Dominant Characters in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Authors in all stretches of literature develop characters in order to give the reader greater depth into the plot and into the nature of conflict that is occurring. Often times, there are characters that are viewed as dominant within the novel, and seem to feed off of those around them. These very characters are essential to the development of the plot line, as they generally serve as a foil to the main character, although often times, this foil is hidden until the end of the book. Francis Scott Fitzgerald does this exceptionally well, as he does a wonderful job of developing characters into this foil role throughout the book. This is seen most obviously in the characters of Tom and Daisy Buchanon, and Fitzgerald describes the extent of their thoughtlessness at the end of the book by writing, “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together and let other people clean up the mess they had made…” (Fitzgerald 179). In Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, he describes Tom and Daisy Buchanon as careless due to their manipulation and use of other characters, including Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway, and even each other, to result in negative outcomes for those affected.

Tom Buchanan often manipulated and used other characters within the novel for his own personal gain in order to lead the intimate relationships he wanted, however these actions led to unseen consequences which harmed the lifestyle of those he manipulated. Myrtle was used by Tom as a backup for his wife Daisy. He never fully intended on creating a lasting relationship with Myrtle, and found her to be nothing more than the sense of vitality...

... middle of paper ...

...ons and social class were exceedingly important. Tom was able to provide these things for her, and she knew it, meaning she went into the relationship, knowing it could never be long term because it wouldn’t provide her with the life she craved. Thus, she led Gatsby on and played with his emotions, until he ultimately met his death, after which, Daisy made her way back to Tom, and didn’t even show up for Gatsby’s funeral. Daisy manipulated Gatsby into loving her by leading him on, knowing fully well that the relationship would never turn out well. However she didn’t think of the consequences and continued on doing what she thought would give her the greatest life. Daisy always did what was in her best interest and often times ended up hurting people on the way, however she didn’t consider these costs and had no problem leaving the mess for somebody else to clean up.