Dan Cody

Jay Gatsby's real name was James Gatz. The moment when he decided to change it, when he was 17, was also the moment that began his career. Dan Cody had a very big part in this movement of Gatsby's life. James had been walking along the beach in a torn green jersey.Dan Cody's yacht dropped anchor over 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."Over the next few years Gatsby was steward, mate, skipper, secretary and even jailer for Dan Cody, and was very trusted by him.http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/gatsby/section6.rhtml


Cody was a heavy drinker, and one of Gatsby’s jobs was to look after him during his drunken times. This gave Gatsby a healthy respect for the dangers of alcohol and convinced him not to drink himself. When Cody died, he left Gatsby $25,000, but Cody’s mistress prevented him from claiming his inheritance. Gatsby then dedicated himself to becoming a wealthy and successful man."Cody found Gatsby to be smart and ambitious man.During the time he travelled with Cody, Gatsby experienced a glamorous life far removed from his North Dakota upbringing.He also attended parties with the wealthy.http://www.gradesaver.com/the-great-gatsby/study-guide/section6/

Dan Cody was an enormously wealthy old man, a millionaire many times over, who had earned his fortune mining silver.He helped gatsby learn and gave him shelter when he didnt have anyone to go too.He mentored Gatsby when he was a young man and gave him a taste of elite society. Though he left Gatsby a sum of money after his death, it was later seized by his ex-wife.Serving as a mentor in Jay's youth, Cody was a millionaire yachtsman whose inheritance was invalidated by a woman, Ella Kaye, and Gatsby was left only with the education this man had given him about how to live. A picture of Cody hangs on the wall in his mansion. http://www.novelguide.com/thegreatgatsby/characterprofiles.html