Jay Gatsby

At the age of 17 he changes his original name, James Gatz, to Jay Gatsby. He does that, because the name sounds typically European and he does not want people to know his being a newly-rich. During that time immigrants just like upstarts were not accepted by the upper class.

Being a young soldier, he falls in love with a rich girl named Daisy Fay. When Gatsby has to leave her for serving the U.S. Army in the Great War their relationship splits up. After the war, because of several circumstances, he has to attend Oxford College in England.

As he comes back to the United States he finds his great love married to another man and thinks his only possible chance to get Daisy back is being rich. This idea is stuck in his head and trying to get his love back is the only thing he lives for. Little by little Gatsby loses his sense of reality completely. He is a dreamer, but to complete his dream of living a perfect life he has to reunite with Daisy.

Therefore he moves to New York and makes a lot of money with illegal business.

He throws party after party hoping Daisy would join one of them. This shows that Gatsby is a very dedicated person. He tries everything to get Daisy back.

The people who attend his parties see Gatsby as a gentleman. However, his shy behaviour towards them makes them gossip about him. Keeping his past a secret people connect it with criminal affairs. Nevertheless in Gatsby´s opinion gossip is better than his biggest fear coming true, not being respected by those upper class people and to being seen as a nobody.

All in all Gatsby is totally lost in his dream world and not able to find back to reality.