Meet the Characters

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

As the novel opens, Fitzgerald reveals quite a few personality traits of the characters introduced. Already, I have met Nick Carraway, Tom Buchanan, Miss Baker, Daisy, and the mysterious Gatsby. 

Carraway, the narrator, is a somewhat passive, cautious, and patient man. He grew up in the mid-west, but after fighting in the Great War (WWI), he moved to the East in search of more excitement. So far, he seems to be set apart from the other characters who are far richer than he is. I expect Fitzgerald will indirectly reveal many other characteristics as the novel progresses.

Another character, Tom Buchanan interests me quite a bit. So far, he appears to be fiery, pushy, harsh, arrogant, rude, and many other adjectives along those lines. "Two shining arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward" (Fitzgerald, 7). Through quotes like this, Fitzgerald directly tells the reader qualities of this explosive character. He seems to be controlling, and I think that because of this he will cause problems later on in the novel.

Miss Baker, presented with less prominence than other characters, appears to be of wealth. She seemed to look down upon Carraway by ignoring him when he first entered and when they ate dinner with the Buchanans. Despite this seemingly uninterested start, I would guess that some type of friendship or romance could develop between Miss Baker and Carraway. 

In addition to Miss Baker, Fitzgerald also presented Daisy Buchanan. Daisy seems to be polite, especially when compared to her husband. Although, I am curious about this relationship. The two seem very opposite, yet they appear to get along fairly well. "I know you didn't mean to, but you did do it. That's what I get for marrying a brute of a man, a great, big hulking physical specimen of a ---" (Fitzgerald, 12). In this conversation, Daisy seems to tease her husband in a playful kind of way, which makes their relationship seem to be a good one. I am curious to know if their relationship will change. 

Finally, the Great Gatsby was introduced at the beginning of this novel. So far I have learned that he is the wealthy neighbor of Carraway, but other than this, he seems to be fairly mysterious. Fitzgerald mentioned him multiple times through various characters, yet he still remains a mystery to me. He is obviously extremely important otherwise the novel would not be named The Great Gatsby. I don't quite know how he will fit into the plot. Perhaps he and Daisy will develop a relationship. I say this because when Gatsby's name was mentioned, she seemed like she had something to hide. Lets see what happens!