Elements of Characterization
Choose One:
- Dialogue – What the character says
- Action – What the character does
- Opinions – What other characters say about this character
- Thoughts – Insights into this characters thoughts and/or feelings
- Reactions – The ways other characters react to this character
Chapter 2
Action –
"She smiled slowly and, walking through her husband as if he were a ghost, shook hands with Tom, looking him flush in the eye. Then she wet her lips, and without turning around spoke to her husband in a soft, coarse voice." Page 26
Mrs. Wilson seems to be more interested in Tom than her husband. If she's doing this infront of her husband, it's bound to blow up later in the book. - Chapter 3
- Opinons
- "Gatsby. Somebody told me - Somebody told me they thought he killed a man once."
- "I don't think it's so much that, it's more that he was a German spy during the war." Page 44
- Nobody really knows for sure who this Gatsby guy is, all they know is what they hear from rumors. We as readers don't really know anything about Gatsby because we aren't sure what's real and what's fake.
- Chapter 4
- Dialogue
- His nostrils turned to me in an interesting way. "I understand you're looking for a business gonnegtion." Page 70
- Sounds like Mr. Wolfsheim is interested in Nick. Maybe Nick will get into the business with Gatsby and Wolfsheim to try and get some quick money and impress Jordan.
- Chapter 5
- Action
- "Two o'clock and the whole corner of the peninsula was blazing with light, which fell unreal on the shrubbery and made thin elongating glints upon the roadside wires. Turning a corner, I saw that it was Gatsby's house, lit from tower to cellar." Page 81
- Gatsby is expecting Daisy and wants to make sure she sees his gigantic house so he lights the whole thing up. This shows his plan to winning Daisy and impressing her is through his possessions, rather than his personality.
- Chapter 6
- Dialogue/Reaction
- "I know your wife," continued Gatsby, almost aggresively.
- "That so?" Page 102
- Yes sir there is some tension in the air. Gatsby wants his woman and is going to do whatever is necessary to get her so it's just a matter of time until Gatsby and Tom get into it.
- Chapter 7
- Thoughts
- "You always look so cool," she repeated.
- She had told him that she loved him, and Tom Buchanan saw. Page 119
- Awww man we have officially hit the climax. Tom is now aware that Gatsby and Daisy have a little romance going and crud is about to hit the fan. Everyone knows love triangles don't work so someone has to be the odd man out.
- Chapter 8
- Dialogue
- "I don't think she ever loved him...... Of course she might have loved him just for a minute, when they were first married - and loved me more even then, do you see?" Page 152
- My man is in denial. He can't accept the fact that Daisy is married and loves her husband, and he will never accept it. Since he's never going to get over the chick he's going to have to do something about the husband to take him out the picture.
- Chapter 9
- Reactions
- "The minister glanced several times at his watch, so i took him aside and asked him to wait for half an hour. But it wasn't any use. Nobody came." Page 174
- A man who seemed to have everything, left the world with nothing. No friends, no girl, no life.