Jake, Reinvented

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses abortion.

“He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him…—F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby”

These lines from the final pages of The Great Gatsby foreshadow the hopelessness of Jake’s attempt to reinvent himself and win Didi’s heart. Like Jay Gatsby, Jake is caught up in The American Dream of self-improvement and upward social mobility, and he comes so close to making his dream a reality. His failure suggests that the American Dream is not possible.

“The ladies loved Todd, but not half as much as he loved them. Never mind that Todd had been going out with Didi Ray for over a year now. On a scale of one to ten, Didi was a twelve on a bad day. This sophomore was in the low sevens, tops. But the sophomore was here, and Didi was not. And mostly, Todd was Todd.”

Rick’s initial description of Todd underlines Todd’s selfish and egotistical attitude, as well as his widespread popularity. At this early stage of the novel, Rick views Todd’s infidelities in a lighthearted and nonjudgmental manner, with the lines “Todd was Todd” echoing the “boys will be boys” adage. To some extent Rick appears to share Todd’s objectifying and superficial view of women, rating them on a scale of their physical beauty. This perspective shifts over the course of the narrative, as Rick begins to see the damage that Todd’s selfishness and womanizing can cause to those around him.

“Dipsy was everybody’s friend and nobody’s at the same time. He was kind of a misfit on the guest list since he wasn’t really popular, or on any team or club or anything like that.”

Rick’s description of Dipsy stresses the strict social hierarchy of American high school culture, in which members of various teams and clubs—like the football team—outrank those who aren’t affiliated with such organizations.