THE GAY GATSBY

By Holly Chen

"Nick Carraway is gay and in love with Gatsby." Most readers familiar with F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ will have come across this claim, whether it is in the form of a humorous comment on the Internet or an interesting theory of the classroom. Some may then find themselves scratching their heads and wondering if this should be treated as a well-founded claim or simply dismissed as an irrelevant fan theory. While Nick's possible homosexuality may at first glance appear irrelevant to the plot and even unaddressed in the novel, there is a particular scene that alludes most heavily to the disputable nature of Nick's sexuality.

This refers, of course, to the scene following Myrtle's party in Chapter Two, when Nick leaves in the elevator with Mr McKee. From the descriptions of Nick, "Standing beside [Mr McKee's] bed,” Mr McKee being, "Clad in his underwear," and even the elevator lever, seeming to be a less-than-subtle phallic symbol, this half-page long episode is riddled with suggestions of Nick's homosexuality.

Granted, this scene is brief and easily escapes the casual reader's notice. However, once acknowledged, its implications are difficult to ignore, and with no further mentions of our narrator's encounters with other men to support the popular theory, readers are often left wondering about Fitzgerald's rationale for including this episode in the novel. Why end the chapter with a scene as confusing and irrelevant as this? Exactly how is Nick's sexuality significant in a novel revolving around the tragic Gatsby-Daisy relationship and the decline of the American Dream? To the untrained eye, the scene may appear misplaced, if not entirely pointless.

Upon closer inspection, however, one may find that this episode is hardly as strange or misplaced a moment as it may seem. The novel is, in fact, littered with similar, albeit more subtle, signs. There is the implication that Nick is attracted to Jordan's masculinity and athleticism: he describes Jordan as, "Slender, small-breasted,” compares her to a "Young cadet,” and seems allured by the, "Faint mustache of perspiration," on her upper lip. The fact that Nick's attraction seems to be directed towards Jordan's masculine physicality may be a hint at Nick's preference for masculine traits, if not men. Furthermore, at the end of their relationship, Nick tells Jordan that he is, "Five years too old to lie to [himself] and call it honour,” which reads rather differently if one considers the possibility that Nick is attracted more to men than women.

This then brings us to perhaps the most mysterious relationship in Fitzgerald's novel of tragic love and destructive relationships. While Nick's passion for Jordan is mostly limited to that he, "Enjoyed looking at her,” his perception of Gatsby during their initial meeting is oddly and overwhelmingly captivating. Nick thinks very highly of Gatsby throughout the novel: he is inclined to believe Gatsby's wild fabrications and claims that Gatsby is, "Worth [all of the others] put together."

There are numerous different readings of and explanations for Nick's staunch, unyielding belief in Gatsby. The simplest one, which queer theorists generally support, is that Nick is, unbeknownst to himself, gay and in love with Gatsby. Some readers take it further, suggesting that Fitzgerald has intended for Gatsby's obsession with Daisy and inability to return Nick's love as one of the story's tragedies. A more far-fetched take would be that Gatsby and Nick respectively pursue Daisy and Jordan in order to avoid their desire for each other, and a Freudian analysis may perceive Daisy as Gatsby's defence against women, and Jordan Nick's. In spite of these theories' varying levels of plausibility, their common element is Nick's homosexuality. It seems that the more one thinks about the queer Nick theory, the more sense the theory makes, and whilst there is no definite proof that Nick is gay, there is certainly no evidence against it.

Why, then, was Fitzgerald so subtle about Nick's sexuality? If there is so much evidence in support of Nick's homosexuality, why not just lay it out in the open? The time period and social context surrounding the composition of ‘The Great Gatsby’ then becomes relevant: the 1920s was a time long before the American decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967, and homophobia was largely widespread across the globe. Including homosexual subtext in ‘The Great Gatsby’ was a risky move on Fitzgerald's part, as he might have lost his career and reputation had readers spotted it. In fact, he might even have placed his privacy and marriage at great risk: given Fitzgerald's openness and self-reflection in his writing, it is speculated that he was expressing his own deepest desires through Nick's actions. This may very well explain Nick's encounter with Mr McKee, his oddly passionate perception of Gatsby, and his fascination with Jordan's masculine qualities.

The strongest sign of Fitzgerald's homosexuality lies in his relationship with Hemingway. The two renowned writers of the twentieth century met at a bar in Paris, and their subsequent intimacy may have bordered on eroticism. It certainly seemed so to Fitzgerald's wife Zelda, who accused him of being involved in a romantic relationship with Hemingway. Both writers had expressed signs of transgressive sexuality: Fitzgerald labelled himself as 'half feminine' – even dressing as a showgirl at one point – and Hemingway was dressed and treated for years as a girl by an overbearing mother. If indeed the speculations of Fitzgerald's homosexuality were true and he had written this episode as a subtle expression of his own desires, the suggestive scene would at least be more justified and less perplexing for readers and theorists alike.

If indeed the signs pointing to Fitzgerald's homosexuality were accurate, then Nick Carraway may very well be gay and in love with Gatsby. Although this popular theory may never receive confirmation, it nevertheless sheds light on Fitzgerald's personal life, prompts readers to view novels and theories with an open mind and reiterates that ‘The Great Gatsby’ is truly a novel ahead of its time.