Character Analysis In The Great Gatsby

“Most affectations conceal something eventually, even though they don’t in the beginning…” (pg. 57). The world of the 1920’s required that one disguise one’s true self for an incarnation that people would lust over. In his novel, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald suggests that portraying oneself as someone they are not will raise questions and uncertainty in those they meet. In the passage where Nick meets Gatsby for the first time (pg.48 ) Nick observes Gatsby’s smile and the effect it has on him. The details about Gatsby’s smile conveys that Nick, at first is charmed by the Gatsby’s warmth, but soon sees through his facade despite Gatsby’s efforts to ingratiate himself to Nick. Fitzgerald conveys that a person may present one image of themselves on the surface that is not an accurate portrayal of their actual self.

When Nick meets Gatsby for the first time, Nick describes Gatsby’s smile as a “rare smiles with a quality of eternal” (pg. 48). The word “Eternal” means everlasting, without a definite end or beginning. By describing Gatsby’s smile as “eternal” Nick is hinting at the impossibility of eternal and the falseness it carries. Nick also describes Gatsby’s smile as “ an irresistible prejudice in your favor.” (pg 48). Irresistible means too powerful or convincing to be resisted. By describing Gatsby’s smile as ‘irresistible’ Nick shows how easy it is to fall under Gatsby’s spell and overlook his true intentions. Accordingly Fitzgerald illustrates that a person may present themselves differently in order to appear