Dan Codyyy

Jay Gatsby's real name is James Gatz, he decided to change his name when he was 17 it was also the time that began his career. Dan Cody was a huge part of Gatsby's life. James Gatz had been walking along the beach in a "torn green jersey and a pair of canvas pants," but Jay Gatsby that interacted with Cody on that day. Dan Cody's yacht dropped anchor on the "insidious flat" on Lake Superior. When Gatsby saw this, he borrowed a rowboat, and pulled out to where Cody was on the water and warned him that the "wind might catch him and break him up in half an hour." Cody came from the Nevada silver fields, of the Yukon. The transactions in Montana copper made Cody a millionaire. Cody was softminded, and naive, and many young women took advantage of this. One woman in particular, Ella Kaye, a newspaper woman, took advantage of him. Over the next few years, Gatsby was steward, mate, skipper, secretary and even jailer for Dan Cody, and was very trusted by him. Through all of this, Dan Cody had an insatiable thirst for alcohol and drank continuously. Upon the return of Ella Kaye one night in Boston, Dan Cody "inhospitably died." Dan Cody influenced Gatsby in many ways; most importantly, watching Cody's excessive drinking, made Gatsby drink very little. A portrait of Cody hangs on Gatsby's wall.

Dan Cody left $25,000 to Jay. After Dan died he gave everything he had to his wife so the material inheritance was lost, but Gatsby had gained experience from this older man who had molded him into an eloquent gentleman and taught him to break free of his homely Middle Western existence.