Kiss/Marry/Kill - The Great Gatsby

 

Kiss/Marry/Kill - The Great Gatsby

Recently we had just finished reading the book, The Great Gatsby, and what better way to analyze our main characters other than a classic kiss, marry, kill scenario. We as a class have been assigned to describe how we feel about each of the characters by discussing why we would kiss, marry, or kill each of them. I will be starting my blog with the men and will then discuss the women.

In order to eliminate one the choices early on I am going to start off by choosing one to kill. This will be Wilson. There isn't really any personal grudge towards his character, besides maybe the fact that he killed both Gatsby and himself, I just find him to be an overall bland character, without any noticeable or defining traits besides being lifeless. In chapter two his description was, "a blond, spiritless man, anemic, and faintly handsome." It was also said in chapter seven, that he locked his wife up in a room when he found out about her affair, the whole situation there isn't exactly appealing, especially if I was the one locked up. Overall he seems like a boring and unlikeable character so he would be the first to go.

Next, I need to choose someone to kiss. This would be none other than the Great Gatsby himself. The reason I wouldn't marry a man such as Gatsby is because of three main reasons. The first being, I simply don't see him as husband material. He seems very socially awkward, especially so in chapter five, where two main things make me prone to stray from him. The first being how he makes Nick's house, "a greenhouse," when Gatsby buys a bunch of stuff and tries to make everything perfect it starts to feel that he is overcompensating for something, it to an extent even feels unnatural because not everything is supposed to be perfect. The second thing that happens is the way he positions himself against the wall, "his hands still in his pockets... his head leaned back so far that it rested...and from this position his distraught eyes stared down at Daisy." The second reason is how in the last few chapters we learn about his illegalities which brings into question whether or not he's actually a good person. The third and final reason is his obsession with Daisy. I feel like a sneaky link with Gatsby would be a lot better than being in Daisy's position.

Finally, I would marry Tom. While I personally don't like him, I don't particularly like any of the other male characters either. While in chapter 2 he did slap Myrtle out of anger, I still feel it is better to marry him than the other two options. This is because of one selling detail in chapter seven when you can see how badly Tom was hurt when Daisy said that she never loved him. "Not that day I carried you down from the Punch Bowl to keep your shoes dry?" he said. This one phrase was enough to show just how much Tom was hurt. Knowing this is clear proof that Tom did care for Daisy, and that is enough to sell me on marrying him.

Again, starting with kill. I would kill Daisy, not out of spite or anger, but simply because I wouldn't want to kiss or marry her. First of all, I wouldn't want to marry her because of how she acts around Tom. She seems the over dramatic type, complaining about a tiny cut on her finger in chapter one, and she seems way too overemotional. She also seems a bit boring and needy as well, also in chapter one, she says, "You see I think everything's terrible anyhow...I've been everywhere and seen everything and done everything." This phrase alone takes away most appeal for both kissing and marrying her. She just doesn't seem like any fun. Similar reasoning why I chose to kill Wilson.

The person who I would kiss out of the two remaining females is Myrtle,  I don't really like her as person, due to the drama in chapter two and her affair, which we learn in chapter seven she did after twelve years of marriage. But that's exactly why I would only kiss her, not marry her. Because I am only kissing her it is important to think of looks. In chapter two she is described as, "thickish" and, who doesn't like a thicc woman?

Finally, I would marry Jordan. For quite simple reasons really. First of all, she more closely resembles a modern woman, or for the time, the new generation of woman. Which is notable when we learn about her job (a professional golfer). Starting with her looks, "She was a slender, small-breasted girl, with an erect carriage... Her gray sun-strained eyes looked back at me with polite reciprocal curiosity of a wan, charming, discontented face." From this description we can see that she was a beautiful and hard working women. Which is definitely more preferable to me in consideration of the other choices. Not to mention comparing her to my girlfriend the similarities can very obviously show how she is my type. Jordan is what I would look for in a woman.

This concludes my kiss/marry/kill.