Jay Gatsby in “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald is one of the most interesting males in fictional literature, even though he is not a dynamic and changing character during the novel. In fact, Jay Gatsby has changed little since he was a teenager. He was born as James Gatz to poor farmers in North Dakota and he decided at an early age that he wanted more out of life than North Dakota could offer. He leaves home to find excitement and wealth. While lounging on the beach one day, he sees a yacht docked off the coast. He borrows a boat and rows out to introduce himself to the owner of the yacht; the owner takes a liking to young James Gatz and offers him a job. When he takes the job he leaves behind the identity of James Gatz forever; the rest of his life he will be known as Jay Gatsby, an incurable and idealistic romantic who fills his life with unrealistic dreams – to capture the past.…
In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the main character, Jay Gatsby, is a rich man originally from North Dakota. Before fighting in World War I, he meets a young girl named Daisy, and the two fall in love. Daisy says she will wait for him, but marries Tom Buchanan and moves to Long Island, New York. This prompts Gatsby to relocate to West Egg in Long Island to be close to Daisy. The narrator, Nick Carraway, reveals that Gatsby acquired his wealth dishonestly and harbors an unhealthy obsession for Daisy. Gatsby’s upbringing as a poor Midwesterner, along with his teenage love for Daisy, motivates his future actions and shapes his character.…
Within The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby’s true self is identified as each chapter progresses. In the beginning, he is a character met with intrigue and wonder; everyone that meets Mr. Gatsby is impressed by the air of sophistication and aristocracy that he upholds. When Nick finally decides to tell the reader about Gatsby’s past, the reader has come to pity Gatsby a little because of the bits and pieces of Gatsby’s life that the reader has put together, such as that he was forced to leave Daisy and that he isn’t telling the whole truth about his life. Nick exposes that Gatsby grew up poor despite how he makes himself appear as if he were always wealthy, and he tells of how Gatsby dissembled his past, even his real name – James Gatz. Nick tells the reader that Gatsby created the man that he is today. Gatsby, Nick says, “sprang from his Platonic conception of himself” and “invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end” (Fitzgerald 98). Gatsby does this to seem stronger and to achieve more than he feels the poor 17-year-old James Gatz ever was or could. Because of Gatsby’s false pretenses, many of the characters doubt him as the story presses on. Tom and Jordan both question whether or not he actually went to Oxford, and Tom questions whether or not he is a worthy man when Gatsby avoids questions or blatantly answers them with lies – he definitely questions Gatsby’s character when he discovers Gatsby is adulterating with his wife. Gatsby’s lies lead to Daisy having doubts about both men in her life and he becomes the most pitiable character in the…
Jay Gatsby can be characterized as a war veteran who is simply desperate to regain his young love, Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby has spent many years changing his life in order to win Daisy back, but when they finally meet again, “… Daisy tumbled short of his dreams” (Fitzgerald 95). Gatsby spent years building up an elaborate imagination of what he thought Daisy would be like when he finally met with her again. Not only does he spend many years thinking about her, he uses his time becoming the man he thinks Daisy wants. The way Gatsby changes his whole life for a woman speaks loudly about his character.…
Jay Gatsby is a puzzling character to comprehend. One may wonder how it is possible he has not achieved his dream. He lives the most wealthy lifestyle imaginable and throws parties that are the talk of the town. The reason Gatsby has not achieved his dream is because he is not truly happy. Before he went to war, he was in love with Daisy; however, while he was away he received the news that Daisy was marrying Tom Buchannan. After this, Gatsby’s entire life is…
Throughout works of literature, when a person has to deal with external pressures, forces beyond his or her control, either his true character is revealed, or what already comprises his personality is magnified. In the novel the Great Gatsby, the character Jay Gatsby is defined and clarified by the way that he faces external forces. Gatsby’s goal was to get Daisy at all cost, so he did everything to do so and this corrupted him.…
When Gatsby found out that Daisy married Tom Buchanan, he lost himself. Gatsby was only worried about Daisy and what she wanted, for he needed to win her over to reach his goal. He focused so much on Daisy that he lost comprehension of his possible character collapse that could occur if he went too far with her pampering and temptation to take her from Tom. Gatsby has wasted many years trying to live up to the American dream and gain wealth. However, Jay has failed to realize that the so called “American Dream” doesn’t exist, for the society has become selfish and grouped into classes. Because of this and the fact that he was considered “new money”, Jay was powerless in the task of reaching Daisy’s class and rating. Jay was prepared to take the blame for Daisy, when she accidentally hit and killed Myrtle Wilson, Tom’s mistress. Because everyone believed that Gatsby did the bad deed, Nick told him to flee the town, but he stayed, for he couldn’t leave Daisy. After George Wilson, Myrtle’s husband, shot and killed Gatsby to gain revenge, Daisy left the town and didn’t attend Jay’s funeral, which led to the end of Jay’s character breakdown. Gatsby’s character downfall and ordeal were negatively impacted by his need to achieve the American dream and Daisy’s…
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the main character Jay Gatsby is the tragic hero in the novel. Gatsby is a rich man who falls in love with a woman from his past, but could not be with her; instead, he ended up alone and was killed.…
In chapter six the truth about Jay Gatsby comes out. Gatsby’s real name is James Gatz. We also find out that Gatsby lived on a farm on West Egg. Also Gatsby attended Lutheran College of St. Olaf in southern Minnesota. He attended there for two weeks. He didn’t like that he had to work as a janitor. Then he started working for Dan Cody on Lake Superior. (98-99) Not only is the truth mentioned about Gatsby and his background but why he acts the way he acts. Gatsby and Daisy have a history and Gatsby would do anything to be around Daisy. In fact Gatsby had put together parties for Daisy without her knowing. Novel such as the Great Gatsby aren’t the only kind of a reading that can have the topic of truth involved.…
The mystery behind Jay Gatsby allows for him to become one of the most intriguing members of the upper class. As Gatsby’s background unravels, it becomes clear that Fitzgerald chose Jay Gatsby as the main character because he defies every social normality in the 1920’s. By Fitzgerald’s writing, the reader realizes that Gatsby’s mindset separates him from others. Everything Gatsby has accomplished in the past five years is because of his dedication, ambition, and integrity in following in his dreams which Fitzgerald greatly admires. The social class one is born into is the one they belong to their entire life, unless you are Jay Gatsby. Although Gatsby attempts to convince people that his entire life has consisted of lavish and wealthy things,…
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby isn’t like any other New Yorker, he is from the West, and gives respect to everyone that comes upon his presence because he has one goal he focused on as he went to the war and one common goal that every American wants to achieve. He was friendly to many people, not by talking or knowing them, but by the use of his money. He threw enormous parties every weekend for one reason, they were all for his one dream, to fall in love with Daisy Buchanan. He also could afford all of these parties because he was the American Dream. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby portrays all of the qualities of a tragic hero in Jay Gatsby.…
In The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway said, “It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance that one may come across four or five times in life. It faced - or seemed to face - the whole eternal world for an instant, and then concentrated on you, with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you so far as you would like to be understood, believed in you as far as you would like to believe in yourself.” (Fitzgerald 48) Nick believed Jay Gatsby was strong-minded and resolute in his odyssey; he believed Gatsby was great. A great man is selfless, honest, and trustworthy. He is sincere, has strong values, and does things for the benefit of others. Greatness means to be everything that you can be during the time you are alive and leaving that legacy behind for others to follow.…
The main character of the book is also the inspiration of the title, Jay Gatsby (SparkNotes…). He is a complicated character and we get to know him at many different stages of his life. We meet him as extravagantly rich and successful Gatsby, (Ross). He has the means to have extravagant parties every Saturdays, but he seems to be desperately searching for something. We learn about the history of Gatsby When learn that at one point he was called James Gatz (The Great Gatsby). He was poor and dreamed of the day he would have all the money he wanted. He fell in love with Daisy before leaving to fight in the war, but the pressure of parents and society were so great to marry someone in her ‘class’, she broke and married Tom. When Gatsby returned and realized Daisy had married, he was heartbroken. He worked for Dan Cody; a bootlegger involved with illegal things. Gatsby gets…
The Great Gatsby is a book about Jay Gatsby's quest for Daisy Buchanan. During the book, Jay tries numerous times at his best to grasp his dream of being with Daisy. The narrator of the book Nick Carraway finds himself in a pool of corruption and material wealth. Near the end, Nick finally realizes that what he is involved in isn't the lifestyle that he thought it was previously, and he tries to correct his mistake.…
Jay Gatsby is a conspicuous example of the success and the breakdown of a corrupted society. Gatsby, initially appears to be a self-made, wealthy man, and is a remarkable example of how hard work can lead to success through perseverance. Gatsby had everything that he desired, except love. Gatsby tried everything in his power to relive the past and recapture Daisy's love, but her failed to to do so. His dreams were shattered when he asked Daisy to admit that she had never loved Tom, and she refused to do so: "I did love him once.. but i loved you too"(140). this was the turning point in their relationship, and the begining of the end of their love affair. Although Gatsby is personified as a high class, intelligent man, this personification starts to diminish when his superficial side is shown.…