Jay Gatzby arises from James Gatz’s “platonic conception of himself”. At seventeen, James Gatz sets out to carve out a rich life for himself, away from his parents, who were “jobless and unsuccessful peasants.” After several years of fighting as a military man, sailor, and bond seller, Gatsby finally makes some money. With this money, Gatsby unsuccessfully tries to get Daisy away from her husband and son and their long-lost love.
Character traits
-Gatsby is a compulsive liar. He lies on his back to everyone, including his close friend Nick and his beloved Daisy until the very end. Perhaps his most popular lie was that he had studied at Oxford because it was a family tradition.
-Gatsby loves to show his money. Gatsby throws lavish parties for people he doesn’t know. Gatsby lives in a mansion that “ was a colossal affair by all standards ”, with a tower to one side, brand new under a thin beard of raw ivy, a marble swimming pool and more than forty acres of lawns and gardens.
-Gatsby is a gentleman at heart. You cannot intentionally harm people. Gatsby decides to defend Daisy when she accidentally kills Myrtle. He’s even nice in his own quirky way. Gatsby sends one of her guests a new evening gown as a gift after she accidentally ripped her own dress at one of their parties.
-Gatsby is a vulnerable character. Perhaps this is why he constantly weaves a tapestry of lies around himself as a protective shield. And it is for this reason that he has no close friends.
-Gatsby is a romantic although his romantic dream is based on a rotten ideology.
Love and ideology Jay Gatsby loves Daisy because ‘she was the first nice girl he had ever met’ and also because she represents for him the rich future he wants for himself: ‘Daisy, glittering as silver, confident and proud above the fiery struggles of the poor ‘. Therefore, he sets out to earn money with which to get Daisy back. Gatsby doesn’t care that Daisy can only love wealth and is too frivolous to love a man.
Gloomy ending Gatsby wastes his life in search of a mirage. He thinks that Daisy can be taken back with all her newly acquired money and that they can start life over, easily erasing Daisy’s 5 years of marriage. But all her wealth is ruined when Daisy, unable to reciprocate her passionate love, goes forever to an undisclosed address with her husband Tom.