I think there might be another layer to Gatsby’s character that gets overlooked by most. When he meets Daisy, he gets really flustered and uncomfortable. I just don’t buy it and am wondering if that, too, is an act. My skepticism comes from his interactions with Tom. On p. 103, Tom is surprised and almost abhorred when Gatsby gets ready to leave with the woman who Tom says does not want him. The impression I got was that Gatsby has trouble picking up on social cues. Two pages later, p. 105, Gatsby introduces Tom as the polo player. Tom responds, “‘not me’…but evidently the sound of it pleased Gatsby, for Tom remained ‘the polo player’ for the rest of the evening'”. I interpreted that interaction as Gatsby very much so picking up on the social cue of Tom’s uncomfortableness but calling him the “polo player” anyway just to bother Tom. It then makes me skeptical of situations like p. 103 where Gatsby appears oblivious.
2 thoughts on “Skeptical of Gatsby”
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While I did not notice this on my own, reading your post does highlight a few inconsistencies in Gatsby’s character. Thinking about it more, I do find it interesting that Gatsby is so interested in spending time with Tom and even challenging him some. To me, it seems more like Gatsby to be more timid around him and want to get away as soon as possible. I also, however, would say that his overwhelming love for Daisy could be the cause of some of his more awkward actions. This, however, does not resolve the issue of when he was trying to leave with the woman who clearly did not want him to attend. It would be very interesting to look deeper into the intricacies of Gatsby’s character and how his persona alters in different situations with different people.
Reading the rest of the novel, Gatsby again calls Tom an “old sport” on p. 134 in the heat of their argument over Daisy in the hot hotel room. The response from Tom is rage, and it gets Daisy to turn on Tom instead of Gatsby. She yells, “‘Please, Tom! I can’t stand this any more”, and then she leaves with Gatsby. In an interesting turn of events, Gatsby seems to have gotten what he wanted after manipulating Tom.