Blog 5: Character Analysis

In chapter 5 of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nick attends his first party at his neighbor's. Upon meeting his host, and being oblivious to this fact, the two are formally acquainted. This is the first time in the novel Gatsby is really introduced to the reader as more than just the interesting individual next door. Gatsby, who, to me, has already come across as a charming individual, furthers this assertion in my eyes by a quote which conveys him as understanding too. In regards to Gatsby's smile: " It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey," (Fitzgerald,48). I find this admirable because I don't think I myself have ever found someone with the ability to do all this by just a simple smile. Gatsby seems to be a deep and wise man, which not many people can see into and understand the depths of his soul and knowledge. And, although, many accusations have been spread that he killed a man, I am too fascinated with his character to be turned away be any of them. Aside from this point, I would guess him to be a colored man. My reasoning for this assumption is that I think the book depicts him as a man of success at a time when little  respect is given to minorities and other races. If my assumption is correct, I'm happy to see the book proves people of all races and ethnicities are capable of the same successes.