The Considerably Large Gatsby

For a large portion of the book, Jay Gatsby is a man with a mysterious aura surrounding him, only mentioned in conversations rather than seen in person. For this reason, it is necessary to evaluate all the anecdotes people have to say about Mr. Gatsby throughout chapters 1-6.



The first time Gatsby is mentioned is page 2. Nick describes him as having "an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again." Breaking this sentence down into a few words, Nick is saying that Gatsby is lucky to still have hope when most people have lost hope by this point in their lives.

On page 11, Miss Baker insists to Daisy, "You must know Gatsby." This implies that Gatsby is a very well-known man around the city, despite his true character being shrouded in shadow. It becomes clear later in the book, after reading about one of Gatsby's parties, how much of a notable man Gatsby really is.

Page 46 illustrates one of Gatsby's parties by saying, "By midnight the hilarity had increased... between the numbers people were doing "stunts" all over the garden... a pair of stage twins did a baby act in costume, and champagne was served in glasses bigger than finger bowls." One can infer that Gatsby has grown accustomed to this craziness after throwing such extravagant parties so often.


In addition, Gatsby shows his friendliness toward people he hardly knows after inviting Nick for a ride on his hydroplane after speaking just a few sentences to him.

Most importantly, Gatsby is a man who is okay with being out of the public eye. The commonfolk who attend his parties mention several times in the book his secretive nature and spread rumors about his past, saying he's killed a man, went to Oxford, and a variety of other innuendos. Gatsby is aware of these rumors, evident after his car ride with Nick in which he asks, "Look here, old sport. What's your opinion of me, anyhow?" Despite his concern with how Nick views him, Gatsby appears content with these rumors, otherwise, he would have disavowed himself from them at one of his enormous parties. Gatsby seems unfazed by what people say about him and instead has a separate plan for his life.

Finally, you can tell that Gatsby has an ulterior motive based on how he talks about his military past. While most people who have served either proudly vaunt about their service or fall into mental illness/depression, Gatsby nonchalantly brings up his impressive military feats. He may talk in this way in order to not appear boastful, but I believe, based on the fact that he "tried very hard to die," Gatsby had goals in his life that he may have had to disregard after being drafted.