The Great Gatsby Essay

In the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays life in America during the 1920s through a unique collection of characters. Each character has inside of them the potential for good and evil; as a result, the characters may be seen as heroes or villains. The three characters that display the strongest qualities of heroes and villains are Nick, Tom, and Daisy.

Because of his loyalty to his friends and his trustworthiness, Nick is considered a hero. For example, as Nick is calling people to inform them of Gatsby's death, Nick discovers that he is Gatsby's one true friend and he finds himself "on Gatsby's side and alone." (p. 172) This shows that after everything Gatsby does to impress Daisy, even she deserts him and leaves Nick alone to see that he is laid to rest peacefully. This also shows that although Nick does not know Gatsby very well and is not obligated to him in any way; he shoulders the responsibility of Gatsby's funeral without expecting anything in return. In addition, Nick knows about both Tom and Daisy's extra-marital affairs because he accompanies Tom and Myrtle to their New York apartment, and he also arranges the reunion between Daisy and Gatsby. This shows that even though Nick knows about both affairs, he does not tell either person because he does not want to cause conflict among everyone involved. This also shows that Nick is put into many situations where it would be easy to tell everything he knows, but chooses not to because he values the trust that the others have placed in him. Despite the difficult situations Nick encounters, he manages to remain a loyal and trustworthy friend to those who have taken advantage of him.

Tom's deceitfulness and his brutal nature make him the prime example of a villain. For example, Mr. Wilson asks Tom as to when he is going to sell him the car; but Tom, having no intention of selling it to him, replies, "Next week, I have got my man working on it now." (p. 29) This shows that Tom will exploit the needs of others just to get his own way and to make things run more smoothly for him. This also shows that Tom's conniving ways cause people to obtain a false sense of their surroundings, or what is happening in their life. In addition, Tom displays his dangerous intentions when he forcefully bruises Daisy's finger and Daisy comments, "That is what I get for marrying a brute of a man." (p. 26) This shows that Tom, who probably does not realize it, brings harm to anything he associates himself with, whether it is with his hands or with his words. This also shows that Tom uses his strength to overpower anybody he thinks is threatening his possessions or his way of life. Tom's sinister ways prove that he handles people too aggressively and thus physically hurts their feelings or bodies.

Much like Tom, Daisy reflects herself as being a cheater and gossips as well as being easily influenced by what other people say. For example, after Daisy meets Gatsby they engage in a secret affair and display the auricular event when Daisy "went over to Gatsby and pulled his face towards her, kissing him on the mouth." (p. 49) This shows that Daisy has no contemplation for her bind with Tom and would rather please herself with Gatsby than stay honest with her husband. This also shows that Daisy acts on her own impulses and does not care who she hurts with her decisions. In addition, Daisy indulges in her tale bearing activities and carries this out saying, "We heard you were engaged to marry a girl out west," and next comments, "But we heard it from three people so it must be true." (p. 9) This shows that Daisy ties herself in with rumors and thus relays what she hears no matter whom or what it pertains to. This also shows that she thinks everything anyone says relates to her and Daisy feels like she has to make a big deal over something tiny. Daisy's cheating and gullible attitude endorses the fact that she does what she desires, plus she takes the words of others as truth to decipher them anyway she chooses.
The characters of Nick, Tom, and Daisy represent an example of how people act, not only on paper, but in the real world as well. People can easily relate to these characters and all of their strengths and faults. There are heroes and villains in everyone's story and it is how you come up in the end that really matters.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Gatsby