Although Meyer Wolfsheim, the owl-eyed man, and Henry Gatz are minor characters in the novel The Great Gatsby, nevertheless they reveal Gatsby's involvement in crime, the deception of Gatsby’s life, and his past, because F. Scott Fitzgerald wants to show how minor characters can help the reader understand aspects of Jay Gatsby's life in greater detail. Throughout the novel, Jay Gatsby's life is mentioned in mysterious ways, however, as the readers are introduced to minor characters it is easier to understand more about him.
The character Meyer Wolfsheim aids in the understanding of Gatsby’s criminal life and ambitions. After Wolfsheim is informed of Gatsby’s death, he responded to Nick’s invitation to the funeral, “I cannot come down now as I am tied up in some very important business and cannot get mixed up in this thing now. If there is anything I can do…. I hardly know where I am when I hear
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However, the owl-eyed man was only concerned with his library. The owl-eyed man was surprised that his library was not just for show since he has real books, which displays the vastness of Gatsby's deception. Gatsby created this reputation for himself in order for Daisy to return to him. Instead of only creating this illusion of his reputation of a wealthy man, he implements his deception by filling his library with real books instead of fake ones. The owl-eyed man was one of the very few that attended Gatsby's funeral. At the funeral, he said to Nick, "'Why, my God! they used to go there by the hundreds.' He took off his glasses and wiped them again, outside and in. 'The poor son-of-a-bitch,' he said." (175). Since the owl-eyed man was at Gatsby's funeral, he is proof that Gatsby's deception worked. The owl-eyed man went to his funeral because he felt connected to him. The owl-eyed man represents Gatsby's deception of his reputation and the efforts Gatsby went to in order to achieve his ideal