Jordan Baker

Not all houses can be the center of attention where everyone wants to party there on Saterday nights. The houses that can do this are always filled up people and are always throwing partys that keep the thrills going non stop. The house described exists in a place known only as West Egg. The one throwing all these amazing partys is Jay Gatsby, also known as the great gatsby.How he got his fortune is unknown but everyone excepts the fact that he is very rich.the house described above is found in the exciting classic novel, The Great Gatsby. Nick Carraway is the one that tells this story. He tells the story in a very calm and understanding way. Nick lives across the way from Gatsby and is related to Daisy. Theres many different significant parts to the story. One that many people dont relize are the minor characters, there important because they make the major character seem more realistic. The minor characters can tell parts of the story that the major characters could never do. They complete the book and make all the events that take place seem more realistic. The minor characters of this story show sides of the major characters that you would never see with out there help. Fitzgerald, the author of The Great Gatsby, made many important minor characters that bring the story to life such as Jordan Baker, Myrtle, and George Wilson. these minor character further complete the plot.

Jordan Baker was commonly seen throughout the book. She is Daisy’s friend and she represents the new women of the 1920s. Nick said “She was incurably dishonest. She wasn’t able to endure being at a disadvantage” (Fitzgerald 60). Nick and Jordan then ended up in a relationship. Fitzgerald included Jordan Baker because she makes Nick more of a character rather than a narrator. Since she is friends with Daisy, she has information that Nick could not get which helps the story be told. She told Nick the story behind Gatsby and how his wealth came to be. She also told Nick about Daisy’s marriage, and how Daisy decided she didn’t want to marry Tom on the wedding night, but she did anyway. Jordan said “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay” (Fitzgerald 80). She connected Nick and Gatsby and also connected all of the main characters. The relationship between Nick and Jordan was not as strong. It was there to be contrasted with the relationship of Gatsby and Daisy. Jordan was an important minor character because she connected the main characters together.

Myrtle Wilson first appeared in the story when Tom introduced here to Nick. Myrtle is merryed to George but is cheating on him with Tom who is also married. Myrtle is pretty much a homewrecker and she is only being used by Tom as more female company. During the party that happens in chapter 2 Myrtal repeats Toms wifes name once to many times and in a fit of rage Tom punches her in the face. This shows toms disrespect for women and that he wanted nothing to do with Myrtal than to use her. Myrtle doing what she did shows that Tom is not just a nice loving guy. Tom is shown as a 2 timer when he questions Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship even though he himself was having an affair. Myrtle believes she is in a higher class or people than her husband George Wilson. You can see this when she recieves a complament on something she was wearing and replys ” It’s just a crazy old thing, i just slip it on sometimes when i don’t care what I look like”. (Fitzgerald 37). She trys to hide the white trash she truely is by acting snobby all because she is with Tom. In her mind money is all someone needs to have happiness in life. Myrtle shows the reader that no one should act like something they’re not.

George Wilson is also another minor character in the novel. He is a mechanic and is Myrtle Wilson’s husband. Tom Buchanan treats George in a horrible manner. He still talks to George easily, even though he is having an affair with his wife. When Tom went to introduce Nick to Myrtle, George asks Tom when is he selling him his car. Tom replied next week, but then says “And if you feel that way about it, maybe I’d better sell it somewhere else after all” (Fitzgerald 25). The way Tom talks to George, feels as if Tom acts superior. But George proved that wrong because he is a sincere man. He actually, truly loved Myrtle, unlike Tom. Tom practically plays both Daisy and Myrtle. When Myrtle was killed, Tom decided to tell George that Gatsby killed her. He despised the relationship that Gatsby and Daisy had. He told George that, because he knew George would avenge Myrtle and then Gatsby would be out of his way. George killed Gatsby all because of words from Tom. Tom is a cruel man that just uses George as a tool.

The Great Gatsby is a great American, classic novel. It tells a great story of love and complications. It’s a critique of the American dream. But all of it couldn’t have been accomplished without the use of minor characters. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald included minor characters roles such as Myrtle Wilson, Jordan Baker and George Wilson to sophisticate the story, with significant actions. For example, Myrtle Wilson reflected the harsh and hypocrite side of Tom Buchanan. He uses her and doesn’t want to leave Daisy for her. Jordan Baker linked the main characters together. She gave information to the narrator that he wouldn’t have been able to receive realistically. Her relationship with Nick made him more of a real person, and less of a narrator. George Wilson’s character shows how Tom just uses people for his benefits. The minor characters played important roles in the novel. They reveal or unlock secrets about major characters. The author sends messages through minor characters that he could not through major characters. They make the major characters dynamic, and their actions causes the plot to change. The story wouldn’t be so great in-depth without minor characters.