Student Question
How does F. Scott Fitzgerald use characterization in The Great Gatsby?
Quick answer:
F. Scott Fitzgerald uses characterization in The Great Gatsby to create complex, multifaceted characters, mainly through Nick Carraway's narration, which adds layers of reliability and bias. Fitzgerald portrays Jay Gatsby as a mysterious, self-made man, driven by a romantic ideal of the American Dream and love for Daisy Buchanan. Daisy is depicted as shallow and materialistic, influencing Gatsby's tragic downfall. Gestures and silent actions further enrich character development, adding suspense and depth to the narrative.
Characterization is one of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s most important skills in his novel The Great Gatsby. Consider, for instance, the important scene in Chapter 7, when Daisy feels torn between Gatsby and Tom. Nick and Jordan are present to witness this heated confrontation among the novel’s three main characters. In this episode, therefore, Fitzgerald characterizes many of the most important people in the book. Gatsby has just asked Daisy to assert that she never loved Tom. Nick is narrating:
She hesitated. Her eyes fell on Jordan and me with a sort of appeal, as though she realized at last what she was doing – and as though she had never, all along, intended doing anything at all. But it was done now. It was too late.
Several aspects of Fitzgerald’s use of characterization in The Great Gatsby are displayed here, including the following:
- His use...
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- of Nick as a narrator, so that everything is seen through Nick’s eyes. We therefore have to decide how reliable a narrator Nick is throughout the novel. In particular, we have to ponder any biases that Nick may feel concerning the other characters. This technique inevitably adds to the complexity of the book.
- The way in which anything that Nick says about the other characters inevitably helps to characterize Nick himself.
- The way Fitzgerald sometimes uses gestures, looks, and other forms of silent characterization to present the people in this book, again contributing to the complexity of the novel’s style.
- The way the characterization often creates suspense, as here, since we are not at all entirely sure what Daisy will decide or what will happen next.
How does F. Scott Fitzgerald present Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby?
Initially, Fitzgerald presents Jay Gatsby as an enigmatic, mysterious figure, who is the subject of many rumors. People believe that he is related to Kaiser Wilhelm, and there are rumors that he may be a spy or a murderer. Before Nick meets Gatsby, he does not know what to think of his wealthy, extravagant neighbor. As the story progresses, Fitzgerald portrays Jay Gatsby in a positive light and depicts him as a hopeless romantic, who achieves the American Dream but cannot attain the object of his affection. Jay Gatsby is portrayed as a self-made man, who compromised his morals in order to amass a fortune and achieve the American Dream. Gatsby fabricates his identity and purchases a magnificent mansion located in the West Egg directly across the bay from Daisy's estate, with the hope of winning her heart.
Nick Carraway becomes Gatsby's neighbor and develops a meaningful friendship with him. Nick has an affinity for Gatsby and describes his magnetic, charismatic personality by saying:
He [Gatsby] smiled understandingly—much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced—or seemed to face—the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. (Fitzgerald, 53)
As a resident of the West Egg, Gatsby portrays himself as a gracious, benevolent host, who welcomes strangers to his home to participate in his ostentatious parties. Despite Gatsby's positive character traits, he lives a questionable life as a notorious bootlegger and refuses to acknowledge that it is impossible to recreate the past. Gatsby believes that Daisy never loved Tom, and holds onto the hope that she will leave him. Sadly, Daisy is a shallow, materialistic woman, who is only concerned with financial stability and wealth. She uses Gatsby, and her husband blames Myrtle Wilson's death on him. Nick Carraway summarizes his perception of Gatsby by saying:
It was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again. No—Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and shortwinded elations of men. (Fitzgerald, 4)
Overall, Fitzgerald presents Jay Gatsby as a mysterious dreamer, whose genuine love for Daisy significantly influenced the trajectory of his life and led to his tragic death.