The beginning of Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby begins in a rather confusing way. In immense
detail he begins to describe the life of a man he has not yet provided a name
for. As he progresses in information, it is finally gleaned that the main
character, and the first person perspective of the book, is Nick Carraway.
Mr. Carraway’s first impressions of Gatsby, his mansion, and
his life style are vividly depicted in Fitzgerald’s language. “He smiled
understandingly—much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles
with a quality of eternal reassurance in it…” Nick says of his first encounter
with Gatsby. His first impressions clearly put Gatsby on a pedestal as a smart,
well-spoke, respectable man.
As the book progresses, there are many moments which begin
to diminish Gatsby’s charm and heighten his mysteriousness. Instead of being a
man no one knew, he seemed like a man who manipulated the men who didn’t know
him. In the scene where Mr. Carraway is eating lunch with Gatsby and one of his
friends, it seems very odd when the friend mentions something he isn’t supposed
to. Gatsby is quick to remark, “Oh no. This isn’t the man!” It leads one to
question his behind the scenes deals.
However, a softer side of Gatsby is seen when Mrs. Baker
tells Carraway of the preexisting relationship between Gatsby and Daisy. It
begs the question, was all of Gatsby’s façade for her?
