"The Great Gatsby-: Essay

Gatsby must also present and display his wealth in order for him to be recognised as part of this new crowd'. One way he does this is by buying impressive possessions like his enormous mansion, full of countless, unnecessary rooms. Gatsby compensates for this by flaunting his status in another way: holding lavish parties that draw the rich and famous to his home. He acknowledges this with a certain amount of pride: "I keep [my house] always full of People who do interesting things. Celebrated people."" (p.87). Thus, James Gatz disappears and the incarnation of Jay Gatsby is complete. Gatsby sees to it that no trace of his former life is left, or of his former person. However, the true Gatsby remains only slightly below the surface, and despite his attempts, Gatsby is far different from what he wants or thinks himself to be.
             Gatsby does not perfect the formulation of his character, and has to be careful lest he accidentally err on some aspect. For example, Nick asks him what line of business he is in, and, as Nick continues, " he answered: That's my affair, before he realised that it wasn't an appropriate reply."" (p. 87). The true Jay Gatsby is a restless, insecure man. Nick remarks, "He was never quite still; there was always a tapping foot somewhere or the impatient opening and closing of a hand."" (p. 63). His insecurity stems from the fact that he is not comfortable with who he is and has to invent another identity for himself. Gatsby is very proud of his wealth and what he has built himself up to be. He enjoys laying out his possessions for all to praise and marvel at. When Gatsby is showing Daisy around his house, he pulls out expensive shirts from his closets for his guests to admire. He continually looks for validation of his splendour, asking questions like, "My house looks well, doesn't it?- (p. 87). But Gatsby has acquired all his impressive wealth through deceitful, unlawful ways.