Meet the Cast
Knowing about the personalities, actions, and backgrounds of each character can help you figure out what Gatsby's 1920s New York social world was all about. Were they a bunch of materialistic know-nothings, or flawed idealistic dreamers? Also, you'll be able to critique (or praise) Leonardo DiCaprio's acting, once you've synthesized everything Gatsby should have been. We've got a list of the main characters in The Great Gatsby right here, and we promise we'll stay mum on Hollywood's casting decisions until you've decided for yourself.
Nick Carraway
(Click the character infographic to download.)Okay, Gatsby's name is the one in the title—but we still think that Nick is the major player. And here's why:Gatsby is almost shockingly simple once...
Jay Gatsby
The Great Gatsby Video If you invented a persona based entirely on Kylie Jenner's Instagram, you might come up with something a lot like The Great Gatsby's Jay Gatsby: a fabulously embellish...
Daisy Buchanan
(Click the character infographic to download.)In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby's entire life is devoted to the faint hope of rekindling his old love affair with Daisy. But what's so great about this Dai...
Tom Buchanan
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Meet Tom. He's a:sturdy, straw-haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner. Two shining, arrogant eyes had established dom...
Jordan Baker
(Click the character infographic to download.)Nick might end up "halfway in love" with Jordan, but he consistently describes her as cynical, having seen too much and heard too much to be fooled by...
George Wilson
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Poor George. He really gets the short end of the stick in this one. And, seeing as he's one of the few characters without staggering flaws, he doesn't...
Myrtle Wilson
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Myrtle Wilson is not too smart. If she were, she'd have recognized that Tom is Bad News. Look at the way she describes their meeting:It was on the two...
Meyer Wolfsheim
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We don't know a lot about Meyer Wolfsheim – and we're not supposed to. Beyond the fact that he's a business associate and a friend of Gatsby's, all...
Owl Eyes and Klipspringer
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These two odd characters sum up two extremes of the ludicrous and bizarre people who populate Gatsby's parties, drinking his liquor and gossiping abou...