preview

Character Analysis Of The Great Gatsby

Decent Essays

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby may be perceived as a trustworthy and good man, but the complete opposite is true. Gatsby embellishes his best features, but hides his worst. He does everything he possibly can to give the illusion that he has a perfect life, but never addresses his personal issues. Gatsby’s true personality differs greatly from how he presents himself, as proven by his tendencies to be unrealistic, immoral, and dishonest. Gatsby is a character who enjoys living in his own reality. After Daisy chooses Tom over him, Gatsby spends five years believing that she will choose him one day. He truly believes that Daisy, although she is already married and has a child, will abandon her life for him. Once Gatsby becomes involved with Daisy, he expects her to leave her husband after a very short period of time. When he says, “Daisy, that's all over now...It doesn't matter any more. Just tell him the truth— that you never loved him– and it's all wiped out forever… You never loved him,” (132), the reader sees just how unrealistic he is being, as he wants Daisy to tell her own husband that she never loved him. Gatsby doesn't think about other people’s feelings, he only thinks about his own feelings and how he can benefit from the weaknesses of other people. In addition, Gatsby believes him and Daisy can pick up where they left off five years ago, but he realizes this isn’t the case when he sees her daughter. Another example of Gatsby’s unrealistic tendencies is when he is at Nick’s house waiting for Daisy to arrive at 4 PM. She says she will arrive at 4 PM, but Gatsby begins worrying even before then that she won't show. Two minutes before Daisy’s expected time of arrival, Gatsby is extremely worried and says, “Nobody’s coming to tea. It's too late!... I can't wait all day,” (85) and Nick recognizes his strange behavior and responds, “Don't be silly; it's just two minutes to four,” (85). This shows how unrealistic he's being, because even Nick notices this and needs to assure him that he's overreacting. Similarly, Gatsby is portrayed to be a very immoral person. When Gatsby wants to be involved with a married woman, it is evident to the reader that what he is doing is morally

Get Access