Great Gatsby Blog Post # 1

Looking at first three chapters of The Great Gatsby, make some predictions about these characters and (unlike Nick) classify them into one of the three categories - hero, antihero, and villain. Give ample reasons for your classification, with support for the text .

As we progress through the Great Gatsby it is important to sort each of the characters into their appropriate categories as it is of great importance that we, the readers, be able to distinguish between who we can trust and who we cant as we read further in the novel. 

At our current place in the book, we may recognize three distinguishable characters: Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby, and Daisy Buchanan.

Nick Carraway is a, " seemingly plain, well educated, straightforward, and honest" (pg 12) young man from Minnesota who, after fighting in World War 1, goes to New York City to learn business. Nick appears as the narrator in the book as he asserts himself as the author and the book is written from his point of view mostly. As a result, we have no other choice but to characterize him as a hero, because if we cant trust the author of the book, we cannot trust anyone.   

Jay Gatsby is another focal character of this book - as proven by the title. Gatsby is a young man of extraordinary wealth who is famous for his great get-togethers he throws every week. In the book, it is said that he, "understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey." (Pg 31)We are not yet far enough in the book to make any significant claims about Gatsby, however; in our current position there are many subtle acknowledgments to his character that may support the conclusion that he is a Hero. 

Finally there is Daisy Buchanan, Nick's Cousin and Gatsby's Love. In chapter 1, Daisy is talking about her hopes for her child and says, "I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool." (pg 7) This displays Daisy's Character as it shows her need for conformity. Daisy wants her child to conform to the stereotypes set for women at that time and does not value knowledge, intellect, hard work, or any values that a person truly needs. Daisy acts simply to perpetuate stereotypes and to maintain the social norm. Despite this, it is hard to draw any distinct conclusion as to what Daisy is as it seems still that the audience tries to move in favor Daisy throughout the Book. Thusly, it is logical to characterize Daisy as a antihero.