The Great Gatsby Chapters 1-2

First 2 pages of the book Nick Carraway establishes himself as the narrator and author of the story from the first page He tells the reader that he is a highly moral and a highly tolerant person Which is slightly hypocritical; although he tells us that he is not judgmental, he also tells us that he is more decent than other people, he is privileged with being open-minded unlike everyone else.. He mentions Gatsby only enough to tell the reader that his personality is “gorgeous” and Gatsby is exempt from his pessimistic view of the world

Daisy Buchanan Daisy tries hard to appear like every other woman; shallow, materialistic She is beautiful yet sad. Her marriage is unhappy, and she sees the world for what it really is She acts ditzy and weak, but she is able to see the reality of society “I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girls can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (page 17) This shows that Daisy has gone through some tragedy in life, in order for her to have such a sad view of the world.

Tom Buchanan Described with words such as “brute, hulking, aggressive, arrogant, cruel, dominant, supercilious” –all words with negative male connotations He shows highly racist opinions, very similar to how the Nazis thought at the beginning of their establishment He is dishonest, but openly is having an affair with another women, showing his lack of care for anyone else in his life Never mentions his daughter

Jordan Baker Jordan is given little personality so far She is just seen as a kind of ”extra” in the Buchanan mansion She breaks stereotypes by being a professional athlete Her views are cynical and bored; she never seems interested in anything except Tom’s affair

Myrtle Wilson Tom’s mistress Described as stout, less than beautiful, chubby, but still sensual. She obtains some quality that makes people instantly like her, she is still somewhat attractive because of this. Her appearance shows how unhappy Tom is in his marriage; he cheats on a beautiful, slender woman with Myrtle, who is not seen as pretty

Nick Carraway The narrator of the book, supposedly a good, genuine, intelligent guy He describes himself as highly tolerant and morally sound He is excited and intrigued by society on the Eggs and in NYC, but he soon finds himself being disgusted by those around him Although he sees the moral bankruptcy of those around him, he does not get himself involved in it, instead he remains interested and watchful He does not seem to mind his cousin’s husband openly cheating on her, he hates everything about Tom, but still wants to be accepted and liked by him

East egg The East Egg in general seems to be a shallow, sad, meaningless place. Mansions sit in rows upon each other void of happiness and real life Appearances of wealth are everything on the East Egg, social status is of high importance here

West egg In stark contrast with the East Egg, the West Egg is a more natural, relaxed place It is described with more color and easiness This is Gatsby and Nick’s home, directly across and opposing to Tom and Daisy’s mansion The West Egg is where happiness lives, where dreams can come true The West Egg hosts the “new rich” where people who worked hard to make their own fortune have settled, whereas old money families reside on the East Egg

New York City New York is seen as a fast-moving, exciting, loud, business oriented city Nick is excited to come to NYC, but finds it both dazzling and repulsive with its lack of morals In two chapters the reader sees the scandalous side of NYC; drinking, affairs, fashion, mansions, money, etc.

Valley of ashes Lies exactly between the East and West Egg The only area in the book so far with absolute poverty, desperation, and isolation The workers shovel ashes for a living while Dr. TJ Eckleburg’s monstrous eyes watch them at all times. (the billboard was an ad for an eye doctor but it turns into a central symbol in the area) The valley of ashes symbolizes the moral decay of the rich who live on the Eggs, the valley of ashes shows no glamourous or happy characteristics, only the harsh truth

Dr. TJ Eckleburg’s Eyes These all-seeing eyes watch everyone and everything in NYC. They symbolize the eyes of God; constantly watching people do both good and bad, seemingly judging them for their sins. The print is faded, symbolizing the descent of morals and values of the people surrounding them