1. Character OverviewsMore Information Character OverviewsMore Information ThemesSpecial Thanks ThemesSpecial Thanks Motifs Symbols

2. Nick Carraway Nick Carraway Jay Gatsby Jay Gatsby Daisy Buchanan Daisy Buchanan Tom Buchanan Tom Buchanan Jordan Baker Jordan Baker ← Main Menu ← Main Menu

3. Nick Carraway is the narrator of the story. Many believe he is simply the character in place for F. Scott Fitzgerald himself, as Nick is instilled with the ideas and beliefs of Fitzgerald. Nick asserts himself as being honest, though many believe he is, in reality, a liar. Despite being the narrator, his focus is not on himself, but on Gatsby and other characters as he assesses their characteristics throughout the book. However, Nick, like the other characters, seems to be just as shallow. ← Back to Character Overviews ← Back to Character Overviews ← Main Menu ← Main Menu

4. Daisy Buchanan Daisy Buchanan Jay Gatsby is known to be a mysterious and somewhat eccentric man, finding himself fabulously wealthy. His only focus is on recreating the past he had with Daisy Buchanan. His wealth is devoted to throwing lavish parties and buying expensive things in hopes of getting her attention. It is his only dream. The truth is that he was born poor but was highly ambitious, and after the end of World War I, he spent his time finding wealth in illegal activities only to be used to impress Daisy. Daisy was never worth it, as the story shows later.Daisy Buchanan ← Back to Character Overviews ← Back to Character Overviews ← Main Menu ← Main Menu

5. Jay GatsbyTom Buchanan Jay GatsbyTom Buchanan Daisy Buchanan is the eccentric, materialistic love interest of Jay Gatsby. She is the wife of Tom Buchanan. She loved Gatsby, but pressure from her parents, impatience waiting for Gatsby to return from war, and Tom’s wealth and stature drove her to marry him instead. She is incredibly selfish, like most aristocracy in East Egg. The story shows that she was never worth the “pedestal” Gatsby put her on.Jay GatsbyTom Buchanan ← Back to Character Overviews ← Back to Character Overviews ← Main Menu ← Main Menu

6. Daisy Gatsby Daisy Gatsby Tom Buchanan is the wealthy, materialistic, and domineering husband of Daisy Buchanan. He is almost brutal. He was having an affair with Myrtle Wilson, although he was furious to find out that Daisy was also having an affair – with Gatsby. In a way, he is the “manly man” who is ignorant, sexist, and racist (although many had the same attitudes toward African Americans at that time).DaisyGatsby ← Back to Character Overviews ← Back to Character Overviews ← Main Menu ← Main Menu

7. Daisy Nick Daisy Nick Jordan Baker is the athletic and, of course, wealthy friend of Daisy. She is a compulsive liar and is slightly careless, but many say she is the most “sane” of the characters in the book. Not much more is said about her personality. For a while, she was in a relationship with Nick. However, it too was filled with empty pleasures, and it did not last.Daisy Nick ← Back to Character Overviews ← Back to Character Overviews ← Main Menu ← Main Menu

8. 1920s American Dream 1920s American Dream Hollowness of Upper Class Hollowness of Upper Class ← Main Menu ← Main Menu

9. The Great Gatsby essentially outlines the corruption of the American dream in the Jazz Age. An increase of national wealth sparked hope for a brilliant future, but ironically, this wealth led to the exploitation of such hopes. To sum it up, materialism destroys the American dream. The desire for money and pleasure went beyond better goals. This corruption is best exemplified as Gatsby’s dream of loving Daisy – the difference in their social statuses ruins that dream. ← Back to Themes ← Back to Themes ← Main Menu ← Main Menu

10. Gatsby TomDaisy BuchananGatsby TomDaisy Buchanan Long Island, where The Great Gatsby is set, consists of two areas – East Egg and West Egg. Those who live in West Egg are newly rich, making quick money (usually through illegal activities). Although they are considered to be gaudy and lacking in social taste, Gatsby shows that it is made up for in sincerity and kindness. Those who come from wealthy families and are traditionally wealthy have good taste and grace, but they lack in compassion. Tom and Daisy Buchanan show this well with their carelessness.GatsbyTomDaisy Buchanan ← Back to Themes ← Back to Themes ← Main Menu ← Main Menu

11. Geography Weather ← Main Menu ← Main Menu

12. valley of ashes valley of ashes Different locations in The Great Gatsby represent aspects of the society and of the themes in the story. East Egg represents the traditionally wealthy, West Egg represents the newly rich, the valley of ashes represents the moral and social decay of the society, and New York City is the uninhibited pursuit of wealth and pleasure.valley of ashes ← Back to Motifs ← Back to Motifs ← Main Menu ← Main Menu

13. GatsbyDaisy GatsbyTom Gatsby GatsbyDaisy GatsbyTom Gatsby The weather in the story goes along with the tone of the story. When Gatsby and Daisy first meet again, it is pouring down rain to represent sadness and awkwardness. When they are reunited, the sun comes out and it stops raining. At the hotel in the city, when Gatsby and Tom have the climatic argument, it is the hottest day of the year. Gatsby goes to his pool when there’s a “palpable chill” in the air as fall is approaching. This represents his desire and longing for the past and its memories.GatsbyDaisy GatsbyTomGatsby ← Back to Motifs ← Back to Motifs ← Main Menu ← Main Menu

14. The Green Light The Green Light The Valley of Ashes The Valley of Ashes The Eyes of Doctor TJ Eckleburg The Eyes of Doctor TJ Eckleburg ← Main Menu ← Main Menu

15. The green light at the edge of Daisy’s dock proves to be very symbolic throughout the story. It is Gatsby’s hopes and dreams for the future, ones that feature Daisy front and center. At first, it is explained to be just out of Gatsby’s reach – just as Daisy and his future with her seem just out of his touch. It represents his goal of being with her again. ← Back to Symbols ← Back to Symbols ← Main Menu ← Main Menu

16. valley of ashes valley of ashes This desolate land in between East Egg and West Egg represents the decay of the American dream. Those who live there are dirty and worn down, and the valley of ashes can be seen as an industrial wasteland.valley of ashes ← Back to Symbols ← Back to Symbols ← Main Menu ← Main Menu

17. Painted on an old billboard in the valley of ashes, the eyes of Doctor TJ Eckleburg have no explicit meaning. Fitzgerald suggests that symbols only have the meaning that characters instill in them. To grief-stricken George Wilson, these eyes are the eyes of God. Ultimately and rather ironically, the eyes of Doctor TJ Eckleburg represent the process by which people place meanings in objects – the very force behind The Great Gatsby. ← Back to Symbols ← Back to Symbols ← Main Menu ← Main Menu

18. Check out the source and inspiration behind this project. www.sparknotes.com/lit/gatsby/themes.html ← Main Menu ← Main Menu

19. Sparknotes provided the basis for my writings on the themes, motifs, and symbols in The Great Gatsby. Oh, and I can’t forget F. Scott Fitzgerald – many thanks for writing such an amazing book! Sparknotes provided the basis for my writings on the themes, motifs, and symbols in The Great Gatsby. Oh, and I can’t forget F. Scott Fitzgerald – many thanks for writing such an amazing book! ← Main Menu ← Main Menu