Jay Gatsby Character Analysis
James Gatz
The character Jay Gatsby, also known as James Gatz, is the key character in The Great Gatsby. He started out as a poor farmer’s son in North Dakota, and dropped out of college in Minnesota. He joined the military and during training meets Daisy, a beautiful rich woman living nearby, whom he falls in love with. Gatsby is soon shipped out for the war. Daisy then marries Tom Buchanan who is a rich aristocrat whose social standing is the same as Daisy’s, her ideal partner. Gatsby becomes rich from bootlegging after coming back from the war to impress and win back Daisy. Jay Gatsby carries a dark shroud around his past which makes him very mysterious to other characters in the book as well as to readers.
Gatsby is an extremely generous man considering his roots as a poor farmer’s son. He claims to come from money but he was actually the son of a very poor farmer in North Dakota. Coming from no money he throws around his money frivolously like he always wished he could as a young boy. Gatsby throws parties every weekend, which anyone can attend and have a good time. At his parties there is always plenty of food and much to drink as well as music and dancing. At one of his parties, a woman named Lucille tore her dress on a chair, Gatsby heard of this and asked her for her name and address. Gatsby then bought her a new dress worth $265 and sent it to her within a week. “When I was here last I tore my gown on a chair...I got a package from Croirier’s with a new evening gown in it” (Fitzgerald 43). Gatsby buys the dress because loves to flaunt his money for people to see how rich he is, and for Daisy to see how rich he’s become. He also offers Nick, Gatsby’s neighbor and Daisy’s cousin, a job in his business knowing he might need a little more money. Even though Nick didn’t take Gatsby up on his job offer it still shows that Gatsby trusts Nick and is a generous gesture. Gatsby is also generous in taking the blame for the death of Myrtle, Tom’s
The character Jay Gatsby, also known as James Gatz, is the key character in The Great Gatsby. He started out as a poor farmer’s son in North Dakota, and dropped out of college in Minnesota. He joined the military and during training meets Daisy, a beautiful rich woman living nearby, whom he falls in love with. Gatsby is soon shipped out for the war. Daisy then marries Tom Buchanan who is a rich aristocrat whose social standing is the same as Daisy’s, her ideal partner. Gatsby becomes rich from bootlegging after coming back from the war to impress and win back Daisy. Jay Gatsby carries a dark shroud around his past which makes him very mysterious to other characters in the book as well as to readers.
Gatsby is an extremely generous man considering his roots as a poor farmer’s son. He claims to come from money but he was actually the son of a very poor farmer in North Dakota. Coming from no money he throws around his money frivolously like he always wished he could as a young boy. Gatsby throws parties every weekend, which anyone can attend and have a good time. At his parties there is always plenty of food and much to drink as well as music and dancing. At one of his parties, a woman named Lucille tore her dress on a chair, Gatsby heard of this and asked her for her name and address. Gatsby then bought her a new dress worth $265 and sent it to her within a week. “When I was here last I tore my gown on a chair...I got a package from Croirier’s with a new evening gown in it” (Fitzgerald 43). Gatsby buys the dress because loves to flaunt his money for people to see how rich he is, and for Daisy to see how rich he’s become. He also offers Nick, Gatsby’s neighbor and Daisy’s cousin, a job in his business knowing he might need a little more money. Even though Nick didn’t take Gatsby up on his job offer it still shows that Gatsby trusts Nick and is a generous gesture. Gatsby is also generous in taking the blame for the death of Myrtle, Tom’s