Jay Gatsby

Gatsby is the novel’s namesake and the central figure to all events that occur within the pages of the book. Initially, he is presented as a man of mystery, and we, like most of the New York socialites that so frequently waltz through his doors, know very little about his past. Nick does not even realise while mingling at Gatsby’s party that he is speaking to the man himself. Nick gushes over Gatsby’s warmth with a “rare” smile that conveyed “an irresistible prejudice in you favour.”