The Great Gatsby: Blog 5

Leonardo Di Capro will play Jay Gatsby in the latest movie of
The Great Gatsby.

   To me, a major detail about Gatsby that stands out is his usage of the phrase "old sport".  This recurring phrase serves an important purpose to Gatsby.  To the people of West Egg, Gatsby is a man of great mystery.  Some say this unknown man is a foreigner.  Others think Gatsby to be a murderer.  Because of the many rumors concerning Jay Gatsby, I believe he uses this motif to present himself in an approachable, welcoming way.  Moreover, when Nick meets up with Jay Gatsby for lunch, Gatsby consistently throws in "old sport" at the end of almost every statement.  To set himself apart from the numerous rumors.  Gatsby goes even further to tell Nick about his background.  Mr. Gatsby even states, " I don't want you to get a wrong idea of me from all these stories you hear" (Fitzgerald, 65).  So, Jay is obviously aware of the town's accusations of him.  Even after he tells Nick the story of his life, Gatsby then shows proof by presenting his war medal and a souvenir of his Oxford days.  Although this may all seem unnecessary , it was essential that Gatsby did this to earn the trust of Nick due to the fact that Nick believed Gatsby was lying.