The Great Gatsby-- Reading blog #1

Looking at first three chapters of The Great Gatsby, make some predictions about these characters and (unlike Nick) classify them into one of the three categories - hero, antihero, and villain. Give ample reasons for your classification, with support for the text (that means quotes...and page numbers).

            The heroes in The Great Gatsby appears to be Nick. Nick is the narrator of the book; therefore, he must have difficulty pointing out flaws in himself. This causes him to appear to be the hero. He appears to be a perfect person. While he may want to get drunk a few times, he does not when he sees Jordan at the party (42). This shows that he has the common sense to not make a fool out of himself when he is around a girl he is supposed to develop a romantic relationship with. He makes himself look like a person who is calmly there, no matter the situation. Weither or not Nick is what he tells himself to be in unknown so far in the book. I believe we will learn more about Nick and his personality as the book progresses. I also think Nick and the Gastby will become great friends.

            Jay Gatsby, looks to be a antihero. Jay “doesn’t want any trouble from anybody (43).” However, everyone seems to spread rumors about him because he is a mysterious man. Some of the rumors include: “he killed a man once (44)”, and “he was a German spy during the war (44).” Both of these rumors are degrading on Gatsby’s appearance. As the book progresses, I believe, through Nick, we will learn important information about Jay Gatsby. This information would then confirm or denounce the rumors spread about him.

            The villians appear to be Owl Eyes, and Jordan. Owl eyes simply seems foul from the beginning. Using words such as “snatched” when he takes the book from Nicks hands in the library (45-46) makes Owl Eyes seem like a foul person. His appearance is worsened by him saying he has “been drunk far about a week.” Being drunk is not associated with good behavior in our society, especially when one is drunk for a week. Owl eyes will likely appear again in the life of Jay Gatsby. I believe he will do something to harm the Gatsby’s great wealth. On the other hand, Jordan appears to be a sweet girl, but may not be on the inside. She has treacherous driving skills and believes the other drivers should be careful around her driving and not get in her way (58). She also cheated at her first golf tournament. There was “a suggestion that she had moved her ball in the semi-final round… [until] a caddy retracted his statement, and the only other witness admitted that he might have been mistaken (57).” Both scenarios show bad behavior on her part. The driving is definitely not  safe for her or the people around her. Cheating in a sport, particularly in the semi-finals of any sport, is undoubtedly frowned upon in our modern society.