Jay Gatsby is a name on everyone’s tongue. He is known among New Yorkers for having the most lavish, extravagant parties; but where did this mystery man come from? The thing is, no one truly knows. Gatsby told Nick that he came from a wealthy family in the Midwest. Gatsby also says that he was educated at Oxford, which we found out later on was only a tiny portion of the truth. Gatsby also tells Nick that he inherited all of his wealth from the death of his family members. He then uses this money to travel around Europe. A little later on Gatsby gets enlisted in the military and serves during World War I.
When Gatsby tells Nick his backstory, Nick is certain that Gatsby is lying to him. He sees that Gatsby can barely keep a straight face while spitting out what Nick assumed to be lies. Nick had also heard many outrageous theories as to how Gatsby had gotten his wealth. Gatsby proves his backstory to Nick by showing him proof. He shows Nick a picture of him at Oxford and a war medal he had earned. Nick was astounded and after being charmed over by Gatsby, he has no choice but to believe him.
Gatsby’s stories did have many inconsistencies in them. For example, he said he was from the Midwest but then tells Nick he is from San Francisco. I’m not that great at geography but I’m pretty positive San Francisco is not in the Midwest. Another inconsistency in Gatsby’s story is that he “hunted big game” in Europe. I went to Europe over the summer and there was definitely no one hunting big game in the cities. Some of Gatsby’s stories were not complete lies. For example, Gatsby did attend Oxford but only for 5 months.
Although Gatsby’s backstory may never be one-hundred percent known, it is no secret that Gatsby did live a luxurious life.
Jay, Gatsby, Pinterest, Accessed October 16, https://pin.it/6tfBQX8.