English - The Great Gatsby (Single Text) Sample Answers

As part of my Leaving Certificate English course, higher level, we're studying The Great Gatsby novel by F.Scott Fitzgerald (film is out in cinemas on May 16th!). It's a beautiful book to read and is easy to understand for our English course.

Below I have comprised a summary, and analysis of all character including theme, motifs and sample essays which should pretty much cover the Great Gatsby entirely. Feel free to use them to your advantage.


Sample Answer 1:
Compare and contrast Gatsby and Tom. How are they alike? How are they different?
Given the extremely negative light in which Tom is portrayed throughout the novel,
why might Daisy choose to remain with him instead of leaving him for Gatsby?
Mr. 'Jay' Gatsby is the main character in the novel. Gatsby is a wealthy man living in
West Egg in his mansion were he hosts his lavish parties. Gatsby orders his life
around one desire – to be runited with Daisy Buchannan, the love he lost five years
earlier. His quest for the American dream leads him from poverty to wealth, into the
arms of his beloved Daisy, and eventually at the end of the novel, to death.
Early in the book, he is established as a bit of a mysterious character. As the story
unfolds, however, we learn more about the mysterious Gatsby. Everything he has
done in his life has been for the sole purpose of fulfilling the most unrealistic of
dreams – to recapture the past. Gatsby started with very little money and then all of a
sudden he became rich. He then fell in love with Daisy Buchannan and after meeting
her, everything he did in his life was for the purpose of winning her heart.
Tom Buchannan is Daisy's husband and he lives a life of luxury in East Egg. Tom is
very protective of his wife, Daisy, and when Tom finds out that Daisy loves Gatsby,
he confronts him about it. Tom dismisses Gatsby – and his wife, Daisy – giving him
permission to drive her home from the city, as we know he stays close to Daisy
throughout the novel, showing us the love that he has for her.
The quality of Tom that's most likely to stick with the reader is the fact that he's
abusive and violent towards his wife, Daisy. Tom's abusiveness in the novel really
comes across when we see him break Myrtle Wilson's nose with the “short deft
movement” of his open hand. He seems to think that he is better than everyone else
because of his wealth and he does not like to express his own thoughts and feelings,
especially around Daisy.
The characters of Tom and Gatsby are more alike than they appear to be. However,
they also share some differences too. Both characters 'use' many people throughout
the novel . Also, neither Tom nor Gatsby really truly love Daisy. One of their greatest
differences is that Gatsby is much more pleasant than Tom. They both have two
different personalities, yet can relate to the same secret affairs that occur throughout
the book. First and most obvious, Tom and Gatsby both use other people throughout
the book. Gatsby was just using Nick Carraway, the narrator of the novel. He wanted
to find Daisy again, but he didn't know anyone who knew her. When he found out
that Nick knew Daisy, they became good friends and he wanted to know more about
her. He made Nick invite Daisy over for tea. He did that so Tom would leave her and
so that they would have a reason for meeting. Tom wants Daisy so bad because to
lose her would be to lose a part of himself.
Tom is an overpowering character. Gatsby, on the other hand, is barely recognised at
his own parties. Tom was born with money and privilege but Gatsby engaged in
bussiness dealings to earn his fortune. They both treat their money pretty casually,
however, Tom uses his to travel and please himself, while Gatsby sees money as the
means to an end to win Daisy back, since that's the reason why she couldn't marry
him all those years ago.
Both men love Daisy, though Tom has shown disrespect for her since the day they
were married. We do see love toward them at the end of the novel. If both Gatsby and
Tom were to lose Daisy, they would be deeply crushed as Tom's pride would not
survive the loss and Gatsby's dream of a life with Daisy eventually kills him. Gatsby
and Tom are two rich men who love the same woman, Daisy Buchannan, but she can only
choose one of them!

Sample Answer 2:

Discuss Gatsby's character as Nick perceives him throughout the novel. What makes
Gatsby “great”?
There is one thing in the relationship between Gatsby and Nick that cannot be
decided. Does Gatsby really want a friendship with Nick or does he just use him in
order to get closer to Daisy? It seems that Gatsby's only aim is to start an affair with
Daisy again and it seems that at the beginning Nick was only interesting to him
because he knew Daisy.
Altough both characters are neighbours, Nick and Gatsby live in different lifestyles.
While Nick's house is a more modernised size, Gatsby lives in a huge mansion that
can hold up to hundreds of guests as he frequently hosts his extravagent parties
throughout the novel. For Gatsby, nothing is more important than financial success
and it seems that Gatsby has just that with the money he has, the mansion he owns
and the cars he drives. He can't imagine anyone to be his friend if he was poor and to
make things worse, he is right because Daisy left him because he wasn't wealthy. Its
surprising enough that he even likes Nick although he isn't very rich, because in all of
his relationships with other characters money plays an important role.
Gatsby longs to be a part of the “high” society and an important symbol for this is
that he is very wealthy and has an expensive mansion, but nevertheless lives in East
Egg while the “real” high society lives in West Egg. At the end of the novel, it
appears that Nick Carraway was one of his only real friends. When Gatsby stopped
giving large parties, the cars that drove onto his drive waited just a minute.
Nick seems to be more or less the only character who cares about him after his death.
So he (Nick) is the one to organise the funeral and is, apart from Gatsby's father, the
only person who attends.
Gatsby made a lot of his money by selling alcohol illegally during the time of
prohibition. When Myrtle Wilson is killed, the only thing that matters for Gatsby is
Daisy's reaction. Nevertheless, Nick stays with Gatsby that evening and they have a
very long conversation in which Gatsby tells Nich the whole story of Daisy from
beginning to end. This is probably the strongest proof for Nick and Gatsby having a
close friendship in the entire novel, and it is also a good example of their close
feelings towards each other.

Sample Answer 3:

The characters of Fitzgerald's novel are often deeply flawed, showing only small
signs of goodness. Can the same be said of the central characters at the heart of
“The Great Gatsby”?
I completely agree with the above statement. The characters of Fitzgerald's novel are
often deeply flawed, showing only small signs of goodness. All of the characters have
a “bad” side and are not perfect. In one sense, the title of the novel is ironic: the title
character in neither “great” nor named Gatsby. He is a criminal whose real name is
James Gatz.
I'm going to start off by discussing Gatsby as he is the main character in the novel.
Gatsby is the main character in the novel and in one sense, the title of the novel is
ironic. Gatsby is a criminal whose real name is James Gatz and the life he created for
himself is, in some ways, almost like an illusion. Gatsby is deeply flawed and far
from perfect. He has been involved in some criminal activities during his life that
eventually got him the money that he has today. No crime is victimless.
Nick Carraway is one of the few characters in the novel that is particulary taken with
Gatsby and considers him a great figure. He sees both the extraordinary quality of
hope that Gatsby possesses and his idealistic dream of loving Diasy Buchannan in a
perfect world.
Though Nick recognises Gatsby's flaws for the first time he meets him, he cannot
help but admire Gatsby's romantic idealization for Daisy. Nick alone, among the
novel's other characters, recognises that Gatsby's love for Daisy has less to do with
Daisy's inner qualities than his own. Gatsby has not worked hard for his money. He
sold illegal alcohol to people on the streets of New York and this money suddenly
turned his life from a poor man to a rich man. Everything Gatsby does, every party he
throws is all part of his plan to win back Daisy Buchannan. He uses many tactics to
win Daisy back. For example, while showing her around his house, he starts showing
off his wealth by showing Daisy his collection of shirts while throwing them all over
the room.
Fitzgerald portrays the American Dream in the 1920s as an era of social and moral
values, the differentiation between the rich and the “less-rich”. This has all led to
extravagent parties and wild jazz music – all of which is shown in The Great Gatsby
by the parties that Gatsby throws every Saturday night. The clash between “old
money” and “new money” justifies itself in the novel as East Egg represents the
“less-rich” and West Egg represents the “self-made rich”. In the novel, easy money
and social values have currupted this dream.Gatsby's dream of loving Daisy is ruined
by the difference in their social classes, with Gatsby resoring in crime to make
enough money to impress Daisy.
America aspires to be a just equal society but years after this novel was written, the
same snobbery, the same racism and the same divisions explored in this novel are a
part of daily American life. One of the major themes explored in this novel is wealth,
and how the “minted” millionaires of the 1920s differ from and relate to the country's
richest families. West Egg represents the “newly-rich” (Gatsby), while East Egg
represents the “less-rich”, especially Daisy and Tom Buchannan. For example,
Gatsby live in a huge mansion, always wears a suit, drives expensive cars and invites
every neighbour to his lavish parties. However, the “less-rich” possess elegance and
beauty, shown by the Buchannan's welcoming home and the appearance of Daisy
Buchannan and Jordan Baker.
Gatsby's good qualities , loyalty and love, lead to his death at the end of the novel, as
he takes the blame for killing Myrtle Wilson rather than letting Daisy be punished.
This shows us the love he had for Daisy and using his rich side to keep her in his
arms.
Tom Buchannan is another character that shows no signs of goodness. Tom is Daisy's
husband who comes from a wealthy background and leads a life of luxury in East
Egg. Daisy invites everyone for lunch and her conversation makes it clear to Tom that
she and Gatsby are in love. Specifically, Daisy is attracted to money which, in turn,
can be lavished on her. Money is one of the reasons she's married Tom and why she's
in love with Gatsby. Money is one of the reasons she was uneasy about Gatsby in the
beginning of their relationship, it is one of the reasons she becomes reconnected with
him, or more specifically, one of the things he uses to succesfully attract her.
Tom is very protective of his wife, Daisy, and when Tom figures out that Daisy loves
Gatsby, he confronts him about it. Tom dismisses Gatsby and his wife Daisy, giving
him permission to drive her home from the city, as we know he stays close to Daisy
throughout the novel, showing us the love that he has for her.
The quality of Tom that's most likely to stick with the reader is the fact that he's
violent towards his wife, Daisy and is also racist. Tom's abusiveness in the novel
really comes across when we see him break Myrtle Wilson's nose with the “short deft
movement” of his open hand. He seems to think that he is better than everyone else
because of his wealth and he does not like to express his own thoughts or feelings,
especially around Daisy.
Daisy is a rather disappointing character. Despite her beauty and charm, Daisy is
selfish, and in fact, a hurtful woman. Gatsby loves her with such determination that
readers would like to see her be worthy of his devotion. When she attends one of
Gatsby's parties, aside from the time she spends with Gatsby, she has an unpleasant
time. Daisy's character come into question in the way she speaks of her daughter,
Pammy. “I hope she'll be a fool”, she says. Clearly Daisy has some experience of her
own in this area and implies tha the world is no place for a woman. The best she can
do is hope to survive and the best way to do that is through her beauty and elegance.
Later on, in Chapter 7, when Pammy makes her only appearance, Daisy treats her like
an object, showing her off for guests, suggesting Daisy's lack of concern for her child.
Daisy's life revolves around herself, allowing Pammy in only when its convenient.
When Tom and Gatsby have their argument at the hotel in Chapter 7, Daisy's
motivations are called into question: her inhability to deny having loved Tom speaks
well for her, but at the same time, it suggests that her attachment to Gatsby has been
purely for his money. Tom also knows that after Daisy realises Gatsby is not of the
same social class, she will return to Tom for the comfort and protection that his
money and power will bring.
The characters in Fitzgerald's novel all have their own inner qualities which seperate
them apart from each other. They are far from perfect, with everyone of them each
with their own fault. Gatsby isn't “great”. He is a criminal. His wealth, altough shared
is ill gotten and he is obsessive in his persuit of winning back Daisy Buchannan. But
in the end, he follows his dreams and maybe this is why the writer gives him the title
“great”.