Character Descriptions

The Great Gatsby

Narrator and Protagonist

• Nick Carroway – the narrator of the novel – Nick is from Minnesota, and after graduating from Yale and fighting in WW I, he goes to NYC to learn the bond business. He is honest, tolerant, and typically reserves judgment. Nick often serves as a confidant for people with troubling secrets. After moving to West Egg, a fictional area of Long Island (home to the newly rich), Nick quickly befriends his neighbor, the mysterious Jay Gatsby (James Gatz). As Daisy Buchanan’s cousin, he facilitates the rekindling of the romance between her and Gatsby. The story is told entirely through Nick’s eyes.

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• Jay Gatsby – He is the title character and protagonist of the novel. Gatsby is a fabulously wealthy young man living in a Gothic mansion in West Egg. He is famous for lavish parties he throws every Saturday night, but no one knows where he comes from, what he does, or how he made his fortune. (He actually made his fortune through criminal activity) He will do anything to win Daisy, and he feels that money and social position are the keys. Nick views him as flawed, dishonest, vulgar, but “great” due to his optimism and power in transforming his dreams into reality.

The Buchanans

• Daisy Buchanan – She is Nick’s cousin, and the love of Gatsby’s life. Daisy is a beautiful woman who has been courted by many men before the war, including Gatsby. She fell in love with Gatsby and promised to wait for him; however, Daisy harbors a deep need to be loved, and when Tom Buchanan, a wealthy, powerful, young man, asked her to marry him, Daisy decided not to wait for Gatsby. Not a beautiful socialite, she lives across from Gatsby in East Egg, Long Island. She is sardonic and a little cynical. She behaves superficially to mask her pain from her husband’s infidelity.

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• Tom Buchanan – He is Daisy’s extremely wealthy husband, once a member of Nick’s social club at Yale. Tom is an arrogant, hypocritical bully. His social attitudes are laced with racism and sexism, and he never even considers living up to the moral standard he demands from those around him. He has no qualms regarding his affair with Myrtle, but when he suspects Daisy, he becomes outraged and forces a confrontation.

Minor Characters

• Myrtle Wilson – She is Tom’s lover. Her husband, George, owns a run-down garage in the valley of ashes. Myrtle desperately wants to improve her situation; unfortunately, she chooses Tom, who treats her as a mere object of his desire.

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• George Wilson – Myrtle’s husband, who owns the run-down garage. He idealizes Myrtle, and he is devastated by her affair with Tom. He can be compared to Gatsby in that they both are dreamers ruined by unrequited love.

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• Jordan Baker - love interest for Nick, friends with Daisy and women’s golf pro

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• Klipspringer – a freeloader living with Gatsby (symbolic)

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• Owl Eyes - makes insights about Gatsby (Symbolic)

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Character Images - Nick Carroway

Character Images - Jay Gatsby

Character Images - Daisy Buchanan

Character Images - Tom Buchanan

Character Images - Myrtle Wilson

Character Images - George Wilson

Character Images - Jordan Baker

Character Images - Kilpspringer and Owl Eyes

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