Character Analysis The Great Gatsby

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The Great Gatsby begins with Nick Carraway stating that he learned to reserve judgement about other people because he will misunderstand them if he holds them to his standards from his father. Gatsby, the hero of the story, represents everything he doesn’t believe in. Nick excludes Gatsby from his usual judgments because his personality is appealing to him. In 1922, Nick arrived in New York for business. Unlike East Egg, where he moved from, West Egg is home to the new rich. Those who live there like to participate in displays of wealth. Nick’s modest home is next to Gatsby’s mansion. Their neighbors lack social connections, unlike Nick. When having dinner with his cousin and her husband, Tom Buchanan, Tom tries to interest the others in …show more content…
While Daisy refers to the social values of her era, she does not make an effort to change them. She describes her boredom of her life, but suggests that a girl can be more fun if she is simplistic and beautiful. Daisy conforms to the social standard in the 1920s in order to avoid tension-filled issues. She feels like she has to lower herself in order to appease everyone else. The theme of pretending to be someone you're not continues throughout the three chapters.
"I told that boy about the ice." Myrtle raised her eyebrows in despair at the shiftlessness of the lower orders. "These people! You have to keep after them all the time."
Myrtle thinks that in order to be fancy, she has to act like a snob. In reality, it just makes her look bitter. The people in The Great Gatsby stick with what the normal is, even if it means playing the part. This connects to what Daisy says in chapter one about girls acting like fools. Everyone feels as if they have to play a part in order to fit in. Whether agreed with or not, people are expected to uphold this life of luxury. This concept later affects Gatsby and Daisy. The luxurious life is thought to not be mixed with a not luxurious life. The theme of pretending to be someone you're not
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