The Kilted Writer

In previous posts, I've taken a look at the mind and body characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby . In this final post in the series, I will look at the presentation of the spirit character. The Spirit Character: Jay Gatsby Introductions are important and set the stage for the type of character a writer intends to present. Jay Gatsby is first shown emerging from the shadows to examine the stars. ...a figure had emerged from the shadow of my neighbor's mansion... Something in his leisurely movements and the secure position of his feet upon the lawn suggested that it was Mr. Gatsby himself, come out to determine what share was his of our local heavens. Gatsby reaches out toward a green light across the water, which we discover later is the direction of Daisy's house. He then disappears as mysteriously as he arrived on the scene. When I looked once more for Gatsby, he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness. An a...

Like Nick Carraway, Tom Buchanan is the quintessential embodiment of his character type, and this is clear from the moment he is introduced in the book. The Body Character: Tom Buchanan Tom's introduction firmly defines him as a body character. He is standing on the front porch of his home as Nick approaches and describes him as a: sturdy straw-haired man of thirty...hard mouth...two shining arrogant eyes...appearance of always leaning aggressively forward. Nick summarizes Tom's character by saying: "Now don't think my opinion on these matters is final," he seemed to say, "just because I am stronger and more of a man than you are." Tom is given to alcohol more than any other of the main characters in the book and is having an affair. He even admits to "making a fool of himself," but is jealous that Daisy and Gatsby might be having an affair. In fact, he is very much a hypocrite on the matter of extramarital relationshi...

(Note: This post was originally written in July 2013) With the recent movie release, I thought I would reread The Great Gatsby . In doing so, I discovered yet another fine example of mind, body, and spirit in literature, which I will show you in this series of posts. The Mind Character: Nick Carraway The book is written in first person, past tense, with Nick Carraway as the narrator. He introduces himself like this: In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since, After explaining what the advice was, he writes: ...I understand he meant a great deal more than that After introducing himself and several other characters, Nick ends up in an apartment in NY with Tom Buchanan, Tom's mistress, and a group of merrymakers, but he doesn't quite fit in with this crowd. He isn't a big drinker and doesn't have a girl of his own, so he sits in a chair reading a book. ...either it w...