Gatsby #2

1. Mayor Wolfsheim represents a part of Gatsby's life that is hidden from the outside world. He develops the more misterious side of Jay's character.
2. The story of Gatsby and Daisy's past together allow us to see the void that he has in his soul, the place where Daisy used to be. There was always a sort of apparent undercurrent of longing in Gatsby's manner, and this new bit of history explains it.
3. Hearing the rest of Gatsby's past, we understand that he was not of outstandingly wealthy upbringing, and had been cheated out of money in the past. Gatsby has also stumbled on to a great bit of luck throughout his life, and although his life seems effortlessly successful, he has gone through a great deal of trouble getting there.
4. Knowing Gatsby's history changes the readers oopinion of him in many ways. First of all, the shroud of attractive mystery is almost completely lifted. With that hidden dangerous aspect of Gatsby present, he seems more in control of things. He seem to be less of a man and more of a perfectly omniscient creature. This is the case with all characters. Once we know their past and there is no longer a sexy mystery to them, they lose attractiveness, because their past is never as interesting as we might imagine. In this unfolding of history, Gatsby looses some of his fatherly charm and becomes more personable, more human. I'd hate to say I like him less, because there was nothing that I learned about his past that was particularly unnattractive, but I don't find as much interest in him.