The Gatsby Tragedy
Character Profiling
Anthony Martin
Name: Nick Carraway
Age: 30
Education: Yale Alumni; served in Army
Occupation: Bond Salesman
Current Residency: Beaten down house in the West Egg
Hobbies: Reading, Jordan Baker
Relations: Cousins with Daisy Buchanan. Neighbors with Jay Gatsby.
Dated Jordan Baker.
Analysis: Nick Carraway is the main character in this book, but throughout the book tends to
plays the secondary role in most instances. Nick provides inside on how the other characters
act and think. Nick comes from a family back west, and is a very unusual character, but at the
same time a pretty common person. Nick is not an alcoholic, and very rarely drinks. Nick is a
very good at keeping his temper, and not letting his emotions cripple him, and also Nick is a
very good listener, which is why most people tend to choose Nick to vent to and tell secrets.
Nick tends to want the quieter life, which is why at the end of the book after Gatsby’s death
he moves back to Minnesota.
Name: Jay Gats A.K.A Jay Gatsby
Age: Early 30’s
Education: Attended Oxford; Army Captain
Occupation: Bootlegger in the past; Unknown current day
Current Residency: Gatsby Mansion adjacent to Nick Carraway
Hobbies: Throwing parties, rich man hobbies, stalking Daisy
Relations: In love with Daisy. Friends and Neighbors with Nick Carraway.
Business partner Meyer Wolfsheim.
Analysis: Is living the American dream, and is a simple man that is willing to do anything to get
the love of Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby comes from a non-wealthy farming family, and Gatsby
has despised the fact of not being wealthy. Therefore, Gatsby did anything he could to become
wealthy that way there was a chance Daisy could be with him. Gatsby’s whole life revolves
around getting Daisy’s love it is his motivation to everything in the world. Gatsby wants
nothing more than the green light across the harbor for it is the light on the Daisy’s house and
represents her love. Gatsby gets shot by Mr. Wilson when Gatsby didn’t do anything. No one
besides a handful people showed up to his funeral. Gatsby had everything and nothing at all.
Name: Daisy Buchanan
Age: Mid 20’s
Education: Unknown
Occupation: Stay at home Mom
Current Residency: East Egg with Tom Buchanan
Hobbies: Shopping and going into town
Relations: Kid. Cousins with Nick Carraway, and married to Tom Buchanan.
In love with Jay Gatsby.
Analysis: Daisy is the trophy wife. She is perfect, and the woman that everyman dreams of having
as their wife. She is unhappy in her marriage for there is one thing that Daisy wants more than
anything in this world, and that is to be loved back. She wants love, and the feeling of being
loved back. Tom does not give her that feeling, which is why she is so madly in love with
Gatsby because he gives her that feeling. She may not seem like strong women, but she is for
she is able to stand up to Tom about how she loves Gatsby. Daisy hits Mrs. Wilson, which
ironically leads to the death of Gatsby the person she loved. Daisy and Tom stay together, and
do not attend the funeral of Gatsby.
Name: Tom Buchanan
Age: Early 30’s
Education: Yale Alumni with Nick
Occupation: Stockbroker, Inheritor of a large sum of money
Current Residency: East Egg with Daisy Buchanan
Hobbies: Polo and Horse trading
Relations: Kid and married to Daisy Buchanan.
Analysis: Tom comes from a great family of wealth from which he inherited. The only way he
was able to wed Daisy was because of his background and wealth (Unlike Gatsby who came
from a poor background). He is a man of a hulking stature, and wants to feel in power, which
his drive and want to everything. It is the reason why he committed adultery with the far less
attractive Mrs. Wilson. He is a man that is always looking for a way to control the situation,
and does not fear striking a woman if they step out of line. He cannot control his temper, and
his lust for power and reliving his glory days from the past are what drives him.
Name: Jordan Baker
Age: 23
Education: Unknown
Occupation: Professional Golfer
Current Residency: New York City
Hobbies: Playing Golf, shopping and partying
Relations: Friends with the Buchanan’s, Gatsby, and dated Nick Carraway.
Analysis: She is the little part of Nick’s love life that we get to see. Jordan likes to be catered to
and to have a good time. She shows signs of dishonesty and trust by cheating in her golf
tournaments. She is also quick to move on if one thing bad happens quickly. Her character
doesn’t play a big role in the book, and most of it is just when Nick and she are together.
Name: Myrtle Wilson
Age: Mid 30’s
Education: Unknown
Occupation: Unknown, most likely stay at home wife
Current Residency: Valley of Ashes
Hobbies: Adultery, seeing Tom
Relations: Married to George Wilson, and mistress of Tom Buchanan
Analysis: Myrtle represents the image of the common woman. She is not the trophy wife like
Daisy; Myrtle is curvier and far less attractive. She is the mistress of Tom, and not the
sharpest tool in the box. She speaks out against Tom, and Tom backhands her. She is the
perfect example of Tom always wanting to be in control. Myrtle is the cause of Gatsby’s
death; it starts with her running out into the street. She wants a better, flashier life than the life
she has now.
Name: George Wilson
Age: Mid 30’s
Education: Unknown
Occupation: Owns a garage, mechanic
Current Residency: Valley of Ashes
Hobbies: Unknown
Relations: Friends with Tom. Married to Myrtle Wilson
Analysis: George is man that is just trying to get by, and his love for his wife is what drives him.
He wants to give her a better life than what she has. His love is so great for her that he will do
anything, which he proves by shooting Gatsby and then killing himself. He thought that
Gatsby was the one who ran over and killed his wife in reality it was Daisy who did it. The
only crime besides murdering Gatsby that George committed was loving his wife too much.
Name: Meyer Wolfsheim
Age: 60’s
Education: Unknown
Occupation: Gambler
Current Residency: Unknown
Hobbies: Fixing the 1919 World Series and Gambling
Relations: Gatsby
Analysis: Little is actually known about Meyer Wolfsheim besides that he fixed the 1919 World
Series, and helped Gatsby on Gatsby’s road to obtaining his wealth. Meyer Wolfsheim plays a
very little part in this book, and Nick gets to meet him a couple times. Meyer Wolfsheim does
not attend the funeral of Jay Gatsby.
Connecting the Dots
N.C
J.B
M.W
M.W
J.G
T.B
G.W
Romantic
Involvement
D.B
Friends
Family