Examples of Indirect Characterization from Chapter 1 of The Great Gatsby
Type of Indirect
Characterization
Speech
Character
and/or Page #
Tom, pg. 7
Examples
Explanation
“I’ve got a nice place here,”
This is the first thing we hear Tom say and it
expresses his obvious, somewhat
overpowering, arrogance.
Tom knows full well how nice his house it
and points it out to his guest as fact rather
than letting Nick form his own opinion. Thus
indicating Tom’s habit of thinking his
opinion to be the only right one.
Nick’s annoyance lets the listener know that
he is resentful towards Tom’s obvious
snobbery and is possibly a bit insecure. If
Nick is annoyed that Tom has never heard of
his employer, he is obviously worried about
what others think and wants Tom to be
impressed.
As Daisy tells Nick the story of her
daughter’s birth, Nick realizes that he feels
manipulated by Daisy. This makes the reader
begin to question Daisy’s character, her
innocence.
Thoughts
Nick, pg. 10
“This annoyed me.”
Tom has just mentioned that he hasn’t heard
of the place Nick works and Nick is letting the
reader know that he’s annoyed.
Effect on others
Daisy, pg. 17
Actions
Myrtle, Pg. 28
Looks
Jordan, pg. 11
“The instant her voice broke off ceasing to
compel my attention, my belief, I felt the basic
insincerity of what she had said. It made me
uneasy, as though the whole evening had been
a trick of some sort to exact a contributory
emotion from me.”
“Throwing a regal homecoming glance around
the neighborhood, Mrs. Wilson gathered up
her dog and her other purchases, and went
haughtily in.”
“Her gray sun-strained eyes looked back at me
with polite reciprocal curiosity out of a wan,
charming, discontented face.”
Myrtle is poor, however, when she is with
Tom she acts terribly snobbish.
Sun-strained eyes lets the reader know that
she is outside a lot, which could indicate an
athlete of some sort. Wan here probably
means unhappy or fatigued, he finds her face
charming/appealing, and she appears to be
dissatisfied. With what though, we don’t
know- let’s us know that she wants
something more than she has.