Archetypes

Jay Gatsby:

The Lover

Gatsby’s desire to sweep Daisy off her feet by going through the trouble of throwing such opulent parties makes him a shoe-in for the lover archetype. His only dream is to be with Daisy and he goes through tremendous obstacles in order to simply attempt to get her. He is forced to hide his true identity from hundreds of people and he is unable to make too many close friends that he can tell the truth to, in fear of his true identity being leaked. He stares at the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock as if trying to reach it and somehow by reaching it he will achieve his American Dream. 

Nick Carraway:

The Wise Man and Hero

Nick is the only one to not succumb to the love spell that everyone is cursed with. He fancy’s Jordan Baker but ends the relationship when he knows there is no future for them. He moves away from all the drama and did not get too involved in other people’s problems. He is the wisest of them all especially since he is the only one who was not hurt by the end of the novel. When Gatsby dies, he arranges a small funeral and invites some people demonstrating his heroics.

Tom Buchanan:

The Bully and Villain

Tom is a sexist, racist, arrogant hypocrite. His actions are clearly villainous because he never contributes positively towards anything. His adulterous acts further prove his villainous characteristics and when told about his wife’s affair with Gatsby, he becomes outraged even though he himself is having an affair with Myrtle, who is married to George. At the end of the novel, Tom tells George that Gatsby is the one was driving the car that killed Myrtle when in fact it had been Daisy who is driving. Tom new very well what the consequence would be for Gatsby, making him an instigator of George and Gatsby’s confrontation that leads to the deaths of both of them.