The Great Gatsby (Dramatized) characters

Appears from the start

A Yale graduate from the Midwest who moves to Long Island in 1922 to learn the bond business. He rents a modest house in West Egg beside Gatsby's estate and tells the story as both participant and observer. He begins with a habit of withholding judgment, though he is alert to the carelessness and performance around him.

Appears from the start

Nick's wealthy and mysterious neighbor in West Egg, known for the enormous parties at his mansion. Nick first sees him alone at night, reaching toward a green light across the bay. At this point Gatsby is more rumor than acquaintance, and the source of his fortune is unknown.

Appears from the start

Nick's cousin, living in fashionable East Egg with her husband Tom and their young daughter. Charming, restless, and conscious of the limits placed on her, she shares an immediate intimacy with Nick while hinting that her marriage is unhappy.

Appears from the start

Daisy's husband, a former Yale football player from an extremely wealthy family. Physically imposing and habitually domineering, he voices racist ideas at dinner and takes a telephone call that makes his affair apparent to the others.

Appears from the start

A competitive golfer and friend of Daisy's whom Nick meets at the Buchanans' house. Cool, self-possessed, and often detached, she supplies Nick with guarded information about Tom and Daisy's marriage and becomes his guide to their social world.

First appears in chapter 2

Tom's mistress and George Wilson's wife, living above the garage in the industrial wasteland between Long Island and Manhattan. Energetic and dissatisfied with her circumstances, she adopts a more affected manner when Tom takes her into the city.

First appears in chapter 2

A weary garage owner in the valley of ashes and Myrtle's husband. He hopes to buy Tom's car for resale and does not understand the real reason for Tom's visits. His poverty and subdued manner contrast with the Buchanans' security.

First appears in chapter 2

Myrtle's talkative sister, who joins the Manhattan gathering arranged by Tom and Myrtle. She encourages the glamorous version of Myrtle's affair and confidently repeats gossip about why the two lovers cannot marry.

First appears in chapter 3

An eccentric, bespectacled guest whom Nick finds in Gatsby's library during a party. Astonished that the books are real, he is one of the few guests who looks closely at the machinery behind Gatsby's carefully created image.

First appears in chapter 4

A gambler and business associate of Gatsby whom Nick meets at lunch in Manhattan. His ominous reputation and underworld connections give Nick a first concrete reason to question how Gatsby acquired his wealth.

Also known as The Boarder

First appears in chapter 5

A frequent guest at Gatsby's mansion who has stayed so long that he is known as the boarder. He plays the piano when Gatsby asks during Daisy's visit, supplying music while the others negotiate an emotionally charged reunion.

First appears in chapter 7

The young daughter of Daisy and Tom. Her brief appearance at the Buchanans' house makes Daisy's family life tangible at a moment when Gatsby is pressing her to imagine leaving it behind.

First appears in chapter 9

Gatsby's elderly father, who arrives after learning of his son's death. Proud of Gatsby's ambition and material success, he preserves a childhood schedule that shows how early his son began trying to remake himself.