Entry No. 3

 

Entry No. 3: Character Development

Character Development: Chapters 1-3

In chapter 1 I was introduced to Nick Carraway, a 30-year-old man who lives in the United States and moves East to learn the bond business. We learn that he is a member of a rich family who earned their fortune by sending substitutes to the Civil War so they could start a wholesale hardware business that continues to thrive years later. 

In chapter 1 I was also introduced to Daisy and Tom Buchanan. Daisy is Nick’s second cousin and Nick met Tom (Daisy’s husband) when they were both in college. Tom played football at New Haven and is known as one of the best players of his time. As a result of his athletic skills, Tom is a very wealthy man, both him and Daisy live in beautiful Mansion in East Egg overlooking a lake. 

When the reader is first introduced to Tom he is described as a “a sturdy straw-haired man of thirty, with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner.” (Fitzgerald 11) Tom’s superiority complex becomes even more apparent when he takes Nick Carraway for a tour of his house, he practically pushes him from one room to the next speaking gruffly about how nice it is. 

Meanwhile, the book describes Tom’s wife Daisy as beautiful and charming, when Nick sees her, he says that she looks up into his face promising that there was no one in the world she wanted to see more. (Fitzgerald 13)

Finally, in the middle of chapter three we are introduced to the main character, Jay Gatsby. Nick meets Gatsby at one of his extravagant parties, he is described as a man a year or two over thirty with elaborate formality and eloquent speech. He seems kind and genuine and Nick describes his smile as filled with eternal reassurance and understanding. (Fitzgerald 52, 53)

Character Development: Chapters 4-6

By the beginning of chapter 4, Gatsby and Nick appear to be good acquaintances. So much so that while on a drive together, Gatsby tells Nick his story and how he acquired so much wealth. He claims that he is the son of wealthy people in the Middle West who are all deceased and was educated at Oxford because it was a family tradition. However, Nick does not believe Gatsby’s story since he kept glancing sideways and seemed uncomfortable when telling it.

This interaction helped me to see that Nick is a clever detail-oriented man who is not quick to believe the first think he hears unless there is solid evidence. This interaction also confirms my previous suspicions that there is more to Gatsby than meets the eye and that he is clearly hiding something. 

Towards the end of chapter 4, we learn about Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan’s history. Five years ago, the pair appeared to be romantically involved until Gatsby went to go serve in the army in 1918. A year later in 1919, Daisy got engaged to Tom and on the eve of her wedding night she received a letter from Gatsby which almost made her call off the wedding. However, she decided to proceed with the marriage and according to a close friend of hers, was truly in love with Tom. But despite this Gatsby never stopped loving her and when he returned to the East years later, he bought a house in West Egg that was purposely right across Daisy’s over on East Egg. 

This explains Gatsby’s somewhat awkward reaction when Nick introduced him to Tom Buchanan. It also explains in part why Gatsby was so friendly to Nick since the beginning since he knew well that he and Daisy were cousins. Once all of this information has been revealed to Nick and the reader, Gatsby asks Nick to invite Daisy to his house for tea so that he can see her again.  

Character Development: Chapters 7-9

A few weeks after Daisy and Gatsby have rekindled their love chapter 7 starts with Nick describing Gatsby’s house as unusually silent as of late with no more extravagant parties that last until dawn. Nick also finds out the Gatsby has replaced almost all of his servants, when he questions Gatsby about this, Gatsby explains that he is doing it for Daisy. Daisy does not like Gatsby’s house parties and often comes to see him in the afternoons. As result, Gatsby has stopped throwing parties and has replaced his staff to avoid any rumours about him and Daisy. 

This information reveals to the reader just how important Daisy is for Gatsby, not only was he willing to wait five years to see her again, he was also ready to change his whole lifestyle and persona for her. Neither Daisy nor Gatsby seem to feel any shame for their affair as they seem to be perfectly happy giving into their own selfish pleasures rather than doing what’s best for Daisy’s family. 

At the end of chapter 8, Gatsby is tragically shot by George Wilson who believes that he killed his wife Myrtle Wilson in a car accident. Nick does his best to make sure that Gatsby has a dignified funeral, tracking down everyone Gatsby has ever known and insisting that they attend. This reveals that at the end of Gatsby’s life him and Nick must have been very close and Nick’s appreciation for him must have ran deep.

However, we notice that as Nick is making the funeral preparations, Tom and Daisy leave their home without a word and neither show up to the burial. This does not sit well with Nick and he describes them saying they were careless people who retreated back into their money and let other people clean up their messes. (Fitzgerald 187, 188) Clearly, Tom and Daisy maintained their vanity and me first attitude until the very end.