Preview

The most admirable and despicable character in The Great Gatsby.

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1038 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The most admirable and despicable character in The Great Gatsby.
Wan !1

Kitty Wan

Ms. Choi

English 11, Per. 7

04/23/14

Opposite Personalities

In every book there are always different characters that are distinguished by their

personalities. Thus, it couldn't be different with the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Great

Gatsby, throughout the story the narrator Nick Carraway reveals the personality of each character

through their actions without judging them directly. Many characters from the novel caught my

attention because of their actions, especially Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan. Two characters with

totally opposite personalities.

With no doubts, Jay Gatsby is the most admirable character of this novel. Although

Carraway didn't unfold Gatsby's personality right away, I could see through his actions that he

was an admirable person. For instance, his determination, his endless hope, and the fact that he is

romantic at heart. Gatsby's hopes started at an early age when is revealed that he came from a

poor background, there he was determined to pursue for a better life. When he was a soldier, he

fell in love with a rich girl named Daisy Fay, but unfortunately they couldn't be together because

of his financial status and he had to leave her to go to war as well. However, when Daisy was

waiting for Gastby, a powerful and wealthy man named Tom Buchanan appeared in her life and

married her. When Gatsby found out about the marriage, Daisy became his goal and dream, he

was willing to do anything to get her back, even entering into illegal activities in order to

become a wealthy man.

Wan !2

Gatsby didn't just become a wealthy man for her, yet he bought a house just across the

bay of Daisy's house to be near her, he would throw big parties in his mansion hoping that she

would come one day. Moreover, he has waited her for 5 years. Even Jordan Baker was surprised

of how determined he was to win Daisy back ''The modesty of the demand shook me. He had

waited five years and bought a

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    He found out he Miss. Daisy was going to marry a man name Tom. The only reason Daisy had married Tom because of his money which makes her a gold digger. A man named Nick had came long in the picture.…

    • 933 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby establishes characterization through an intimate relationship between Daisy and Gatsby without ever explicitly discussing about it. When the two became lovers, Gatsby was surprised to discover that "it didn't turn out as he had imagined.” However, he did feel as though they were married after this encounter. This conveys an aspect of how Gatsby fell in love with Daisy’s allure rather than her personality and was blindly obsessed with being with her. Shortly later, the two are split apart for a length of time and end up reuniting after five years. It is suggested that they resume their sexual relationship and their affair is purely physical with no substance behind it. Once again, Gatsby fails to…

    • 184 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Daisy Buchannan wasn’t one of the brightest aristocrats in East Egg to say the least. Her ditzy nature might have been cute to some, but it was obvious that it was more than just a darling quality. Daisy had no common sense, if a man was looking for just looks (like Tom), Daisy was the girl to go to. Her comment to Gatsby, “I’d like to just get one of those pick clouds and put you in it and push you around” (Fitzgerald, 94) made readers re-think why Jay Gatsby would be so far…

    • 699 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Jay Gatsby Obituary Essay

    • 412 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Since the moment Jay Gatsby met Daisy he fell in love with her unconditionally. They spent wonderful summer nights together. However, it all came to an end when Mr. Gatsby had to leave to war. Daisy was willing to go and say farewell to her beloved in New York. In the end she was not able to go because of her social status. She was rich while Gatsby was not. While Gatsby was in Oxford he received a letter from Daisy saying she was now married to Tom Buchanan. It would seem logical for Gatsbys dream to die off and move on. However, rather than giving up, Gatsby tried to make himself the type of man that Daisy would fall in love with. During the course of five years Gatsby had met a man named Dan Cody. After meeting him that’s where his wealth started. He was now the man he hoped Daisy would want. He now had money and was able to support her lifestyle. His ultimate dream came short when Daisy decided to stay with her husband Tom. Gatsby had a little hope left but his hope for accomplishing his dream ended when he was…

    • 412 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although, Gatsby love for Daisy only lasted for a short time. After the any years apart.…

    • 399 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gatsby used his wealth to throw parties so he could try to get Daisy’s attention and impress her. He did end up impressing her. However, because Daisy was married to her husband Tom she could not be with Gatsby. Tom found out about Daisy’s affair and confronted Gatsby. Gatsby insisted that Daisy never loved Tom but Daisy could not deny her love for her husband. It showed that Gatsby was extremely naive to believe that Daisy would love him to a certain extent as to say that she never loved her own husband. Gatsby believed that he could easily win her back simply by showing up with his wealth, but he was wrong.…

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gatsby shows great and immense love for Daisy. He does everything he can to get her to be with him. Gatsby becomes ridiculously rich and powerful so he can be what she wants. To achieve his mass wealth Gatsby does many shift and shady deals with Meyer Wolfshiem. He buys a house across from hers to be closer to Daisy,"Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay" (Fitzgerald 83). He throws huge extravagant parties to get his name known to the wealthy people. He creates an image of himself the goes through the area. He throws these parties in the hopes one day Daisy will wander in.…

    • 339 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When Gatsby first met Daisy Buchannan in her hometown of Louisville, he was James Gatz, a young military officer leaving to fight in World War I. He fell in love with her aura of sophistication, of luxury, grace, charm and beauty, and consequently, lied to her about his background of poverty to convince her he was worthy of her. And still, when he goes to fight in the war, Daisy marries Tom, who is rich and powerful, everything Gatsby hopes for himself in the future. Gatsby, through various means is able to afford a luxurious West Egg nouveaux rich lifestyle, living in a mansion across from Daisy's own in East Egg. Gatsby longingly reaches out for the green light he sees on her dock miles away. "But I didn't call to him, for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone- he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced…

    • 1393 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As the driver headed to my residence, I knew Gatsby was still confounded about tonight’s events. I knew better than to assume Gatsby would let Daisy take the blame for the death of Mrs. Wilson. I was aware that this night had intimidated him. Gatsby was not easily frightened but tonight would alter his future, I was more than terrified to leave him there all alone. But I did.…

    • 1185 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gatsby’s strided to one day wealthy enough to marry Daisy for prior he was not able due to his lack of wealth. It was not until he comes into a large sum of money through, unethical practices. Later in the book he comes close to achieving his personal American dream by marrying the girl of his dreams. This endeavor was revealed to the reader once Jordan from the “Great Gatsby” . “The Great Gatsby” is a grand example for a more personal American dream, his dream being Daisy.…

    • 904 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The first piece of evidence on how Gatsby achieved his American dream was how he worked his way up to gain wealth to please the women of his dreams. Being wealthy is definitely a bonus for many people when looking for boyfriend/girlfriend, so Gatsby wanted to make himself look more appealing with his large amount of wealth by throwing tremendous parties to not only show off his wealth, but to also lure Daisy into his house. When Daisy first goes to Gatsby’s house with Nick and Gatsby, she is astonished with the “...feudal silhouette against the sky, admired at the gardens, the sparkling odor of jonquils and the frothy odor of hawthorn and plum blossoms and the ale gold odor of the kiss-me-at-the-gate” (Fitzgerald 90). In Gatsby’s eyes, the only way to make Daisy fall back in love with him was to show that he had more wealth than her current husband. Not only did he want to appear more wealthy, but also more elegant. This was also evident on Gatsby’s back story told by Nick, where he explains how Gatsby worked his way to his fortune, and he didn’t inherit from his family as he…

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    How Is Gatsby Selfish

    • 1375 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Daisy initially fell in love with Gatsby’s newfound riches than Gatsby himself. As soon as she discovered his wealth she falls back in love with him, completely disregarding her own husband. Daisy was too caught up in the wealth and attention she received from Gatsby that she even declared, “why - how could I love him [Tom] - possibly? … ‘I never loved him” (126). Buchanan is so infatuated with Gatsby's lifestyle that she announced she never loved Tom and only married him because Jay was at war. Daisy’s husband had the wealth to support her and gave her some attention, but she detached from him the moment a richer man came along, who gave her the attention she desired. Therefore Daisy’s craving for more riches causes her to cheat on her husband for the man who is supplying superior funds and…

    • 1375 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Gatsby has all these huge parties with nothing but random people who dont know him, but all he wants is Daisy. He goes to say that “ he wishes to be with daisy” this shows that all his money still cant fill his undeniable pleasure for Daisy.…

    • 430 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    After years of burying his feelings and waiting, he explodes in a rampage of rage and jealousy. Gatsby hates how his dream is being crushed because of this, something so cruel to him. In Gatsby’s eyes, Daisy’s love for him was being ripped away by Tom Buchanan. Gatsby genuinely thinks that Tom Buchanan is the reason Dasy doesn't love him the way he loves her, and that's how he snaps. “She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me. It was a terrible mistake, but in her heart she never loved anyone except for me!” (Fitzgerald 137). After the years that Gatsby labored saving his money, he thought that Daisy would wait for him. He believed that she would stay, because their love was pure. Daisy did not wait. She could not wait that long, and so she eventually just married Tom Buchanan. She married Tom not for love but for greed. Gatsby eventually realizes that the dream he had was never going to come true, and he is so incredibly jealous of the life Tom has with his Daisy. Gatsby just wanted to be perfect, to be content in his own little world. That is not how things work out for Gatsby, however. Things only seem to crumble even…

    • 847 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Jay Gatsby is the main character in the book, so far in chapter one through four Gatsby has proven to be mysterious and idealist and many more character traits. He’s mysterious by “where is he from, and what does he do.” / “One time he killed a man who had found out that he was the nephew to Von Hindenburg and second cousin to the devil”. The mysteriousness of Gatsby is shown by possible gossip and the missing parts of his past. Another character trait Gatsby’s posses is romantic Idealist in quest to get Daisy "so that Daisy would be just across the bay” Gatsby tried to become suitable in Daisy's eyes by finding a way to make money, purchasing a big house and throwing huge parties all for the purpose of getting Daisy’s attention. He does…

    • 145 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays

Related Topics