Question

excerpt from the great gatsby
by f. scott fitzgerald
chapter 1
in my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that i’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.
\whenever you feel like criticizing any one,\ he told me, \just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.\
he didn’t say any more, but we’ve always been unusually communicative in a reserved way, and i understood that he meant a great deal more than that. in consequence, i’m inclined to reserve all judgments, a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me and also made me the victim of not a few veteran bores. the abnormal mind is quick to detect and attach itself to this quality when it appears in a normal person, and so it came about that in college i was unjustly accused of being a politician, because i was privy to the secret griefs of wild, unknown men. most of the confidences were unsought—frequently i have feigned sleep, preoccupation, or a hostile levity when i realized by some unmistakable sign that an intimate revelation was quivering on the horizon; for the intimate...
the one on my right was a colossal affair by any standard—it was a factual imitation of some hôtel de ville in normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden.
what does this description about gatsby’s house reveal about his character?
he comes from inherited money, and his house is a clear reflection of this.
he is newly wealthy individual who aspires to project a false image of himself.
he is a man of impeccable taste who aspires to have the finest house in west egg.
he loves his house and has put a lot of time and money into its construction.

Explanation:

To determine the correct option, we analyze the description of Gatsby’s house: it’s a “factual imitation” of a French hotel, “spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy,” and has elaborate features. In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is newly wealthy (self - made, not inherited) and uses his house to project an image of wealth and sophistication to win Daisy back, creating a false image of himself.

• The first option is wrong because Gatsby’s money is not inherited.
• The third option is wrong as the house is an imitation, not a sign of “impeccable taste.”
• The fourth option is wrong because the focus is on the symbolic meaning of the house for Gatsby’s identity, not just his love for the house.

Answer:

He is newly wealthy individual who aspires to project a false image of himself.