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English resources/The Great Gatsby/Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Nick rents a house in West Egg. He goes to dinner in East Egg. He sees Gatsby on the lawn, reaching for a light.

The first-edition dust jacket of The Great Gatsby, Celestial Eyes
Celestial Eyes, the 1925 dust jacket. Francis Cugat. Public domain, Wikimedia Commons.

This chapter in five words

NickmeetsDaisyandTom

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The quotes

6 quotes in this chapter.

Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.

Nick's father · Chapter 1 · class · honesty

Nick's father tells him not to judge. Nick repeats it. He still judges.

an extraordinary gift for hope

Nick · Chapter 1 · the American dream · love

This is what Nick cannot drop about Gatsby. Hope, not the parties.

there was something gorgeous about him

Nick · Chapter 1 · the American dream

Nick scorns what Gatsby stands for. He still cannot look away.

that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool

Daisy · Chapter 1 · class · love

Daisy hopes her daughter is a fool. She thinks that is the safest thing a girl can be.

a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock

Nick · Chapter 1 · the American dream · the past · love

Nick sees Gatsby reaching for a light across the water. It is Daisy's dock. Gatsby does not say her name yet.

the white palaces of fashionable East Egg glittered along the water

Nick · Chapter 1 · class · East and West · money

East Egg is old money. West Egg is new. Nick lives in West Egg, next to Gatsby. Daisy lives across the bay.

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The words of the book come from Project Gutenberg, ebook 64317, the 1925 text (public domain in the United States). Cover art by Francis Cugat, 1925, public domain. Notes by Akash Wadhwani. Copy it. Print it. Share it. No sign-up.
Spotted a mistake? akash@sheets.works