Reading Guide: The Great Gatsby

For our Book of the Month, The Great Gatsby, I want to avoid anything that is directly stolen from my high school English class. There are a lot of metaphors, a lot of symbols, and just as many if not more ways to interpret those. (No questions about the green light here- although I'll probably mention it in my review.) That's one of the things I like most about the book- you can really find what speaks to you.

It's the same thing I like about art- no two people will view a piece in exactly the same way. Your experiences and preferences will color the way you see things and influence what resonates with you. Books are just like that for me.

Keeping that in mind, I've compiled the following questions for your consideration while you read.

• Do you sympathize with any of the characters? Is there anyone you just don't like?
• Since we're only seeing things from Nick's point of view, it's really his opinion of Gatsby that we see. On a few occasions, Nick chooses to ignore inconsistencies in Gatsby's story about his past and how he accumulated his money. It seems like Nick wants Gatsby to be "great" as the title implies. How do you see him?
• Are Gatsby and Tom more similar than they realize?
• What does Daisy really want? Will she ever be able to get what she wants?
• What about Gatsby's obsession with recreating the past. Is it possible? Is there a spot in your own past that you'd go back to?
• Is anyone in this story ever happy?

Along with the questions, there are several themes that come up in reviews and introductions to the book. Things like the American dream, revenge, envy, ill treatment of people, class structure, social values. Those are the things I was thinking about while I was reading the book.

Enjoy your reading!