Often in novels the central character can have a major influence on other characters throughout the story. Whether the influence is positive or negative, some form of growth and change is seen in the surrounding characters. In the cases of The Great Gatsby and The Metamorphosis, these central characters are also a mystery that the surrounding characters are trying to solve. This paper will discuss the influence Jay Gatsby had on other characters in The Great Gatsby and the influence that Gregor Samsa had on other characters in The Metamorphosis, while also discussing the mysteries both of them present for other characters to solve. Jay Gatsby is a mystery to those around him because of the way he presents himself. He stays hidden away in his house while telling people only the smallest details about himself, leaving them to guess the rest. Before Nick meets Gatsby at his party, he hears several different stories about him from other partygoers. One woman even says that, “Somebody told me they thought he’d killed a man once (44)”. Often these small details Gatsby tells people can seem to contradict, such as the time when Gatsby says he is “the son of some wealthy people in the Middle West (65)” but then later goes on to say that he is from San Francisco. By doing this Gatsby is preserving the mystery around him, allowing him to …show more content…
When Daisy admits to loving Gatsby in front of Tom, it is a wake up call that wounds Tom. Gatsby also hurts Tom by allowing Daisy to drive his car and hit Myrtle, which ends in Myrtles death. Even though Myrtle was simply Tom’s love affair, he cared very deeply for her. After he discovers her death he is described as whimpering to Nick the words “The God damned coward! He didn’t even stop his car (141)”. While Daisy was the one to actually hit Myrtle, Tom begins to feel a hatred for Gatsby because it was his car, and this leads to Gatsby’s eventual