The role of a father in the life of a child is one of the most important aspects of everyday life. Fathers are often viewed as the most influential people during a person’s childhood, as their relationship with the person helps to mold the person for the future by imprinting their morals, ideas, culture, and more onto that person, thereby shaping their character as an adult. While the customs and cultures of humanity have changed over generations, the role of fathers in shaping these generations has not. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s acclaimed novel The Great Gatsby, the influence of fathers and father figures is prominently displayed, as the titular character of Jay Gatsby is drastically affected by the influence of his father figures in his past.
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Meyer Wolfsheim is an friend and business partner of Gatsby who is notorious for his involvement with illegal activity, he helps Gatsby to climb from being dirt poor to one of the wealthiest men in America. In a conversation with the novel’s narrator, Wolfsheim states, “‘Start him! I made him….I raised him up out of nothing, right out of the gutter….We were so thick like that in everything’-he held up two bulbous fingers-‘Always together’” (Fitzgerald 171). In this, Wolfsheim states that not only did he start Gatsby on his path to financial success, but that he “made him” and that they were “always together,” suggesting that he has been the driving force in Gatsby’s economic success for most of the time they have known each other. Prior to knowing Wolfsheim, Gatsby had ambitions of becoming rich but no knowledge of how to actually do so. With Wolfsheim’s help, not only was Gatsby able to gain a financial standing, but to learn the “tools of the trade” as well. This allows Gatsby to seek out business deals on his own, and not only build his fortune, but strengthen these skills and turn Gatsby into a sharp, knowledgeable businessman. This gives him a unique set of qualities that enable him to maintain a strong social standing within the business world, an aspect that remains a …show more content…
Henry Gatz, Gatsby’s actual father, is a poor dirt farmer in the midwest. He spends his entire life poor, unable to move upwards in society and forced to barely sustain his family. Gatsby decides that he cannot bear to live his life the same way and from childhood begins inspiring to rise in both financial and social status. Henry himself states, “Of course we was broke up when he run off from home, but now I see there was a reason for it. He knew he had a big future in front of him….Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always had some resolves like this or something. Do you notice what he’s got about improving his mind? He was always great for that” (172). While Henry shows sorrow at Gatsby’s decision to run away from home, he also shows pride in it, as it allowed Gatsby to start his life over and accomplish his dreams of becoming successful. Henry sees the talent and potential his son was gifted, and actually is grateful that Gatsby ran away, for without it he would have gone nowhere and done nothing in life. Because of this, Henry unintentionally plays a massive role in the development of Gatsby’s character. It was Gatsby’s dislike of his family’s poverty that caused him to shape up and adopt principles and ethics of more fortunate individuals, and that caused him to leave home and journey out into the
Meyer Wolfsheim is an friend and business partner of Gatsby who is notorious for his involvement with illegal activity, he helps Gatsby to climb from being dirt poor to one of the wealthiest men in America. In a conversation with the novel’s narrator, Wolfsheim states, “‘Start him! I made him….I raised him up out of nothing, right out of the gutter….We were so thick like that in everything’-he held up two bulbous fingers-‘Always together’” (Fitzgerald 171). In this, Wolfsheim states that not only did he start Gatsby on his path to financial success, but that he “made him” and that they were “always together,” suggesting that he has been the driving force in Gatsby’s economic success for most of the time they have known each other. Prior to knowing Wolfsheim, Gatsby had ambitions of becoming rich but no knowledge of how to actually do so. With Wolfsheim’s help, not only was Gatsby able to gain a financial standing, but to learn the “tools of the trade” as well. This allows Gatsby to seek out business deals on his own, and not only build his fortune, but strengthen these skills and turn Gatsby into a sharp, knowledgeable businessman. This gives him a unique set of qualities that enable him to maintain a strong social standing within the business world, an aspect that remains a …show more content…
Henry Gatz, Gatsby’s actual father, is a poor dirt farmer in the midwest. He spends his entire life poor, unable to move upwards in society and forced to barely sustain his family. Gatsby decides that he cannot bear to live his life the same way and from childhood begins inspiring to rise in both financial and social status. Henry himself states, “Of course we was broke up when he run off from home, but now I see there was a reason for it. He knew he had a big future in front of him….Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always had some resolves like this or something. Do you notice what he’s got about improving his mind? He was always great for that” (172). While Henry shows sorrow at Gatsby’s decision to run away from home, he also shows pride in it, as it allowed Gatsby to start his life over and accomplish his dreams of becoming successful. Henry sees the talent and potential his son was gifted, and actually is grateful that Gatsby ran away, for without it he would have gone nowhere and done nothing in life. Because of this, Henry unintentionally plays a massive role in the development of Gatsby’s character. It was Gatsby’s dislike of his family’s poverty that caused him to shape up and adopt principles and ethics of more fortunate individuals, and that caused him to leave home and journey out into the