The Great Gatsby Players and Places

Meet the narrator, Nick CarrowayA Minnesota native, he is imbued with Midwestern values and relocates to the New York area to work in the bond business. He is Daisy’s cousin and becomes entwined with her life and Gatsby’s. In other words, he is a “regular guy” among the rich group.

Nick’s cousin, DaisyBeautiful young woman who rejects Gatsby and marries wealthy Tom Buchanan. She is shallow and immature, although Gatsby thinks she is the ideal woman. Daisy seems bored with life, saying, “I’ve been everywhere and seen everything and done everything.” Although unhappy in her marriage and her privileged lifestyle, she is unwilling to give up either.

Tom BuchananDaisy’s boorish and bigoted husband, who comes from a fabulously wealthy Chicago family. He is arrogant and condescending. At Yale, where he was an outstanding football end, many of his fellow students despised him. It is common knowledge that Tom is unfaithful to Daisy.

Tom’s blue coupeRemember the cars Tom and Gatsby drive. This is important for

the end of the story.

Tom and Daisy’s house in East Egg

East Egg is filled with old money families who have been rich for generations. Gatsby would not be able to buy a home here because he was not born into a wealthy family.

Jordan BakerA professional golfer and friend of Daisy. She is cynical and independent, an emancipated woman of the 1920's. She and Nick wind up dating, but do not last as a couple.

Myrtle Wilson

Tom Buchanan’s sensuous mistress who lives in a lower-class area with her husband, who is Tom’s mechanic. She is envious

of Daisy.

Myrtle’s Home

Myrtle’s husband, George, owns this garage in the Valley of Ashes.

Billboard from the Valley of Ashes

"About half way between West Egg and New York the motor road hastily joins the railroad and runs beside it for a quarter of a mile, so as to shrink away from a certain desolate area of land. This is a valley of ashes—a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air."

-- F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Jay GatsbyThe main character of the novel. He was born James Gatz to a poor farm couple in North Dakota. At 17, he changes his name to Jay Gatsby as he severs ties with his humble beginnings and dreams of a better day. His job with a millionaire yacht owner teaches him how to make money. While serving in the U.S. Army, he falls in love with Daisy Fay, but she marries the scion of a wealthy family after Gatsby goes overseas. When Gatsby returns he pursues his dream: to make a fortune that enables him to reclaim Daisy.

This is where he lives . . . Gatsby’s house is in West Egg, a “new money” neighborhood. Those who live in East Egg often look down on those who live in West Egg.

This is how he rolls . . .

Gatsby’s yellow Rolls Royce was famous in New York. This is the actual car from the film. It was sold last year for $200,000.

A typical night at Gatsby’s

Gatsby threw huge parties every weekend, hoping that Daisy would attend.

Will Gatsby manage to charm Daisy into leaving Tom? Read to find out!