Nick is originally from the heartland, and he flees to New York to avoid an engagement. He goes into the bond business and settles in the less fashionable East Egg, where his neighbor is the wealthy Jay Gatsby. Merely acquaintances at first, Jay and Nick form a friendship. When it becomes apparent Jay uses Nick to get at Daisy, Nick does not seem to care because he has an understanding of the Daisy-Gatsby relationship. Nick rarely criticizes or protests against the immoral actions of others. Throughout the novel, Nick's indifferent attitude reflects his shift of the story from himself to other characters. Since he is the main observer, he is the one who learns the moral lesson in the novel. At first impressed by the wealth of the East coast, throughout the novel Nick realizes that materialism does not mean true happiness. For example, he views the worlds of both the Buchanans and Gatsby and can see the emptiness in both of their lives. Gatsby was a perfect example of someone who followed the "American Dream," he was the poor boy who worked to become rich and successful. Nick begins to realize, especially when no one attended Gatsby's funeral, that the old Protestant work ethic had gone sour. "After Gatsby's death, the East was haunted for me like that, distorted beyond my eyes' power of correction. so when the blue smoke of brittle leaves was in the air and the wind blew the wet laundry stiff on the line I decided to come back home." (185) Nick's decision to move back to the Midwest signified he had learned his "moral" lesson.
Jordan Baker is the young, sleek golf star, who has a romantic interlude with Nick. She is also a friend of the Buchanans. Her name is derived from two automobiles of the Twenties, the sporty Jordan and conservative Baker Electric. She is the "want to be" rich girl, though the wealthy never accept her as one of them despite her attempts. Jordan is one of the many hypocrites in the novel. Jordan explains to Nick that she "hates careless people" (63), yet her "best friends" the Buchanans, are the most careless people in the novel. Although Jordan acts like a prig, it is made evident her stint in the "limelight" is short especially since her golf career begins to fail. Fitzgerald is said to have based Jordan on Edith Cummins. Edith Cummins won the women's golf championship in 1923.
Daisy's beautiful appearance at first makes her seem romantic. Later, her frigid personality is revealed. Daisy is the prig of the novel, being the high-class rich girl. She is motivated by wealth and materialism and influences this motivation onto Gatsby. Daisy's focus on money rules her personality; her voice even sounds like money. She could not leave money for love, which is evident in her breakdown before her marriage to Tom when she is trying to decide between Jay and Tom. Her marriage to Tom is based on his high social status while the young Jay is rebuked because of his low one. Her annoying actions throughout the novel, make Jay pitiful for loving her. Her ironic hit and run accident, that killed Myrtle, displayed her heartless personality, along with not even acknowledging the death of Gatsby, which occurred later in the novel.
Tom Buchanan is the washed-up football star born with the silver spoon in his mouth. Tom lives for self-interest and does not care about how his actions affect others. His various affairs, including the one with Myrtle Wilson display his lack of morals. Throughout the novel he always believes his money will solve all of his problems. He seems to live the "good life" in his mansion playing polo, and having Daisy as his "show piece" wife. Yet, the novel reveals his materialistic ways lead to others destruction, even though he may not be directly affected.
Myrtle Wilson is a middle class woman and Tom's mistress. Her social status is the main issue preventing her affair with upper class Tom from escalating in seriousness. She gains a sense of being in the upper class by having the affair with Tom. The sense of power Myrtle gains by having the relationship keeps her attached to an abusive Tom. Her entire demeanor changes when she and Tom are in their secret weekend apartment in New York. She claims to be too good for her husband, George, the mechanic, and falls into the fantasy that she and Tom are going to have a future together. Realistically, it is impossible to think that Tom would leave his wife for middle class Myrtle. Symbolically she always has to return to the valley of ashes after their "secret" weekends. The valley of ashes is the middle point between the secret apartment and Tom's West Egg mansion.