Santiago Montiel

The Great Gatsby Name_______________________

Lesson 1
Handout 3 (page 1) Date________________________

Introducing the Narrator

Part A.
Directions: Read the following quotations from the opening paragraphs of The Great Gatsby. Write
the letter of the correct interpretation on the blank.
a
_______1. “Remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve
had.”
a. He is luckier than others.
b. All the people in the world have had advantages.
b
_______2. “I’m inclined to reserve all judgments, a habit that has opened up many curious
natures to me . . .”
a. He has a curious nature.
b. He waits a while before forming an opinion.
b
_______3. “The abnormal mind is quick to detect and attach itself to this quality. . . .”
a. Normal people don’t like him.
b. Abnormal people are drawn to him.
a
_______4. “I was unjustly accused of being a politician, because I was privy to the secret griefs
of wild, unknown men.”
a. Upset people shared sorrows with him.
b. He was unjustly accused of a crime.
b
_______5. “Conduct may be founded on the hard rock or the wet marshes.”
a. A person’s behavior is either good or bad.
b. A person behaves the way he does because of solid principles or lax ones.
a
_______6. “Only Gatsby . . . was exempt from my reaction.”
a. He could share Gatsby’ secret confidences.
b. He would not wish to share Gatsby’s secret confidences.
b
_______7. “Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn.”
a. Gatsby stood for everything Nick admired.
b. Gatsby stood for everything Nick disliked.
a
_______8. “If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something
gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life.”
a. Gatsby’s personality reflected his confidence in life’s prospects.
b. Gatsby’s personality was beautiful because of his success.

© COPYRIGHT, The Center for Learning. Used with permission. Not for resale.

5
The Great Gatsby Name_______________________
Lesson 1
Handout 3 (page 2) Date________________________

Part B.
Directions: Answer the following questions; include supporting data from the text.
1. What are some of the narrator’s personal characteristics?

Honest, reserved, reserve all judgments, observant, tolerant, humble

2. How does the narrator convey a mixed attitude toward Gatsby?

Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn.
He loves and hates Gatsby.

3. What does the narrator admire about Gatsby?

The personality of Gatsby, also Gatsby enigmatic personality

© COPYRIGHT, The Center for Learning. Used with permission. Not for resale.