Minor Charactors, The Great Gatsby Essay, Research Paper

Nick Langworth

English 11

Wednesday, May 05, 1999

Minor Fictional characters

In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the minor characters play an of import function in

lending to the secret plan, subject and give the reader an overall apprehension of the novel as a whole. The

three most of import minor characters in the novel are Myrtle Wilson, Tom Buchanan? s secret kept woman,

George Wilson, Myrtle? s hubby and the proprietor of a run down garage on the side of the route taking into

the metropolis, and eventually Jordan Baker, an attractive immature adult female golf player who is a compulsive prevaricator, she besides

finally becomes more and more involved with Nick Carroway, the storyteller. All three of these characters

lend a great trade to the novel as a whole. Though their parts are little, without them the novel would

non be the chef-d’oeuvre that it is.

Jordan Baker is the minor character with the biggest portion. she is seen really frequently throughout the

novel. Jordan Baker? s most dramatic quality is her venally. She is tough and aggressive-a tourney

golf player who is so hardened by competition and because ot that she is willing to make anything to win. At the terminal

of Chapter III, when Nick is believing about Jordan, he remembers a narrative about her first major tourney.

? At her first large golf tourney at that place was a row that about reached the newspapers-a suggestion that she

had moved her ball from a bad prevarication in the semi-final unit of ammunition. The thing approached the proportions of the

scandal-then died off. A caddie retracted his statement and the merely other informant admitted that he might

have been mistaken. the incident and the name had remained together in my mind. ? pg. 63. This incident

corsets with the reader throughout the novel, reminding the reader ( as it reminds Nick ) that Jordan is the smart

but highly dishonest new adult female, the self-seeker who will make whatever she must to be successful in her

universe.

Jordan Baker? s usage in the novel helps Fitzgerald acquire the narrative told. Because she is Daisy & # 8217 ; s

friend from Louisville, she can provide Nick with information he would non hold otherwise. She besides serves as

a nexus between the major characters, traveling back and Forth between the universe of East Egg ( Tom and Daisy & # 8217 ; s

house ) and West Egg ( Gatsby & # 8217 ; s and Nick & # 8217 ; s houses ) . She is rich plenty to be comfy among the East

Eggars but sufficiency of a societal streetwalker to look at Gatsby & # 8217 ; s parties.

Jordan serves still another intent, she is really Nick & # 8217 ; s girlfriend during the summer of 1922. The

Nick-Jordan love affair serves as a good sub-plot to the Gatsby-Daisy relationship, and allows the reader to

comparison and contrast the romantic-dream like love of Gatsby for Daisy to a really practical but weak

relationship created through Nick and Jordan. Fitzgerald brightly uses Jordan Baker to integrate Nick

into the novel as more than the storyteller but as a existent individual. Jordan is besides used to demo the contrast

between two different sorts of relationships, that of Gatsby and Daisy and Jordan and Nick.

Myrtle Wilson is another minor character that plays a great function in The Great Gatsby. She is the married woman

of George Wilson. Myrtle is a really of import character, because Fitzgerald uses her to assist expose Tom? s

ferociousness and to demo how Tom is a dissembler. Fitzgerald uses Myrtle because it shows how Tom thinks of

her as one of his ownerships, she is displayed openly to all of Tom? s friends and familiarities and they all

freely accept her. Tom uses Myrtle for the fueling of his ain self-importance because it makes him experience powerful and

superior.

The novel is propelled into excellence because of Fitzgerald? s ability to utilize Myrtle to assist portray

Tom as an immorality, brutal and hypocritical adult male. By integrating Myrtle into the fresh Tom becomes hated more

by the reader because he disapproves Daisy? s relationship with Gatsby but he feels that his relationship with

Myrtle is appropriate because Myrtle is nil more than a ownership to him.

Myrtle is fundamentally confined to chapter II, except for when she is killed in the terminal of the novel. During

chapter II the reader finds that Myrtle? s one want is to go forth her category and to go on of the elite rich.

Myrtle evidently has the logic and ethical motives to go one of the elite because she is obsessed with

visual aspects and unaware of the worlds of life. Myrtle says that she married George? because I thought he

was a gentleman & # 8230 ; I thought he knew something about engendering but he wasn? t tantrum to cream my shoe. ? ( pg. 39 ) .

Myrtle candidly thinks that she is above George and that he is so far below her because, in her head, she is

one of the elite because of her relationship with Tom. In world Myr

tle is merely another one of Tom? s

ownerships.

Fitzgerald uses Myrtle to demo the reader how the disillusioned life of the rich is non confined to the

rich entirely. Myrtle is from a lower category but yet she has portions the same position on life with Tom and

the remainder of the rich. They all feel that money is their cardinal to high quality. Though Myrtle is non rich at all she

feels that she superior to the universe because she is connected to huge extensions of wealth through Tom. In

the terminal Fitzgerald shows the reader why he incorporated Myrtle into his novel. He used her to demo Tom? s

ferociousness and lip service, but Fitzgerald uses Myrtle for a deeper intent. He inquiries the reader and the

reader? s ethical motives straight and fundamentally makes the reader inquiry his/her ain ego worth. He asks the reader

? Do you experience above the universe, because if you think that you are, you have already proven that you are non. ?

George Wilson is the last major minor character in the novel. He is the hubby of Myrtle Wilson

and in the terminal the liquidator of Gatsby. Tom dainties George in a really alone manner. Though Tom is holding an

matter with his married woman he still makes regular contact with him. Tom? s attitude towards George is one of pure immorality.

He treats George awfully because Tom feels that he is so far above him and that he can experience free to handle him

with every bit small regard as possible. Tom uses George as his ain personal punching bag. This is seen when

Tom baits the hapless George into believing that he wants to sell a auto to him that in world, Tom has no existent

purpose of merchandising.

Fitzgerald besides uses George to demo a love that Tom could ne’er hold. With out George in the

novel the joy of true love would non hold of all time been seen in the novel. Throughout all the relationships in the

novel merely George? s love for his married woman was true. Because of George? s love he was genuinely richer than Tom could

of all time be.

In the terminal it is seen why Fitzgerald used George Wilson in the novel. George has such a greater

spirit than Tom, and this merely shows how Tom, along with the remainder of the rich, are so baffled as to how to travel

about life. Fitzgerald shows the reader that George reacts to the loss of his married woman with a show of heartache that

reveals a love that is beyond Tom? s capacity. For Tom can non love because he is incapable of true love,

This is one of Tom? s greatest defects, the closest thing to love for Tom is his love for his money. George

Wilson is used in the novel to demo how disadvantaged Tom? s life truly is.

All three of these characters play such an of import function throughout the novel. Though they are

considered minor characters, but without them, the novel would non and could non hold had achieved the

degree of illustriousness that it is known for. Fitzgerald brightly uses Jordan Baker to integrate Nick into the

novel as more than the storyteller but as a existent individual. Jordan is besides used to demo the contrast between two

different sorts of relationships, that of Gatsby and Daisy and Jordan and Nick. Gatsby? s relationship with

Daisy is one of false hope, a kind of unachievable end that plunges Gatsby deep into self commiseration. The

relationship of Nick and Jordan is a more modern relationship, neither of them knows a great trade about

eachanother, yet they pursue each other strictly out of physical attractive force. In they end Nick does larn about

Jordan and the life she lives and he ends the relationship and Jordan visual aspect in the novel.

George Wilson played a cardinal function in the novel every bit good. His intent was to demo the reader the life of

a on the job category adult male. George showed what life was like for a adult male who had to work for every penny that he

had. Though Tom feels that he is above George, in the terminal Tom is non. George showed a love that Tom

could ne’er hold. With out George in the novel the joy of true love would hold non of all time been seen.

Throughout all the relationships in the novel merely George? s love for his married woman was true. Because of George? s

love he was genuinely richer than Tom could of all time be.

Finally, Myrtle Wilson, she was possibly one of the most dumbfounding characters in the novel.

Fitzgerald used her non merely to do the reader hatred Tom even more but to utilize her life and demeanour to

inquiry the reader straight. Fitzgerald? s chief end, for the usage of Myrtle, was to non so much to frighten the

reader into oppugning his/her ain ego worth, but to propose to the reader that you do non hold to blinded by

money to be disillusioned in life.

The three most of import minor characters in the novel are Myrtle Wilson, George Wilson, and

Jordan Baker. All three of these characters contribute a great trade to the novel as a whole. Though their

parts are little, without them the novel would non be the chef-d’oeuvre that it is.