Characters in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald; This Literature prose is the official literature text for IJMB Literature from 2021 – 2024, IJMB students are advised to study this summary after they read the book.
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Characters in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Major Characters:
Read: Themes In The Book The Great Gatsby
- Jay Gatsby: The enigmatic and wealthy protagonist of the novel. Gatsby is deeply in love with Daisy Buchanan and spends years amassing wealth and throwing lavish parties in an attempt to win her back. He is driven by his pursuit of the American Dream and becomes a symbol of the illusions and hollowness underlying the quest for material success.
- Nick Carraway: The narrator of the story and a young man from the Midwest. Nick moves to New York City to work in the bond business and becomes entangled in the lives of the characters surrounding him. He is portrayed as an outsider and serves as a moral compass, providing insights into the world of wealth, privilege, and moral decay.
- Daisy Buchanan: Nick’s cousin and the object of Gatsby’s affection. Daisy is a beautiful and wealthy woman married to Tom Buchanan. She is torn between her love for Gatsby and her loyalty to her husband. Daisy embodies the shallowness and lack of authenticity prevalent in the upper class.
- Tom Buchanan: Daisy’s husband and a former college football star. Tom comes from old money and represents the established elite. He is arrogant, racist, and unfaithful to Daisy. Tom embodies the corruption and moral decay of the upper class, using his wealth and power to manipulate and control those around him.
- Jordan Baker: A professional golfer and friend of Daisy. Jordan is a cynical and independent woman who becomes romantically involved with Nick. She is portrayed as detached and morally ambiguous, reflecting the moral ambiguity of the society she belongs to.
Minor Characters:
- Myrtle Wilson: Tom Buchanan’s mistress and George Wilson’s wife. Myrtle is trapped in an unhappy marriage and longs for a luxurious lifestyle. She represents the desire for social mobility and the destructive consequences of pursuing material wealth.
- George Wilson: Myrtle’s husband and the owner of a garage in the Valley of Ashes. George is a working-class man who becomes consumed by grief and anger after Myrtle’s death. He serves as a contrast to the wealthy characters and represents the consequences of the moral decay present in society.
- Meyer Wolfsheim: A shady and mysterious underworld figure who is said to have fixed the 1919 World Series. Wolfsheim is Gatsby’s business associate and is involved in organized crime. He represents the corrupt and morally bankrupt aspects of society.
- Owl Eyes: A frequent visitor to Gatsby’s parties, Owl Eyes symbolizes the disillusionment and emptiness hidden behind the extravagant façade of the wealthy. He is one of the few characters to see through the illusions and recognize the lack of substance in Gatsby’s world.
- Klipspringer: Known as “the boarder,” Klipspringer is a frequent guest at Gatsby’s parties and represents the parasitic nature of the socialites who take advantage of Gatsby’s wealth and hospitality without truly caring for him.
These characters, both major and minor, contribute to the exploration of themes such as the decline of the American Dream, social class and inequality, the corruption of materialism, and the illusions and superficiality of the Jazz Age society depicted in “The Great Gatsby.”
