4.2.1
Jay Gatsby
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Background to Jay Gatsby's Character
Jay Gatsby is an incredibly wealthy and glamorous, yet deeply mysterious, character. He is known throughout New York’s high society for the extravagant parties he throws at his West Egg mansion.
James Gatz
- We eventually learn that he started life as James Gatz, born to a humble family in the Midwest, but has since completely reinvented himself in order to win the love of Daisy Buchanan.
Dark romantic
- He is hopelessly romantic, but he also seems to have a much darker side as his connections to criminal gangs are implied throughout the story.
Jay Gatsby - Mysterious Character
To almost everybody, Gatsby’s background is a complete mystery, and because of this he is surrounded by rumours and speculation, almost all of which tend to link him to various criminal acts.
Gossip at Gatsby's parties
- Guests at his lavish parties frequently gossip about the background of their host.
- Some speculate that he has killed somebody, while another popular rumour is that he was a German spy during World War I with close connections to Kaiser Wilhelm II.
- Perhaps part of Gatsby’s appeal is the mystery of where he came from: he is the talk of New York City, and people flock to his parties in the hope of finding out more about him.
Gatsby's fortune
- While much of the gossip about Gatsby is unfounded and seemingly untrue, by Chapter Seven it is confirmed that Gatsby made his fortune through illegally selling 'grain alcohol', a crime known as ‘bootlegging’.
- Nick is wise enough to know that people like Gatsby 'don’t just drift out of nowhere and buy a place on Long Island Sound' (Chapter Three).
Gatsby's criminal connections
- The introduction of Meyer Wolfsheim in Chapter Four is some of the first concrete evidence that Gatsby has connections to the criminal underworld.
- Tom Buchanan is also deeply suspicious of Gatsby and does his own research into his background. He confronts Gatsby with his findings in front of Daisy.
- When Daisy realises that Gatsby is a criminal, she drew 'further and further into herself' (Chapter Seven), clearly preferring the safety of a life with Tom to the unpredictability of life with Gatsby.
1Specification Overview
1.1Specification Overview
2Context
3Plot Summary
3.1Chapter One
3.2Chapter Two
3.3Chapter Three
3.4Chapter Four
3.6Chapter Six
3.7Chapter Seven
3.8Chapter Eight
4Character Profiles
4.3Daisy Buchanan
4.5Minor Characters
5Key Ideas
6Writing Techniques
6.1Structure, Genre & Narrative Voice
7Love Through the Ages - Thematic Analysis
7.1Love Through the Ages
Jump to other topics
1Specification Overview
1.1Specification Overview
2Context
3Plot Summary
3.1Chapter One
3.2Chapter Two
3.3Chapter Three
3.4Chapter Four
3.6Chapter Six
3.7Chapter Seven
3.8Chapter Eight
4Character Profiles
4.3Daisy Buchanan
4.5Minor Characters
5Key Ideas
6Writing Techniques
6.1Structure, Genre & Narrative Voice
7Love Through the Ages - Thematic Analysis
7.1Love Through the Ages
Practice questions on Jay Gatsby
Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
- 1What is Jay Gatsby's real name?Multiple choice
- 2What do people know Jay Gatsby for?Multiple choice
- 3How do we know Jay Gatsby has a darker side?Multiple choice
- 4Why has Gatsby reinvited himself?Multiple choice
- 5Rumours about Gatsby:Fill in the list
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