Meyer Wolfsheim seemed to be introduced as a character to show that Gatsby's past was not as glamorous as Nick had been told; he is a gambler who in fact helped to fix the World Series in 1919, and Gatsby is connected to him in some way that, while unexplained, shows that he is indeed associating with someone so shady. Wolfsheim offers Nick a "business gonnegtion" but then realizes that he mistook Nick for another friend of Gatsby's, showing that he does not hesitate to extend his profession to others.
The backstory regarding Daisy and Gatsby instilled a sense of pity for me personally as a reader; it seemed that neither ever got over the other, and yet they could not be together. Daisy even regretted her engagement to Tom on the night before her wedding, and of course Gatsby is still in love with her. It altered my view of Gatsby as a person as well; it shows that he has a chink in the armor, and that he is not as perfect and mysterious as he seems.
The story of the rest of Gatsby's life also showed that he is not as perfect as he might seem. For instance, he came upon his money neither through inheritance from a wealthy family member nor that of his best friend, Cody, who he helped on a ship. Instead of growing up in a rich family, he grew up in North Dakota and worked as a janitor at university to pay for his tuition. This past shows that he worked hard to get to where he is now, and that much of it was for Daisy, so that they might be together.
Overall, this set of chapters has altered my view of Gatsby for the better. Though I did not dislike him before, there was much left unsaid, and hearing about his true past left me with a different impression of him. He seemed to have a somewhat difficult past, and he never let go of his love for Daisy, which leaves him with a rather pitiful appearance. His past shows who he really is, and as a reader I like him much more now.
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