Gatsby Motivation

This worksheet helps students in Grades 9-10 analyze character motivation, textual evidence, literary themes, close reading, and interpretation through key passages from The Great Gatsby. Students closely examine Gatsby’s pursuit of Daisy, his attachment to the past, and the tension between illusion and reality as they develop deeper insight into Fitzgerald’s character development and the American Dream.

Learning Goals

• Character Motivation Analysis (Grades 9-10) – Examine how Gatsby’s desires and beliefs influence his choices and actions throughout the novel.
• Text Evidence & Interpretation – Require students to cite direct quotes and explain how evidence supports their analytical responses.
• Theme Exploration – Analyze idealism, obsession, illusion vs. reality, and the American Dream as revealed through Gatsby’s behavior.
• Literary Reasoning – Strengthen students’ ability to move beyond summary and into thoughtful, text-based analysis.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource – Designed by experienced educators to align with secondary ELA standards.
• Flexible Classroom Use – Works well for independent practice, small-group discussion, literature circles, or assessment.
• Skill-Focused Questions – Includes four structured analytical questions that promote higher-order thinking.
• Supports Diverse Learners – Clear prompts encourage both emerging and advanced literary analysis skills.

This printable worksheet supports close reading, critical thinking, and theme analysis by guiding students to examine how Gatsby’s dreams shape the plot and reveal deeper meaning. It reinforces textual evidence, character motivation, and literary interpretation in a focused, manageable format. Whether used in a high school classroom or a homeschool literature unit, this resource helps students engage more thoughtfully with Fitzgerald’s novel and its enduring themes.

This worksheet is part of our Classic Literature Worksheets collection.