The Great Gatsby Characters

The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald

Jay Gatsby

Gatsby is, obviously, the main character in the novel, although we do not directly meet him until the third chapter.  Some would argue that Nick Carraway is the central character in the book, but I think that he is just a pawn in Gatsby's plans and just plays the role of friend and observer throughout the story.  I think he is a round, dynamic character because he has multiple personality traits and changes throughout the novel.  Something random about Jay Gatsby--what's with the "old sport" stuff on nearly every page?  I love it though!  I also love his newly-kindled relationship with Daisy.  "At his lips' touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete" (Fitzgerald, page 111).

Jay and Nick

I couldn't find a drawing of just Nick, so this is one of both him and Gatsby; however, this is actually a great place to start with Mr. Carraway's description.  Well, he doesn't actually know Jay for practically his entire life, but he does live right next door to him.  As a pawn in Gatsby's future plans, Nick is invited to one of Gatsby's famous parties, and some sort of relationship blossoms, although neither really confides truthfully in each other.  Nick is also a round, dynamic character because of his role in Gatsby's life.  The Great Gatsby is about what else--the great Gatsby--and his demise.

Jordan Baker

Jordan Baker is an interesting character because she is so mysterious, and I really like her because she is so forward for the 1920's.  I think that she is more of a static character because she really doesn't change throughout the novel and really isn't a main character.  I like her relationship with Nick, but I wish Fitzgerald would have included more details about the two of them, instead of focusing on just Jay and Daisy.

Daisy Buchanan

I immediately liked Daisy, but after a few more chapters, I found her to be kind of annoying.  She is so focused on wealth and status, just like Lily Bart in The House of Mirth, and she doesn't realize how much better her life would be with Jay who would be loyal to her and not have a mistress (like somebody else we know...).  Like I said with Lily Bart, I cannot understand why she just didn't drop Tom for Gatsby; I would like to think that I would give up a life of wealth and luxury for true love.  Wait, that doesn't really make sense--I guess she just does not want to become involved in a divorce scandal and whatever illegal activities Jay was involved in.




And I guess I'll include Tom, even though I really don't like him.

Tom and Daisy Buchanan

Jerk!!  I'll just leave it at that.

No, not really.  But he is really not a nice guy.  I keep thinking about his mistress and that one time he punched her...  Well anyway, he doesn't really change throughout the novel either, so I would classify him as static and possibly flat because he only has a few personality traits.

The House of Mirth Book 2, Chapters 11 and 12

The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton


Selden Lawrence is my favorite character in the novel, but he is not as active a participant in the overall plot as Rosedale is, so I will do him justice by devoting this post to him.  When Sim Rosedale first came in the first chapter of the novel, I did not particularly liked him.  He was annoying, pushy, flaunty, and seemed determined to gain Miss Bart's affection by butting into her life.  I was immediately displeased and kind of cast him aside because I did not think he would turn out to be an important character, but he is.  In chapter 7 of Book II, I grew to really like Rosedale [not as much as Selden, but almost] when he suggested Lily begin putting the letters she bought from the maid to good use by blackmailing Bertha Dorset.  I never like her, and this seemed like a good proposition that would benefit nearly all parties involved, especially Lily and Rosedale.  However, Lily rejected his proposal of marriage after she was back on good terms with Bertha Dorset and basically the entire society of people who had cast her off.  I wish she would have taken him up on the offer because she would have been back in her prominent position in society, but I understand that she did not want Selden to be burdened by any of her decisions.  "She seemed suddenly to see her action as he would see it--and the fact of his own connection with it, the fact that, to attain her end, she must trade on his name, and profit by a secret of his past, chilled her blood with shame" (Wharton, page 247).

 

       Sim Rosedale, on the more technical side of study, is definitely a round, dynamic character because he displays multiple aspects of his personality and maturity throughout the novel.  He is somewhat nosy and bothersome in the beginning but actually changes with his prowess in society and comes to really care for Lily and want her to change her position by regaining friendships from her old life.  His most significant actions in the novel are his personal offer of marriage to Lily and his business offer to help her pay off her debts to Trenor; unfortunately for him, she rejects his proposal of marriage yet again.  So as Rosedale changed in the novel, I grew, as a reader, to really like him and his role in the overall plot line of The House of Mirth.

The House of Mirth Book 2, Chapters 5 and 6

The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton

http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/house-of-mirth/character-map.html

Lily Bart, Lawrence Selden, Sim Rosedale, Gus and Judy Trenor, George and Bertha Dorset, Carry Fisher, Mrs. Peniston, and Gerty Farish--the major characters in the novel.  Although the characters of a novel are not as vital as the overall themes, they do convey the author's purpose, so they are definitely worth studying in detail.  Lily Bart is the protagonist, the main character, the heroine.  I said in my first post, that she would probably be a dynamic character, but this is not true; she never really changed her morals and principles and still desires wealth and a prominent position in society.  Selden, our hero, is often the object of our pity because Miss Bart never acknowledges her love for him and continually rejects him.  I would say that Bertha Dorset is the antagonist in the novel, but she really symbolizes society as a whole which expects certain things from its members, Lily in the story.  The stock character, or stereotype, in the novel is the expectation society places on its most prominent members--wealth and status.  Most of these characters are considered static because we are not privy to their multiple dimensions and growth throughout the novel.  Lily Bart, and perhaps Rosedale, are, I think, the only round characters in The House of Mirth.  She displays multiple aspects of her personality throughout the novel: she desperately seeks the approval and praise of her fellow citizens, cannot deal well with impending debts, loves Selden but continually rejects him because of his financial situation, also rejects poverty, reads others well, and is, in my opinion, a little conceited and bratty.  Sim Rosedale changes throughout the novel and matures his status in society.  He also wanted to marry Lily but changed his mind once her personal life became well known and gossip swarmed around her.  Although the characters seem important, the central themes in the novel, the desire for wealth and status and forfeiting love for other desires in life, promote the real purpose Wharton's novel.

The House of Mirth Book 1, Chapters 1 and 2

The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton

The House of Mirth.  As with most books assigned for school, I was a little apprehensive when I started reading this one, but I immediately enjoyed the novel, especially Lily Bart.  It is evident from nearly the first page that she is the main character in the novel; therefore she will probably be a dynamic character who will evolve in some way throughout the story.  As a round character, Lily possesses various characteristics: she is witty, intelligent, sociable, confident, head-strong, forward, and also seems a little haughty towards certain people whom she disapproves of.  She seems very daring and outgoing, but also a little flirty and ahead of the times socially.   In the first two chapters, Lily displays some of her more dominant traits, her disapproval of the expected compliance with society and her awareness of other' thoughts and feelings.  Also evident from the first couple chapters are her relationships with certain men in society, most prominently with Mr. Selden.  It seems that they are pretty close and have known each other for a long time.  I think that he definitely has feelings for her, but she can never reciprocate them because he is not rich enough for her and she is "horribly poor-- and very expensive" (Wharton pg. 6).  With Selden, Lily is looking for a friend who will not judge her and will be honest, but he, I feel, is looking for more than that.
       On an unrelated note, I really enjoy Wharton's writing.  She wrote many paragraphs and descriptions very well and at certain points, I have stopped and reread passages just because they were so well written and I liked them so much.