What have you learned about Nick Carraway in the first two chapters of the novel? How might his background color the way he tells this story? How trustworthy is Nick? How might the perspective of Chapter 1 change if F. Scott Fitzgerald had chosen to narrate the story in the first person from Daisy’s “sophisticated” point of view?

We are introduced to “the valley of ashes” and “the Eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg” in Chapter II. What do you think they may represent? What do they reveal about the setting of the story?

1) Nick Carraway, the story's narrator, has a singular place within The Great Gatsby. First, he is both narrator and participant. Part of Fitzgerald's skill in The Great Gatsby shines through the way he cleverly makes Nick a focal point of the action, while simultaneously allowing him to remain sufficiently in the background. In addition, Nick has the distinct honor of being the only character who changes substantially from the story's beginning to its end. Nick, although he initially seems outside the action, slowly moves to the forefront, becoming an important vehicle for the novel's messages. nick is a special character as he tells the story without "coloring" it. he simply says his mind and is very transparent to his dealings. if daisy was the narrator the story would sound different and have a whole meaning to it.

2) For the valley of ashes, It represents the moral and social decay that results from the uninhibited pursuit of wealth, as the rich indulge themselves with regard for nothing but their own pleasure. The valley of ashes also symbolizes the plight of the poor, like George Wilson, who live among the dirty ashes and lose their vitality as a result. and the Eyes of Dr T.J. Eckleburg may represent God staring down upon and judging American society as a moral wasteland, though the novel never makes this point explicitly.

i hope this helped