Essay prompts for The Great Gatsby

Write on one of the following prompts.

Your essay will be due November 10th. You must include references to both texts:
The Great Gatsby and the short story Winter Dreams. Your paper should be 2+
pages in length (typed) or 3+ pages written in pen (blue or black ink). You essay
should be free of errors (grammatical and factual) and must have an interesting
title.
1. Many readers of The Great Gatsby struggle understanding the relationship between
Tom and Daisy. Even Nick cannot pinpoint why they stay together: "They were careless
people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back
into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together,
and let other people clean up the mess they had made." Discuss Tom and Daisy's
relationship, tracing it back to its origins through the end of the novel. Why does Tom
indulge in multiple affairs? Why does Daisy stay with him, knowing about his affairs?
How does the attitude of the time in which they live (Fitzgeralds own time, as well as
the time of Winter Dreams) affect their relationship?
2. Gatsby's obsession with Daisy drives his adult life, and, thus, the novel. At one point
Nick observes, "... and Gatsby was overwhelmingly aware of the youth and mystery that
wealth imprisons and preserves, of the freshness of many clothes and of Daisy,
gleaming like silver, safe and proud above the hot struggles of the poor." What is it
about Daisy that Gatsby loves? Why is he so obsessed with obtaining her? Why is it so
important to him to erase the previous five years? What does he mean when he cries
incredulously to Nick, "'Can't repeat the past? . . . Why of course you can!" How does
Gatsbys relationship with Daisy parallel Dexter Greens relationship with Judy
Jones?
3. The Great Gatsby is, among other things, a sobering and even ominous commentary
on the dark side of the American dream. Discuss this theme, incorporating the conflicts
of East Egg vs. West Egg and old money vs. new money. What does the American
dream mean to Gatsby? What did the American Dream mean to Fitzgerald? How does
morality fit into achieving the American dream? You may reference the quote below in
your response:
Many successful entrepreneurs [a person who organizes and assumes the risk of a
business venture] rose to their positions of power from great poverty. These wealthy
people represented the American Dream. Young people were taught to believe that
they could be financially wealthy, no matter how humble their beginnings, if only they
would work hard enough. The popular writer Horatio Alger promoted this idea in his
many novels with the theme of rags-to-riches. The heroes in his novels were poor boys
who achieved wealth, a high social position, and power through hard work, virtuous
living, and an unusual amount of luck (Armento, Beverly J. et al. A More Perfect
Union. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999. 445).

4. Nick says, I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known. When you
consider his role as narrator, do you believe that he is honest, serving as a reliable
narrator? Are his depictions of others honest? If he is not honest, why does he believe
he is so honest? What does he find so attractive about Gatsby? Do any of Nicks
qualities parallel the character of Dexter Green? If so, which ones, and how are they
manifested in each character?
5. In Winter Dreams and The Great Gatsby, heroines Daisy Buchanan and Judy
Jones have many similarities. Beauty, wealth and shallowness are some of the traits
they share. Please write an essay detailing the similarities and differences between the
two. Use textual support. Also, you may want to include detailed description of the
setting and supporting characters in each story and how they affect these two
characters.
6. In Winter Dreams and The Great Gatsby, there are many similarities and
differences between the characters of Jay Gatsby and Dexter. In each story, the main
character and his true love share a past together. Both main characters fight to attain
wealth in order to win the heart of their true love. Please write an essay detailing the
similarities and differences between the two. Use textual support. Also, you may want to
include a detailed description of the setting and supporting characters in each story and
how relationships with other people affect these two characters.