Gatsby Chapter 1

Big Questions & PWL

Chapter 1 - During Nick’s evening at the Buchanan’s while discussing their daughter, Daisy offers the strange comment of, “‘I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool--that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool’”(17). Daisy may have done something she regrets in the past and this is why she wishes that her daughter will be a “fool,” because if she was naive when she made these mistakes, she maybe wouldn’t have done it. Also, Daisy recently found out that her husband is having an affair with some girl in New York, and if she didn’t know that that was going on, then she would be much happier with her life, and because of this, she want’s her daughter to grow up innocent and pure and not have to worry about all the bad that is happening in the world. This implies that women’s role during the 1920s consisted of mainly working for the husband and doing chores around the house and kind of playing ‘dumb,’. Although, during this time, there were many reforms concerning women’s rights and the “New Woman,” was being reveals through the proposal of new jobs like secretaries, nurses, and teachers, while some women were becoming flappers, which represented the freedom women wanted.

Vocab:

Infinitesimal:

“After an infinitesimal hesitation he included Daisy with a slight nod, and she winked at me again” (Page 13).

Adj: Extremely small

The hungry child wanted more food after only been fed an infinitesimal amount.

Verandas:

“I followed Daisy around a chain of connecting verandas to the front porch” (Page 16).

Noun: A roofed platform along the outside of the house, level with the ground floor

She then quietly made her way back to the veranda in order to set up for the surprise party.

Feebly:

“I returned rather feebly to the subject of her daughter” (Page 16).

Adj: Physically weak, as from age or sickness; frail

The feeble old lady had to use a cane in order to walk.

Rotogravure:

“Looked out at...