Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:
• How to Discuss a Book (helpful discussion tips)
• Generic Discussion Questions—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)
Also consider these LitLovers talking points to help get a discussion started for The Great Gatsby:
1. This book is infused with symbolism, particularly the green light at which Jay Gatsby gazes so intently, and the eyes of Dr. Eckleburg on the billboard. What do these symbols suggest? (Symbolic meanings are fluid, not fixed; they often mean different things to different observers/readers. See LitCourse 9 on symbolism.)
2. Is Jay Gatsby great? In other words, is Fitzgerald's title sincere...or ironic?
3. Discuss the four main characters. Who, if any, do you find most sympathetic? Most important, in what way do the events of the novel affect Nick Carraway? How, or to what degree, does he change? (Some see this work as a coming-of-age story.)
4. What statement might Fitzgerald be making about the mores or ethos of American culture—particularly the American Dream?
5. Quite frankly, I have never liked this book...or any of Fitzgerald's novels. Why?
(Questions by LitLovers. Pleae feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)
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