Jay Gatsby

Jay Gatsby

Jay Gatsby is the protagonist of the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. He is a man who embodies the idea of the American dream and does everything in his power to attain it. In 1892, he was born into a family of farmers in North Dakota. When he was 17, he met millionaire Dan Cody who taught him the ways of the rich. After Dan Cody died, Gatsby fought in WWI and fell in love with Daisy Fay, a wealthy girl from Louisville. He believed they would eventually get married but, while studying at Oxford after the war, Gatsby received a letter from Daisy informing him that she had married an extremely wealthy man named Tom Buchanan. Gatsby was still in love with Daisy and believed that if he could attain as much wealth as Tom then Daisy would surely return to him. While he did succeed in becoming extraordinarily wealthy, his passion for Daisy also led to his untimely death.

Jay Gatsby is opportunistic. Although he didn’t get a lot of opportunities while growing up in a farming family, when Dan Cody offered him a position on his yacht he leapt at the opportunity. He also became extremely wealthy by using the prohibition to his advantage and selling illegal alcohol. Lastly, he used all the money he made to purchase a massive mansion which eventually led him back to Daisy. Even though things didn’t work out in the end, Gatsby took advantage of every opportunity available to him in his quest to win Daisy back. Jay Gatsby had to work for everything in his life and he made the most out of every opportunity he got. Another positive quality Jay Gatsby possessed was his good heart. Many characters in the novel were corrupted by their enormous wealth. One such character was Tom Buchanan who had been wealthy his entire life and believed he could accomplish anything with money. On the other end of the spectrum was Jay Gatsby who was very happy and proud that he’d earned his money but he didn’t take it for granted. In fact, Gatsby’s primary motivation to earn money was to use it to persuade Daisy to come back to him. When Nick says, "They're a rotten crowd," I shouted across the lawn. "You're worth the whole damn bunch put together." (8.44-45), it shows that Gatsby has remained a pure person with a good heart despite his financial success. These positive personality traits distinguish Gatsby from the corruption found in the other characters and which was prevalent in the American 1920s.

Jay Gatsby was very successful during his life but he wasn’t perfect. The biggest flaw he possessed was his stubbornness. He spent much of his life attempting to accomplish an impossible dream – trying to win back Daisy. "It was a strange coincidence," I said. "But it wasn't a coincidence at all." "Why not?" "Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay" (4.137-140). The fact that Gatsby chose to purchase a specific piece of real estate just to live near Daisy shows his obsession for her. Later in the story, the two became friends once again. However, Nick warned Gatsby that he may not actually be in love with Daisy, just the idea of her. Instead of listening to his

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