Gatsby's speech has two distinct tones: confidence and insecurity. At first, Nick is struck by Gatsby's confidence and manner of interacting with others. Nick is incredibly impressed by Gatsby's confidence when he makes such comments as, "If you want anything, just ask for it, old sport" (Fitzgerald 53), and refers to his extravagant bash as "his 'little party'" (Fitzgerald 45). This is in contrast to his insecurities surrounding Daisy. He has been building up his reunion with her in his mind for years, so he is overwhelmed when the occasion actually arises. He is obviously afraid of making the wrong impression on Daisy, as he writes off his reunion attempt as a "terrible mistake" (Fitzgerald 92). One would have previously thought that someone as outwardly confident as Gatsby would have felt comfortable in this situation, but this is not so.
The most obvious expression of Gatsby's outward persona, of utter confidence, are his lavish parties. The reality is, however, that part, at least, of his motivation for having the parties was hoping that Daisy would one day show up, because he was too afraid to simply approach her. His showing off his medals from the war is, again, an outward expression of confidence. Nick, however, is beginning to see through this facade. Nick notices a certain restlessness in Gatsby's manner, which could either be a result of his abundant energy and cheerfulness, or, perhaps more likely, an expression of nervousness, which Gatsby is unable to hide.
Gatsby is described as a "man of about my age" (Fitzgerald 51) by Nick, His smile is mentioned several times, and Nick says he smiled "understandingly" (Fitzgerald 52). This essentially means that Gatsby has, for the most part, mastered his outward appearances in order to appeal confident and cool. Fitzgerald also describes Gatsby as having an "elaborate formality of speech just [missing] being absurd" (53), meaning that Gatsby is very eloquent and educated-sounding, while not speaking in a manner that sounds out of place of overly formal.
Practically everyone with whom Gatsby interacts has a positive impression of him. He also has a mysterious quality about him. with people gossiping that "he was a German spy during the war" (Fitzgerald 48), and that "[they] bet he killed a man" (Fitzgerald 48). On a more personal, realistic level, Daisy seems to think extremely highly of Gatsby. After the initial awkwardness of their reunion has dissipated, Daisy seems to be in absolute awe of Gatsby, and his mansion. Jordan's shock that Gatsby would want to speak alone with her is indicative of the great respect she has for him. She is flabbergasted that someone as important as him would wish to speak privately with her. Mr. Wolfshiem, a man of questionable morals but great success, speaks very positively of Gatsby, describing him as "the kind of man you'd like to take home and introduce to your mother and sister" (Fitzgerald 76).
Gatsby, as a character, is initially quite flat, as his personality seems quite superficial and shallow. He is at first only described positively, with the impression Nick got from his first interaction with him. However, Gatsby is becoming increasingly round and complex as more details of his personality and past are revealed. He is no longer the flat, perfect man. He is now a complex man with struggles, seemingly unfitting for a man of his apparent confidence. He is certainly static, as his character, to Nick especially, has changed significantly in just a few chapters. He has, again, changed from a superficial, perfect man to a more complex, struggling one.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVC73-Cz5QopBNnL5eZsxGBs2eLA3msre2UzZ8kSqn2gZfCnkvzPSDGHLzp4Y6_HdmDb1FsSL-fiJAjEjPhURPMv5IFbiOmv1q-3F8ljmnTEAahGmUkFsX0MP0nFxRqoBWVe6828fyJRQ7/s1600/empty+mansion+2.jpg
As many others would, I agree that Gatsby is the the most interesting character. At the beginning of the book, he is very mysterious which leads readers to be very curious about him. Personally, as I read, I was constantly wondering about him and what had happened in his life before the wealth. Gatsby is depicted to be very confident and sure of everything in his life, when later, we find out he is the complete opposite. It was interesting to read what you thought of Gatsby. I agree with what you said about Gatsby seeming to always be restless and nervous. He has so much to hide, which is later revealed in the book.
ReplyDelete