What is
Fitzgerald's message about the social classes in the 1920s? Be thorough.
3. Discuss the color associated with Daisy, citing specific examples from the text. Why is
this particular color significant for Daisy?
4. Nick describes Jordan as "incurably dishonest," but he tells the reader that it doesn't
really bother him. What might Fitzgerald be implying about 1920s society and its ideas
about deceit?
5. In the context of the novel, is the "American dream" an attitude, or is it simply a term?
Relate this to Gatsby's "American dream." What was his "dream"? Does he achieve it?