Michaelis is one of the few, or perhaps even the only character, in the novel who is kind and charitable without having any ulterior motive. He is there to comfort George Wilson after Myrtle, his wife, has been struck and killed by Gatsby's car while Daisy was driving. Further, when George looks at the billboard of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg's eyes, thinking of those eyes, it seems, as God, it is Michaelis who points out that it's only an advertisement. Because he is both kind and discerning, it could be that he represents all that is really left of God in this rather godless world. The last name, Michaelis, comes from the Hebrew name, Mika'el. Broken down into its parts, "mi" means who, "ke" means like, and "El" is a shortened form of a word that means God. Therefore, the name Michaelis, all together, means God-like or one who [is] like God. There is so little of real goodness, it seems, to be found in this time and place, where riches are valued over character and status is more important than love or loyalty. The American Dream is dead, and it seems that those unlucky enough to be poor must learn to shift for themselves and expect no help from the wealthy who exploit them. Michaelis is all that remains of true goodness here, and the fact that he is such a minor character of whom we see so little says quite a lot.
Further Reading
The young Greek man who runs the coffee shop next door to George Wilson's garage, is the principal witness to the murder of Mrytle Wilson as well as a friend to Wilson. It is interesting that he is Greek, suggesting the myth-like characteristics of Jay Gatsby, who is larger-than-life in his magnanimity, splendid car, resplendent mansion, and lavish parties. In fact, Nick even compares Gatsby to the myth-like Roman, Trimalchio, in Chapter Seven of The Great Gatsby.
Michaelis humbly tries to console George and reason with him when Wilson avows that Myrtle was killed by Gatsby--"He murdered her." But, as he speaks, Wilson tells him, "God sees everything":
Standing behind him Michaelis saw with a shock that he was looking at the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg which had just emerged pale and enormous from the dissolving night.
Although he tells George, "That's an advertisement," Michaelis, for some reason, turns away from the window and looks back into the room. Like the archangel whose name he bears, the humble Michaelis becomes the messenger who tells the police that Wilson has been "acting sort of crazy" on the next morning when Wilson has disappeared.
Perhaps, in this chapter, Michaelis stands also as a messenger of the dominant theme stated by enotes of Fitzgerald's opus magnum: "Americans have wasted their potential, the original American Dream."
What kind of person is Michaelis in The Great Gatsby?
Michaelis seems like a decent guy but a rather disinterested neighbor, for the most part. Before the accident but after George Wilson has learned of his wife's infidelity, Michaelis advises Wilson...
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to go to bed because the man looks so ill. When Wilson admits that he has his wife "locked up" inside their apartment, Michaelis is shocked but does nothing about it. He is "astonished" because Wilson seems like he is "his wife's man and not his own," and it seems that he wouldn't be capable of acting against her.
When Wilson begins to suspect that his wife had been unfaithful with Michaelis, the young Greek "took the opportunity to get away, intending to come back later. But he didn't. He supposed he forgot to, that's all." Perhaps he feels guilty for this forgetfulness later, and this could be why he sits up with Wilson "until dawn."
Michaelis tried to "distract" Wilson, asking him questions about his marriage, any religious affiliations, and so on. Ultimately, Michaelis believes that Myrtle Wilson was killed in an accident because she was running away from her husband. Maybe he feels that if he'd have intervened when Wilson told him that she was locked up, she would not have run away. I think it's more likely that Michaelis attempts to help for this reason, rather than because he is such a nice person—wouldn't a person who truly desires to be good have tried to help sooner?
What kind of person is Michaelis in The Great Gatsby?
The fact that Michaelis is willing to sit up with George Wilson after the tragedy of his wife's death shows that he is kind and compassionate. He tries to distract George from dwelling on what had happened to Myrtle and his despair by asking questions and trying to keep up a conversation with him. He tries to work out if there is a priest that could come and counsel George in his time of need, and when George shows him the diamond-studded dog collar and shares the conclusions that he has made in his mind, he tries to tell Michaelis that he is being morbid:
"You're morbid, George... This has been a strain to you and you don't know what you're saying. You'd better try and sit quiet till morning."
Michaelis, by the very act of staying with George until six in the morning, is obviously a kind, caring individual, and the way that he looks after George and tries to offer him advice and to take his attention away from what George thinks happened really shows he has his friend's best intentions at heart.