Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Significance in the social classes in the great gatsby
Significance in the social classes in the great gatsby
Character traits of jay gatsby
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Jay Gatsby – Jay Gatsby is a young man who is immensely rich. He had stated his fortune had come from an inheritance which he used to travel the world on his own until part of the money was used up to where he settles into a mansion in the village of West Egg on Long Island. He was better known for the grand parties he threw so often, yet never fully attended his own ones. By that of he would never be too active in what was going on at the time, be it mingling with the party guests, or dancing to the full orchestras which he would hire to attend and perform during his parties. His real name, however, was James Gatz. He changed it on his own will to essentially obtain a fresh start from his decrepit life. Throughout the novel, we learn …show more content…
He and Nick have known each other from their days at Yale. Tom isn’t the best of people as he was having an affair with Daisy and another woman that goes by the name of Myrtle. He doesn’t and moral or physical issues with having his affair, and is a large hypocrite. This is due to when he thinks that Gatsby and Daisy may also be having an affair behind his back; he is enraged by this and demands an explanation from both parties. He also lied to a man named George Wilson that when a car struck Myrtle, his wife, that it was Gatsby driving instead of telling the truth, that it had been Daisy who was actually driving, ultimately leading to Gatsby’s demise.
Myrtle Wilson – She is the wife of George Wilson, and also Tom’s second lover. She is only treated as a mere object, a play toy, by Tom instead of what love she could have received from George, by reason of she unfortunately chooses to love Tom instead.
George Wilson – George is the husband of Myrtle Wilson, who is having an affair with Tom. George idolizes his wife and is devastated by the idea of Myrtle having an affair. He also owns a meager auto shop nearby the valley of ashes. George is seething with anger once he realizes that his wife is killed, and when he is told that it was Gatsby, who struck the killing blow to her, he hunts him down and fatally shooting him and then committing
…show more content…
He rents a place neighboring to the vastly rich Jay Gatsby, who hosted parties quite often. Nick then visits his cousin and her husband; Daisy and Tom Buchanan, where he first meets his later love interest, Jordan Baker. Jordan is a young girl who is also a professional golfer. In this time, it also reveals to Nick that Tom also has a second love interest, Myrtle Wilson. After this is revealed, Tom and Nick travel to the valley of ashes, where Myrtle lives. An argument breaks out upon Tom and Myrtle and it ultimately ends up in Tom breaking Myrtle’s nose. Soon after Nick receives an invite to one of Gatsby’s parties in which he meets Jordan Baker for the second time and meets Gatsby for the first time after moving to New York City. It is revealed that Nick and Gatsby were in the same World War I division and that Gatsby also has a love interest in Daisy, even though she is married to Tom. The full reason that Gatsby decided to start in the bootlegging game was an attempt to impress Daisy enough to leave Tom and go for Gatsby again. Gatsby then invites Nick, calling him “old sport” as he had called everybody that he had known, to go for a ride on his hydroplane and to grab lunch with him. This is when we are first introduced to Meyer Wolfsheim, who is one of Gatsby’s links in the bootlegging business. Nick also notices how often
A part of the novel that had heavy effect on Nick Carraway was when he hides Toms secrets and as well as Daisy and Gatsby’s. Tom reveals that he has an affair with another woman named Myrtle, but Nick doesn't tell daisy about it. Also, Gatsby was Daisy’s first love. Nick helped them meet, and have affairs behind Tom’s back. He was covering the mistake of others which can end up in huge problems if revealed. Sadly, Nick decides to stay silent from both side, and ended up getting along with everything. Because of this, another mess occurred; Myrtle dies in a car accident. Slowly, Nick becomes devastated with all this, and starts to change a bit.
While The Great Gatsby is a highly specific portrait of American society during the Roaring Twenties, its story is also one that has been told hundreds of times, and is perhaps as old as America itself: a man claws his way from rags to riches, only to find that his wealth cannot afford him the privileges enjoyed by those born into the upper class. The central character is Jay Gatsby, a wealthy New Yorker of indeterminate occupation. Gatsby is primarily known for the lavish parties he throws every weekend at his ostentatious Gothic mansion in West Egg. He is suspected of being involved in illegal bootlegging and other underworld activities.
When they were married, they “spent a year in France for no particular reason” while Nick used the family wealth wisely and lived humbly. Daisy is aware that Tom is cheating on her when the phone rings and he answers because she mentions to Nick she hopes her daughter grows up to be a “beautiful little fool” (21) because ignorance is bliss. In The Great Gatsby, kids are not a significant part of the story; just like in Henrik Ibsen’s “A Dolls House”, they are simply just shown off and played with by the parents and later sent away to be taken care of while the adults did their normal activities. While Tom cheats on her with Myrtle Wilson, she does the same to him with Gatsby. When Gatsby was at the Buchanan house for drinks, as Tom left the room, Daisy grabs Gatsby and starts kissing him, proclaiming “I don't care!” (122) . She said this because she tried to show her love for Gatsby, this is not only a lie she told the others,but herself as well. Later on in the story, when she and Gatsby were driving, they ran over Myrtle Wilson and killed her but showed no signs of remorse later. Jordan Baker, a young golf player who is just as immoral as the other lavish rich people in her company , asks to see Nick after Myrtle Wilson was killed but he refuses because he is overcome with shock by the
Though the story is told from Nick’s point of view, the reader gets many perspectives of Gatsby from different characters. One can see from characters like Jordan Baker -Nick’s girlfriend through the majority of the novel, or Tom- the husband of Nick’s cousin Daisy; that Gatsby is not as good as everyone where to think. Based on how these characters act and feel about Mr. Gatsby it is evident that they dislike him to some extent, showing a bit more of a flawed human side of him. Tom is quoted saying “I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and I wasn't far wrong.” about Gatsby depicting Tom’s harsh feelings towards him and showing the reader Tom’s negative feelings about Gatsby. Because the story is told from Nick’s point of view, Gatsby is still painted as this mysterious man because Nick is a bit curious of him and does not know Gatsby in the beginning. ‘"They're a rotten crowd," I shouted across the lawn. "You're worth the whole damn bunch put together."’ Nick says to Gatsby, showing that he thinks he is worth more than Daisy, Tom, or the other characters. With this quote one can infer that Nick holds Gatsby on a bit of a high platform than the other characters, giving the reader Nick’s indirect characterization of
His duplicity continues, as he meets Tom’s mistress, and later arranges Daisy and Gatsby’s meeting, even going as far as to say “don’t bring Tom” (85). These are clear deceptions and violations of trust, which both reveal that Nick is not the honest and forthright man he wants the reader to believe his is; on the contrary, in many ways he is the opposite of honest and forthright. However, Nick’s most clearly professed lie is in protection of Daisy, when Tom insists that Gatsby had killed Myrtle, and Nick remains silent, forgoing telling Tom about the “one unutterable fact,” - that it had not been Gatsby who was driving the car when it had hit Myrtle, but Daisy - in favor of protecting Daisy (178). This obvious deception shows that despite Nick’s conviction in his honest character he does not neglect others, who depend on him. Once again, Nick mischaracterizes his traits and even fails to recognize his deceptions and violations of trust as being dishonest, failing to evaluate his own
He meets a particularly mysterious man, his neighbor, Jay Gatsby. Through Gatsby, he meets people from the East Egg of Long Island, who are considered to be of "old money," wealth or business that has been inherited through generations. Over time, Nick and Jay became great friends. Nick helps Gatsby learn about himself and his aspirations in life, and vice versa.
Then Gatsby sends for him to come and meet him. At first Nick has no idea
After finally realizing the situation, Tom agrees with Daisy's suggestion that they should all go to New York together. Nick rides with Jordan and Tom in Gatsby's car; Gatsby and Daisy ride together in Tom's car. Stopping for gas at Wilson's garage, Nick, Tom, and Jordan learn that Wilson has discovered his wife's affair and plans to move her to the West. Nick perceives that Tom and Wilson are in the same position. Tom begins his confrontation with Gatsby by mocking his habit and the fact that he claimed he went to Oxford.
And Nick finds out that he is very violent and sees how completely wrong in doing that , and doing something a gentleman should not do. This bash was used by Myrtle to show off Tom. The third celebration, Nick is invited by Gatsby. “ I believe that on the first night I went to Gatsby’s house, I was one of the few guests who actually been invited.”(“Fitzgerald” 41) The others arrive knowing only that there will be a party and they won't be turned away. At the party Nick tries to find Gatsby , but no luck. No one can tell where he is , they said they didn't know who the host even was , people just came uninvited. As Nick roams around the party , he sees Jordan Baker, “And I like parties they're so intimate, at small parties there isn't any privacy.” (“Fitzgerald” 54) , the two of them were being eavesdroppers while hanging around, listening to rumors about Gatsby, Saying that he once killed a man. Later on, Jordan talks with Gatsby privately , then Nick finally meets him. The fourth party,
Even though he had some thought that the meeting would provoke harmful tensions between Tom, Daisy, and Gatsby, he went along with it anyways, further demonstrating his own innate lack of reservation. Ultimately, Nick is an unreliable narrator who overlooks Gatsby’s lies because of his biased judgment of him. Nick portrays Gatsby as a generous and charismatic figure while in reality, he is a duplicative and obsessed man entangled in illegal business who is determined on an unattainable goal. It is highly ironic that Nick judges others for their lack of morality and honesty; his own character is plagued by lies as he abets Gatsby in many of his schemes.
As Nick and Gatsby become more acquainted, Nick is invited to dine with Gatsby for lunch. They arrive at the restaurant, and eat while engaging with one of Gatsby’s business partners. After the three enjoy their lunch, Nick bumps into Tom Buchanan, the husband of Nick’s cousin, Daisy. Attempting to introduce Gatsby to Tom, an “…unfamiliar look of embarrassment came over Gatsby face… I turned towards Mr. Gatsby, but he was no longer there” (74). The reason for his disappearance is unknown, thus adding to the ambiguity of Gatsby.
At the hotel gathering, Gatsby struggles to persuade Daisy to confront her husband and she responds with “Oh, you want too much! . . . I did love him once--but I loved you too” (Fitzgerald 132). Daisy desperately tries to satisfy Gatsby but his imagination blocks his mind to such a degree that it eliminates his chances of learning how to comprehend reality. After Myrtle’s murder, Nick advises Gatsby to leave town but instead he realizes that “[Gatsby] wouldn’t consider it. He couldn’t possibly leave Daisy until he knew what she was going to do. He was clutching at some last hope and I couldn’t bear to shake him free” (Fitzgerald 148). No matter how hard Nick attempts to help him make the better choice, Gatsby continues to skew his priorities like a juvenile. Unfortunately for Gatsby, Daisy stays with Tom, a more secure and experienced adult, leaving Gatsby alone. As Gatsby’s life loses his vitality, he obviously needs learn how to act like an adult and survive in the world; but unable to accomplish this, Wilson kills him soon
Following a particularly emotionally strenuous encounter between he and Gatsby, Tom recommends that the whole group (Gatsby, himself, Nick Carraway, Daisy and Jordan Baker), head downtown, but insists that the two men swap cars. Daisy and Gatsby, who have unknowingly been suspected of their affair by Tom take off and, drunkenly, run over a woman who has run out into the street. Daisy’s hands were on the wheel. When the husband of the deceased woman inquires what really happened to Tom, as she was killed with his car. Tom blames Gatsby, and why should he not? As far as Tom knew, Gatsby was a frivolous, careless and untrustworthy man-- and all of this as a result of Gatsby’s own actions. Gatsby lives a gaudy and attention-seeking life solely for the recognition of one woman, he blatantly lies about his past and does not believe that he will be caught, and made passes at Tom’s wife right in front of him. A mix of retribution and mistaken identity take George Wilson, the woman’s wife, to Gatsby’s home, where he patiently awaits a phone call from Daisy-- presumably professing her love for him or something of the like-- that will never come. Gatsby is shot by Wilson, believing until the very end that his forbidden fruit was not lethal, and that he possessed the innate right to all of his greatest desires. It is remarked by Nick that Gatsby “paid a high price for living too long with a single dream” (Fitzgerald 163);
This is a result of Nick realizing that Gatsby is unbelievably self-centered. Nick also notices that Gatsby is delusional. He notices this due to Gatsby thinking that simply because he wants to be with Daisy, she also wants to be with him. Gatsby believes that Daisy wants to leave Tom, and that she will say “she never loved Tom or had any feelings for him”(109). Gatsby truly believes that she will do this as a result of her having feelings for him.
Daisy was Nick’s second cousin once removed, and Tom Buchanan was Daisy’s hulking brute of a husband and classmate of Nick’s from college. Jordan Baker, a prominent tennis player of the time, was staying with Daisy and Tom. As they sat down and chatted, it was Jordan who mentioned Gatsby, saying that she had been to one of his extravagant parties that he held every weekend. The four sat down to dinner when Tom received a phone call, which Daisy suspected to be from Tom’s mistress. Afterwards, Daisy and Nick talked and Jordan and Tom went out to walk about the grounds. Daisy talked about her little daughter and how when she was born Tom was not even there and she had wished out loud that she would be a fool, for that was the only way she could ever be happy. The four met again at the house and then Jordan went to bed and Nick went home.