Symbolism in The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby
Chapter 7

​Directions

After reading/listening to Chapter 7, we will take a closer look at some of the text by re-reading and analyzing certain passages. In this final section, we will look more at symbolism and themes of the book, as well as follow up on some conflicts from the middle of the story.
First we will review some basic character & plot info from the chapter.

Reorder

Reorder the following events from chapter 7:

• Gatsby has fired his servants and hired gangsters to protect his privacy with Daisy.

• Nick, Jordan, and Gatsby all go to lunch at Tom and Daisy's house. Tom realizes that Daisy and Gatsby are having an affair.

• At the Plaza Hotel, Tom confronts Daisy and Gatsby, revealing what he knows about Gatsby's bootlegger past. Daisy decides not to leave Tom.

• Daisy kills Myrtle Wilson in a hit-and-run accident.

• Gatsby waits all night outside Daisy's house to make sure she's not in danger of violence from Tom.

1

2

3

4

5

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Multiple Choice

What was the weather like?

• Very cold, like an icy wind

• Very hot, broiling

• Moderate, like an ocean breeze

• Frozen, let it go

Multiple Choice

At George's garage, Tom learns that --

• George has been stealing from him.

• his car has been tampered with.

• Myrtle is seeing yet another man.

• Myrtle and George are moving.

Multiple Choice

Was Gatsby even an Oxford man?

• Yes, he was a full Oxford man and attended for a long time.

• Not fully, he attended Oxford for about 5 months.

• Not fully, he attended Oxford for about 2 weeks.

• No, he did not attend Oxford at all.

Multiple Choice

At the Plaza Hotel, what does Gatsby want Daisy to do?

• Tell Tom she never loved him

• Tell Nick that she hates his guts

• Tell Jordan that she needs to practice her swing more

• Tell Tom that she wants a divorce

Multiple Choice

Why does Tom let Gatsby and Daisy drive home together?

• He realizes he can’t stand in the way of their love.

• He has decided that they are not actually having an affair.

• He has cut the brakes in their car.

• He realizes that Daisy is not going to leave him for Gatsby.

Multiple Choice

Who was driving the car that killed Myrtle?

• Gatsby

• Tom

• Nick

• Daisy

Multiple Choice

What color is Gatsby's car that hits Myrtle?

• Blue

• White

• Yellow

• Black

Multiple Choice

What does Tom do when he drives away from the scene of the crash?

• Tom regrets not talking to Myrtle on the way to the city.

• Tom cries.

• Tom drives to Gatsby's to confront him about the accident.

• Tom accidentally crashes his own car.

Multiple Choice

What are Daisy and Tom doing at the end of chapter 7?

• They are talking and conspiring at the dinner table.

• They are arguing after the events of the Plaza Hotel showdown.

• They flee town after at the car accident.

• They attend an East Egg party and act as if nothing happened.

Multiple Choice

What is Gatsby doing at the very end of the chapter?

• Developing a plan to run away to escape the consequences of the car crash.

• Crying on his dock because he realizes that he lost Daisy forever.

• Standing outside the Buchanan house hold to make sure Daisy is OK.

• Talking to Wolfsheim in the hopes he can hire a hitman for Tom.

Multiple Choice

Which was NOT a conflict in chapter 7?

• Meyer Wolfsheim tries to get Tom in on a scheme.

• George discovers Myrtle is cheating, and locks her up in their apartment.

• Tom discovers Daisy is cheating, and confronts Gatsby.

• Nick realizes that it's his birthday, and has a midlife crisis about turning 30.

• Daisy regrets marrying Tom, but is too afraid of Gatsby's illegal fortune to leave Tom.

Open Ended

In the middle section of our book, we evaluated two conflicts:

Character vs. Self: Daisy sobs as Gatsby throws his beautiful shirts onto the table for her to admire.

Character vs. Character:
Nick wonders how Gatsby got his money, and whether it was illegal.

How did these two conflicts end up influencing each other in chapter 7? What did we learn, and what was the outcome?

​Evaluating Symbolism in Literature

Something used to represent an idea:
-Can be a person, situation, word, or object that represents something else

A type of figurative language:
-doesn't use words' literal meanings
-communicates ideas

Symbolism

Symbols in Chapter 7

​The Eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg

-In previous sections of the book, we saw the Eyes as representing a conflict in our story: character vs. the supernatural.

-We discussed that the Eyes could be a symbol of "God" watching over the sins of the characters, paranoia and constantly feeling watched, or judgement from outsiders.

Open Ended

The Eyes of TJ Eckleburg are mentioned as the group go into town. Using the examples of symbols and what we learn in the chapter, why do you think the Eyes were mentioned here?

Open Ended

A second mention of the Eyes occurs in this chapter. What do you think the purpose of bringing them up here is?