Characters

Nick Carraway

He is the narrator of the novel from the Midwest who comes to New York to learn the bond business. He is an honest and understanding person and people tend to trust him. He finds a home in West Egg, an area in Long Island, across the sound from where his wealthy cousin Daisy Buchanan lives. He meets people from all walks of life, but finds that most of them are shallow, self-centered, and insincere. At the end of the book, he becomes disillusioned with the East and decides to return home to the Midwest

Jay Gatsby

He is the main character of the novel as well as the one after whom the book is named. He lives next to Nick in a huge mansion and constantly throws lavish parties, complete with catered food, open bars, and orchestras. People come from everywhere to attend these parties, but no one seems to know much about the host. Slowly Nick learns about Gatsby's rise to fame and how from a lowly beginning he obtains his fortune.

Daisy Buchanan

She is an attractive, wealthy, and shallow young lady who met Gatsby when he was stationed in the army in her hometown. She dated him for a while and their feelings for each other became more intense. When Gatsby was sent to Europe to fight in the war, she promised to wait for him. After a while she became bored of being out of the social scene and began to date other men. She met Tom Buchanan who came from a very wealthy family. She decided to marry him and broke her promise to Gatsby. When Gatsby returned, he vowed that he would somehow win her back and she became the object of his dreams

Tom Buchanan

Tom is Daisy's wealthy husband. He is a symbol of the shallowness and carelessness of the very rich. He is cruel and has low moral standards. He plays with cars and race horses, has sordid affairs, and treats Daisy shabbily. She, however, will always remain with Tom, for he offers her security and the life style to which she is accustomed. Tom was a member of Nick's circle of friends at Yale.

Jordan Baker

Jordan is Daisy's friend whom Nick meets at his cousin's home. She is an attractive woman, confident, and competitive. She is dishonest and admits to cheating in order to win her first golf tournament and throughout the book, she is economical with the truth.

Myrtle Wilson

Compared to the other characters, Myrtle leads a lowly life and sees the only way to escape her lot is through her affair with Tom. Her husband, George, owns a dilapidated garage in the "Valley of Ashes". No matter how hard he tries, he is unable to improve their social position.