Blog Post 14

In chapters three and four Gatsby is built up as a mysterious character, with much speculation and rumors from characters about his past and the reason behind his fortune such as some people thinking he comes from a wealthy background and others suspecting is a bootlegger. When he is finally introduced in chapter three he seems very confident and charismatic, making him more mysterious. His shady background is further implied because of his association with Wolfsheim and him going to the secret speakeasy. In chapter five we see his more sensitive and vulnerable side, and his confident facade drops away, as he wants to reunite with Daisy but he is embarrassed and reluctant about it, with him being described as "pale as death, with his hands plunged like weights in his coat pockets... glaring tragically into my eyes." (Fitzgerald 86). This makes him seem like a completely different person compared to the Gatsby seen in chapters three and four, and suggests that his confidence is just an act and that he is more down to Earth than he appears, despite his fortune. It humanizes him as it shows that all his actions in the book were motivated by a desire to reunite with Daisy, and shows what a sensitive and loving person he is, and also makes him a sort of tragic character, as he was separated from someone he really loved only to find out that she got married. Gatsby is portrayed as a likable and sympathetic character, and makes the readers want him to win and get together with Daisy again, as he seems to be a much more pleasant person compared to Tom. Daisy is also portrayed as tragic, as she was separated from someone who treated her well and is now stuck with a cheating husband.