Gatsby's Dog

Throughout reading The Great Gatsby there were many times where I was left to simply just wonder about Jay Gatsby, but my favorite part was when he was first introduced in the novel. To expose Gatsby Nick describes him in the following way, "he smiled understandingly--much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced--or seemed to face--the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just so far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey" (Fitzgerald, 52-53). I feel that this passage, although it is only the introduction of Gatsby, shows his true character behind his purpose before you even know his purpose. I think that by describing Gatsby as having a smile that you only encounter a few times in your life represents his dedication to Daisy. It is only but a few times in ones lifetime that you come across a man who will spend his every penny and dedicate his whole life in hope of obtaining his dream girl. Furthermore, when Nick illustrates Gatsby as looking out into the external world but then solely focusing on one thing this represents the location of his house. His house is located on the opposite side of the lake from Daisy and Tom's house, but for Gatsby he did not choose this location for the pretty view of its surroundings. Gatsby chose this location for one reason, the green light on the other side that represented his hope that he would one day end up with Daisy.