F. Scott Fitzgerald is mostly know for his novel The Great Gatsby. If you have never read this book or seen the movie, you may wonder what is the big deal about this book? Having read this book, now too many times to count, I have definite opinions about not only the story, but more importantly , the characters.

Let’s start with the narrator, Nick Carraway. When we first meet Nick he is telling the reader that his one great quality is to reserve judgement. Now being a member of the human race, it is virtually impossible to not judge others on some level. What is interesting about Nick is that shortly after saying that he doesn’t judge, he then says that it does have limits. He spends most of the novel judging Daisy, Tom, Jordan, and Gatsby. We are supposed to see him as a good guy. The fact that he knows and even helped set up a meeting with Daisy on behalf of Gatsby makes him an unreliable narrator in my eyes. Nick also knows all about Tom and Myrtle. His moral compass doesn’t quite point due North.

The next character we see is Daisy Buchanan. She is married to Tom. She gets upset because she knows that Tom has a woman on the side. She also knows that he has had others. She doesn’t seem to like her husband very much, but stays with him. She is described as having a voice with a musical tone. Nick can’t quite figure out why her voice draws people in. She has a past and finds her old love, Gatsby, and begins an affair of her own. In the end, she goes away with Tom and doesn’t give the hurt she left behind a second thought.

Next we meet Tom Buchanan. He was once an athlete in college and is trying to recapture the success he had in his younger days. He is a large man and is described as being hulking and brutish. He thinks nothing about including Nick in his infidelity. He drags Nick along even though Daisy is Nick’s cousin. Nothing about Tom is likable. I know that this is probably intentional, but he is not the kind of man that a woman dreams about unless they only care about money.

Jordan Baker is the next character to discuss. She is a golfer. There is rumor that she had once cheated during a tournament. She shows just how much she likes to busy herself by listening in on other people’s conversations. She dates Nick somewhat until there is a big problem that makes Nick realize that he really doesn’t like any of these people. She is offended when Nick wouldn’t come in after the disaster they were just a part of.

Myrtle and George Wilson are the only non-wealthy characters in the book. Myrtle is Tom’s mistress. She is nothing like Daisy. She is a bit on the tacky side. She treats her husband badly and allows Tom to talk badly about him as well. George is the only character who is truly a decent person. I feel so bad for him. He loved his wife and after the big incident Tom lies to him in order to get Gatsby out of the way. Instead of being responsible for his wrong doings, Tom and Daisy use people and leave a mess for everyone else to deal with. The fact that George believes Tom and kills the wrong man and then, sadly, himself makes this book a tale of the good guy doesn’t win.

I hope you can see why perhaps I am not fond of this book or its characters. The fact that Tom and Daisy have no guilt over the mess that they caused angers me. I know that it is only a book, but things like this do happen. Three people are dead because of their carelessness.

In closing this chapter of our first novel, we can see how love can make people do very irresponsible things. The American Dream for some is just not attainable with the stipulations that Gatsby has about he and Daisy. People who are like the characters in this novel probably do not understand why others get upset with them. Ego and apathy are not great character traits. Keep in mind that every reader has their own personal feelings about the story, the characters, and what the author perhaps intended the reader to get from experiencing his story.

Until next time,

Cat