Are They Gay? - Nick and Gatsby from The Great Gatsby

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A video series tackling the one question facing many same gender couples throughout history: Are They Gay?
In this episode we explore the relationship between Nick and Gatsby, a subject of much debate. Do you think they're in love?
Suggest more pairings in the comments!
Agnus P Collins quote:
www.jstor.org/stable/3831439?...
Music:
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royalty free Music by Giorgio Di Campo for @FreeSound Music
“Mamba Samba”
freesoundmusic.eu​
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“Quirky Dog” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
#gatsby #gay #lgbt

[@Chchommi]

Nick was literally a cottage core lesbian for the entire movie.

[@jasminec9543]

He lived in a small cottage like house next to a huge mansion too lmao

[@ewwwitscosso2292]

Omg, AND THE FLOWERS!!! HIS TEA SET TOO!!!

[@meganswaneck2471]

LMAO TRUEEE

[@sophia-sm2ne]

No, because he's a man.

[@azulBjort_1406]

@@sophia-sm2ne then a cottage cor Gay 🌈

[@bbqbestie]

I said that Nick gave off gay energy during an English class and I got yelled at by some girl and she said “NOT EVERYTHING HAS TO BE GAY” and I just started laughing at how pressed she was

[@AverageAwesomeDude]

What a rude girl, u shouldn’t yell during a class. It’s not like people are far away

[@caw1997]

She's probably in denial of the gayness and who knows what else.

[@ethanomcbride]

It would actually be awesome if you talked to her in a less-public place. When you talk to someone in a way that doesn’t force them to save face, they’re way more open to changing their minds

[@beanus7394]

stay pressed 😌❤️

[@heath6802]

Not everything has to be gay, *but Nick Carraway is absolutely gay* Him trying to find Gatsby like Cinderella at the goddamn ball night after night reminded me very much of my own gay panic earlier in my life

[@panickedshears]

My school was gonna do this for our play and I find it highly ironic that they cast me, a gay man, as nick, a bisexual man as gatsby, a bisexual woman as Jordan, and a straight woman as daisy. The guy who was cast as tom literally got so pissed off that he got cast as tom and rage quit. If that doesn’t scream tom energy-

[@HoneyBee-im3ny]

Homie was really getting into his role lmao

[@panickedshears]

@@HoneyBee-im3ny Ong

[@laonagrouchini]

LMAO 😭 all the universes aligned for the cast of your play

[@byersvhs]

THIS - everyone is so accurate LMAO

[@MB-og3dw]

I read Great Gatsby junior year, but my teacher was a fucking legend. He straight up said that what Nick wrote about Gatsby was like a teenage girl kicking her legs back and forth on the bed in a disney movie writing in her diary about her crush, and he not only didn't mince the elevator scene but put it on a quiz. Massive respect for that guy, one of the best teachers I ever had.

[@frenzy2061]

My English teacher was like that too. She went on and on about how gay the Mr Mckee scene was. It was great lol.

[@gabrieldevoogel6225]

@@frenzy2061 bruh my teacher called my gay friend a liar for bringing up the subtext and did the same to me when I’m literally pan and was seeing Nick pretty much look at Gatsby the way I look at my boyfriend, my teacher told me that it was a sign I may be “salvageable”. Never forgave her but since I’m a senior now and simply refuse to start shit so I can graduate with my head down and get to college (this was all the end of the last school year time, April to early June sort of thing)

[@reiayanami6290]

your teacher sounds great!

[@Aa-st6ml]

@@gabrieldevoogel6225 my friend was also laughed at by not only the teacher but also the students (including my then very closeted self)

[@one-onessadhalf3393]

I read that book in English a couple months ago, and my teacher was actually the one to bring it up. Not in a way of like, “this is obviously pretty gay” but in a way of like “hmm, there’s some interesting subtext here, what do you guys think?” And he actually engaged with me when I started talking about the subtext part of it, it was awesome. Also, no joke, when he read back that segment of the chapter, the first thing I blurted out was just “That sounds pretty gay”

[@melissakaleka1070]

My favorite part of sophomore English class was my teacher straight up telling us that Nick was gay, so that we didn't confuse this for a straight story.

[@molotawv]

allyship

[@EnbySloth]

Probs to the teacher.

[@displayname9538]

@@molotawv maybe the teacher was gay

[@liesbeth_ve]

It was discussed in our class as well, though we had to write abt the damn green light in a handwritten essay,,, we also discussed the gay undertones in the picture of dorian gray at length

[@melissakaleka1070]

@@displayname9538 he has a wife but he also was the theatre director, so I'm not putting bisexuality past him

[@MariAnimates]

My teacher made a point to explicitly state the characters were gay before we read. She said, and I quote, "I don't want you to get confused, though the subtext is obvious."

[@Me-vn3gz]

i love that for you

[@nealbrook4226]

I wish my teacher had done that. Meanwhile I was just sitting there quietly stewing in how gay it was.

[@wildonions3188]

@@nealbrook4226 lol my teacher brought up the theory that Nick could've been gay but she said she personally didn't think so😩

[@laurarowen6053]

The most shocking part of this video is that it does not mention the "Goodbye" scene, where Nick is leaving Gatsby's house and they keep repeating "Goodbye" to each other. It's basically the 1920's version of "No, you hang up first."

[@scaleonkhan183]

16:33 "Queer people are mocked for supposedly 'reading too much into' a scene, and then they get erased from a narrative that they were already laughed out of." You are so right. People can make excuses all they want (cut for time, irrelevant, etc.), but they KNOW why that McKee scene isn't in any movies.

[@royfr8136]

There is a stage play on KZbin and in the party the character of Mr.McKee appears and seemed completely irrelevant - The actor plays him very camp - the 'gay scene' was cut out and the character seems like a waste of time...... and there seems no reason for him to be there

[@redacted7872]

Flashbacks to my sophomore English class when literally everyone was calling the book “The Great Gaytsby”.

[@lucvalor]

lmao

[@agostoangosto9442]

How did yall miss "The gay Gatsby"

[@redacted7872]

@@agostoangosto9442 Because head empty

[@dam_sam-dr1mn]

me a sophomore finishes with the great gastby 🧐

[@mertmsn73]

OH MY GOD ME AND ALL MY FRIENDS CALLED IT THAT TOO

[@Kate-bw3xe]

Nick’s relationship with Jordon was wlw mlm solidarity. And Jordon’s ‘manlier’ side was the most intriguing part to Nick.

[@greeneyesgirl467]

The complete lack of chemistry between Jordon and Nick was so obvious to me the first time I read it in high school. But I was also denying my own sexuality at the time so... I was like welp. I'm sure they are a couple because of course they are because it says so. Because a man and woman always have to be a couple... Oof. I wish I went to a more LGBTQ+ friendly high school where things like this could have been discussed in class

[@lost_star]

Wasn't Jordan a tennis player? Yeah, totally not a lesbian 🤣

[@sayosweeti5757]

@@lost_star i think she was a golfer!

[@mochimorina7042]

not only was jordan a sports player, something rather uncommon for women at the time, but she also has stereotypically masculine features (small chest and broad shoulders) AND has a gender-neutral name. you cannot tell me she wasn’t a raging lesbian.

[@molly4566]

@celine she was a golfer :)

[@deathpresent101]

You should totally make a parody episode called “Are they really good friends?”

[@Mikey-jv5fv]

And it should be about a het couple

[@deathpresent101]

@@Mikey-jv5fv omg yes

[@crxspy_coconut]

make it about charlie spring and nick nelson

[@danb4282]

The most clear thing I remember from reading the great gatsby is Nick’s throwaway page about him going home with a photographer and ending up in his bed and me being like OH NICK FUCKS

[@scofieldvictoria]

That’s the one thing I remember clearly too

[@thelemondropgirl2140]

Yeah like that was….that was my main takeaway

[@iwakeupandboomimarat]

NICK FUCKS THE NOVEL

[@frostbirb5656]

nick gets bitches lmao (also i think the guys name was McKee?)

[@violent_lava_fish4474]

It's on the last page of chapter two, I am currently reading it for class and when I read that part I fully stoped in my tracks

[@xiavertatertots7268]

I went to a catholic high school and my lit teacher straight up said, "you realize its all gay, right?"

[@themiddleones11]

Always was

[@_aWiseMan]

@@themiddleones11 wait it's all gay always has been

[@nadia9526]

Straight up?

[@josukeeight]

@@nadia9526 gay up

[@cowestgirl3746]

I'm 1 bad choice away from sending this to my English teacher who told us Nick absolutely wasn't gay when LITERALLY everyone saw it UPDATE: II have found out my teacher has changed her mind since I was in her class. she is now a gay nick truther and I feel retroactively vindicated after being so thoroughly dismissed before. I don't know what changed her mind but I chose to believe she stumbled upon this video :-)

[@crispyliza7050]

Do it

[@arabellasterwerf7980]

Definitely do it!

[@beesgold1487]

Listen to us, do it

[@caw1997]

@@crispyliza7050 I second that 🌻

[@nightgarla]

do it

[@zc2908]

Even I, a straight(?) woman that most subtext flies right over her head, couldn’t miss the INTENSE homoeroticism of Nick writing AN ENTIRE BOOK about the man he loves

[@M-WG]

It’s easier to spot across genders I think if you’re straightish. I’m a straightish woman too and will pick up on male affection crossing over the platonic line well before female characters. I’m also not sure how much the cismale fetishization of lesbians has to do with that but it must be part of it.

[@ajaxshusband]

my english teacher skipped over the entire "yeah nick slept with a guy" scene and brushed it off, presumably because it was a utah high school where "mormon church" is an elective you can take, but the moment nick carroway saw jay gatsby for the first time and spent an entire page describing his smile, i knew what was up

[@heyimneverland8451]

my school we had Bible literacy and Bible study classes (idk how it was allowed because it wasn’t a Christian school nor was it private)

[@xx_emo420_xx3]

ok can we touch again on the whole "i dont have a woman like that so i just pick some random girl and decide thats gonna be my crush ig" like that is textbook comphet

[@afeelingofdreadd]

Hi Vriska pfp, so true

[@ChespinCraft]

Tell me why that's me with every crush I've ever had LMAO

[@xx_emo420_xx3]

@@ChespinCraft I'm gonna take a wild guess and say comphet

[@s0of]

I’m literally screaming why was this my lesbian experience,,,,,, I feel so validated,,,

[@haobinversed]

are u telling me you have to actually feel romantic attraction to a person ew what

[@lucvalor]

“straight” and “nick” don’t go in the same sentence. unless the sentence also has the word “not”

[@Sentient_Blob]

The idea that nick is straight is not incorrect

[@claytongriffith8323]

"Not Nick, he was straight!" I'm sorry but it was begging me to 😔

[@asia6897]

@@Sentient_Blob wait that’s illegal

[@xuanathan]

Nick fell straight into Gatsby's charm and realised he was extremely homosexual.

[@JB-wl7jx]

Straight up gay

[@noramulvehill9750]

One other thing that I think is worth mentioning Re: The Gay Gatsby is the connection (or rather, multiple connections) between the book and a man named J. C. Leyendecker. Leyendecker was a really famous commercial illustrator in the early 20th century. He was best known for creating a character known as the Arrow Collar Man for a series of shirt collar advertisements. The image of the Arrow Collar man was so ubiquitous in the 1910s-1920s that Daisy Buchanan tells Gatsby, "You resemble the advertisement of the man... You know the advertisement of the man." It's pretty much an established fact that Daisy is referencing Leyendecker's Arrow Collar Man. Incidentally, the Arrow Collar Man is shown in the Times Square scene of the 2013 film, on a billboard. The Arrow Collar Man is notable in that it is one of the first advertising campaigns to advertise a lifestyle rather than simply a specific product. The Arrow Collar Company was essentially saying, "If you buy our shirt collars, you'll be as cool and sexy as this guy." They were trying to sell an image of a refined, elegant, well-dressed metropolitan man - this happens to be almost identical to the image that Gatsby has created for himself. How is this gay, you ask? Leyendecker was gay (and a lot of his illustrations are veerrrry homoerotic). The model for almost every illustration of the Arrow Collar Man was Leyendecker's boyfriend, a guy named Charles Beach. Leyendecker and Beach lived together in a mansion in New Rochelle, and they were known for throwing big, lavish parties for all the wealthy, artsy types of New York. Sound familiar? F. Scott Fitzgerald attended these parties, and it is believed that Gatsby was inspired by Leyendecker and Beach. If you want to known more about Leyendecker/the Arrow Collar Man/the Fitzgerald connection, this article is a great place to start: www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/what-maketh-man tl;dr: 1. Gatsby is compared to queer-coded illustrations by a gay artist of his boyfriend; 2. The entire premise of the book is likely inspired by said artist and boyfriend.

[@laonagrouchini]

Oh my God thank you for this info 👁️👁️❤️

[@MF-vc3vt]

this is unbelievable!! thank u for sharing

[@idontcheckmynotifications]

I fn love Leyendecker. Wish more of the general public recognised him today

[@chokoti7736]

yess omg i love leyendecker. funny cuz i read this comment js as time stamp 46:17 showed on screen and i was thinking “wow that screenshot looks like a leyendecker composition”

[@Ashtree28]

This is my (straight) sister’s favourite book. When I told her there was a lot of textual queer evidence, she laughed me off. And then she sat there and thought about it. And she thought about it some more... and went ‘holy shit!’ I literally saw her whole emotional journey on her face lmao. It just goes over straight people’s heads, even if they’re allies.

[@royfr8136]

I guess she was disappointed that yet again platonic friendship between two men has not been shown. Any connection between men other than the exchanges between men like Tom Buccanan are all 'gay'.

[@jacobitosuperstar]

I am straight and even I have to ask, how can a literal get away with another guy pass above your head??

[@idjitslover6738]

@@jacobitosuperstari did it a few months back and i didn’t pick up on it, although i’ve only probably read about 20 pages total and missed most lessons lol

[@jasminedeeble4349]

@@royfr8136all classical literature in schools is men friends man besties etc.

[@luciaaen]

Am I about to watch a one hour long video essay about whether nick and gatsby were gay or not? The answer is yes, yes I am and yes, yes they were.

[@s0ur.lem0ns40]

literally watching this in class rn

[@jamesprovost2602]

Lmao I’m watching this well eating breakfast. I have a day to get done yet this can get watched also 🤣

[@chakimn222]

❤😂👌🏻

[@laonagrouchini]

@@jamesprovost2602 eating dinner here lol

[@idkmansoundskindagay2709]

Holy shit I didn't even realize it was an hour😂 I'm still gonna watch it

[@annabethchase4151]

“are they gay?” honestly, alex, they always are

[@heinoustentacles5719]

you should listen to Boogie Nights (1976)

[@mateletanelu5270]

Never heterosexual

[@AD-dg3zz]

"They're gay?" "Always have been"

[@aliceh4075]

I'm British and studied this in sixth form. My favourite moment being when I said Nick is an unreliable narrator because he has feelings for Gatsby and my teacher said "Yes! Finally!"

[@scootscoot919]

Even my extremely straight low-key transphobic mother who taught English 3 honors knows that Nick was absolutely head over heels in love with Gatsby and whenever a student would ask if Nick was gay, they would become her favorite student

[@clementinekitten8305]

as someone who wrote a solid five paragraph essay about how nick lies to himself last year for gatsby and my best point was about his sexuality, i'm excited

[@booberfraggle]

As someone who is writing an essay on exactly that right now, I’m excited

[@st.mars6]

As someone who plans on writing this essay in the future, I'm also excited

[@stcrletz]

i'm your 1000th like hi :)

[@ChamiKhan13]

ME TOO. THAT WAS LITERALLY WHAT I WROTE MY FINAL ON. LIKE, WHO THE FUCK GOES ON FOR HALF A PAGE ABOUT A FUCKING SMILE. WHO??? NICK CARRAGAY THAT’S WHO

[@cthullusklaus7914]

Yo drop that essay link pls

[@afox3427]

Honestly I didn’t read the book when I read it in school, I read fanfics of Nick and Gatsby and passed the test easily

[@atlf3357]

Iconic-

[@zekeogriso3076]

Absolute king/queen

[@kristinalovelace2063]

OMG AJSHSJSJS

[@oakgreenwood2852]

That’s freakin iconic.

[@mateletanelu5270]

Frickn royalty

[@Bloomkyaaa]

The Great Gatsby is the greatest gay fanfiction ever written.

[@_aWiseMan]

A couple comments said they didnt even read the book just fanfiction and got an A so yeah it really is

[@laonagrouchini]

​@@_aWiseMan i was probably one of those people LMAO

[@mist0098]

my teacher had to watch my whole class of 12 chant "Nick is gay!" until he agreed. On this day the blessman(nickname for our teacher) was dressed as nick.

[@jvmeel7454]

Doing the Lord's work I see😌

[@jellyfishneo]

I think Nick and Gatsby being mlm strengthens the 'American dream' theme. We're told all our lives that we're free to live a happy life, but that happy life is assumed to include a partner of the opposite gender. Nick and Gatsby can't have their happy ending with their true love *because* their true loves happen to be the same gender. if that's not the American dream failing to come true, i don't know what is

[@DeathnoteBB]

Hell Gatsby’s entire life is the American Dream failing to come true

[@sarozhkevich]

г111

[@butterfly__382]

That would be beautiful. While I think Nick's feelings towards Gatsby were not platonic, sadly it's kinda obvious that Gatsby did not feel the same. It's a shame, really, because Nick cherished Gatsby and stayed by his side and wrote a literal book about him and his story while Daisy didn't think twice about leaving Gatsby behind and did not even bother showing up at his funeral.

[@byersvhs]

THIS.

[@Ireallywouldrathernot]

I also read this book in High School and wrote an essay about Nick's gayness. The teacher was not pleased.

[@randompersonn610]

i did the same and my teacher loved it so i’m sorry yours was dumb

[@monkeymaya2005]

@Lee Adama damn i wasn't expecting any battlestar here lmaoo

[@shookethbrooketh2354]

i wrote a five-paragraph essay on this topic that was completely unassigned just because i wanted to make a point to my friends and my teacher

[@isolatedanonymous1979]

Your teacher was probably like: 🤨😐😒

[@starrysoup]

Proud of you

[@drsykopharm4201]

Are we also gonna forget the random Owl Man that Gatsby just... let live with him and read in his library and drink all of his liquor for no reason other than because "he was lonely"? He easily could have let random women stay with him as a make-shift harem, but he chose a very drunk and questionable man? Very Questionable lol

[@uncertain_zee]

I was thinking about this the whole time lol

[@scofieldvictoria]

I was thinking about Owl Eyes too. At least he came to Gatsby’s funeral

[@iantaakalla8180]

I suppose loneliness can recognize loneliness but goddamn Jay Gatsby is homosocial as fuck and really does not care about women, beyond chasing Daisy down as the dream ending.

[@Selena-mm1zg]

Nick's "tender curiosity" towards Jordan kinda reads like the "let's be pals in a mlm/wlw solidarity way" feeling we've all had

[@heyimneverland8451]

he just felt she was like him

[@pilvilinnoitus]

When I watched the 2013 movie with my mom, the scene where Gatsby and Nick met for the first time came and my mom literally said "Oh so Nick's gay?"

[@legofmevid]

Always has been

[@flyerthantheg6]

And then the firework in the background when gatsby introduced himself to nick . 😂😂😂😂😂 Thats literally how it feel when you fall in love with someone you met

[@totallyoutofit6989]

i was rereading it recently and literally barely one page in, nick had called gatsby "gorgeous"

[@laonagrouchini]

LMAOOO and the title "The Great Gatsby" is literally just Nick describing Gatsby

[@spark9656]

25:36 "And they were neighbors!" "Oh my god, they were neighbors..."

[@jvmeel7454]

And roommates🙄

[@Jumpoable]

Even that horrifically hetero & basic retelling starring Leonardo & Toby felt GAY AF.

[@inviotb]

Me: *flashbacks to freshman year of high school as my gay self practically exploded reading this book from the sheer amount of overt gayness*

[@Moon_beams96]

SAME

[@plantparent6469]

@william field yeah I personally think it would've made more sense if yutaka and taku had ended up together. like there was more romantic tension between them than between him and his “girlfriend” rikako. and I get that she has a troubled family life but she behaves a bit too rudely. and also that pier scene with yutaka and taku was romantic, the music, the scenery and everything I just... 🌿🏳️‍🌈

[@inviotb]

@william field y’all I’m late to this but….hell yes. Taku x Yutaka for life 😌💅🏻✨

[@Zirconphyr]

I'm in this unit in ELA rn and my teacher recommended that I do the queer subtext as my essay then handed me an essay she wrote about the queer subtext from like 10 years ago Guess she figured out I'm interested in queer history and took it all the way 😭

[@FletcherReedsRandomness]

"Have you been acting a little straight lately?" Only you could make that your opening line AND have it work.

[@SirEriol]

My favourite way of interpreting the story is: that Gatsby is bi and sort of likes Daisy, in the Expectations vs Reality way of the book. Like Daisy represents something he feels his heart must _ache_ for, all the while Nick is something his heart is fond of, the sunshine of his days. Gatsby knows he's bi and thus his interactions with Nick are of the likes of "you are my truest friend and thus you make me feel more alive than the woman I love. God, please, never leave my side. I'd be lost without you..." And that Nick is so far in the closet he doesn't know it at all. Like, Nick lives in Narnia. And thus everything Gatsby releated is akin to a teenage girl going "OMG, MOM, NATHANIEL DREAMLAKE, MY FAVOURITE MEMBER OF BOYS BE DREAMIN', HAS ASKED ME TO GO TO THE PROM WITH HIM. I TOTEZ BELIEVE HE WANTS TO BE FRIENDS, OMG, AAAAAAAH". Gatsby exudes chill bi-bes and Nick is a moronic gay who thinks anal is a sign of friendship.

[@laonagrouchini]

"anal is a sign of friendship" HELP ME AHAHSHAH WHY IS THAT SO TRUE

[@melonrue]

To me, Gatsby reads as a person who's bisexual (more attracted towards men) and aware of it. Gatsby holds on to that idealised image of Daisy (his first love), but he at least subtly knows that he wasn't as "in love" with Daisy anymore, even if he did once - especially after he first makes contact with her. He does use Nick as a tool to get to Daisy - in fact, that was probably his initial intention, but he also genuinely comes to like Nick as a person, as a friend and likely more over the course of the story. We ultimately see painfully little of Gatsby's true thoughts and feelings - Fitzgerald made many deliberate decisions that reduced how much we truly hear Gatsby, thus allowing him to be shrouded by the obfuscations Nick throws up. Nevertheless, I feel like Gatsby is almost painfully aware of his reality (as someone who falls short of the American Dream, as someone whose very existence goes outside the normative standards of his time); he knows that, despite his dramatic attempts to cover up all the darkness of his past and his efforts as a noveau riche, despite his deliberate painting-over to create an idealised fantastical world, he cannot replace or destroy reality. He merely covers all that up with his trained, practiced charisma, and for the most part the others in his life seem not to care to look beyond this facade - until he meets Nick, who does so pretty much instinctively. And, as the story progresses, he almost seems to invite Nick to call him out on his artificiality and seems to want Nick to "look behind the curtain" so to speak - Nick, however, chooses not to do so for deliberate reasons. As for Nick, I instead feel like he's not unaware, but in DEEP denial of his feelings for Gatsby, at least within the text of the book. He, in the context of writing this book, brushes most of "himself" aside - he never tells us much about himself explicitly, and participates in self-censorship more than any other. Although he is the narrator (or, more precisely, BECAUSE), we know very little of him, his life and his uncensored feelings. Nevertheless, we see, here and there, Nick's less-romanticised image of both himself and Gatsby show through seemingly despite Nick's intentions. Nick is aware that he's not attracted to women, although he still participates in "hetero" relationships here and there - he behaves, as Jordan notes, carelessly towards women and their feelings. He paints his "relationship" with Jordan as "the default"; what "love" should be like to him. And, conversely, things like the elevator scene feel instead as evidence (to me) that Nick is very much aware about his homosexuality, beyond just "friendship" levels, although it's possible it normally was largely sexual, short flings. It might explain why his treatment of Gatsby was so incredibly exceptional; it was a romantic love he hadn't expected, Nick's very own "green light" he was afraid of reaching out to - of making contact with, for fear that it would end precisely the way Gatsby's did. Accustomed to "love" as he has with women like Jordan and seeing the destructive consequences of "love" the way Tom and Daisy (or other heterosexual couples) had, he was unwilling to acknowledge the reality he was now faced with. And now he suppresses it, painting his own memories and feelings over with a blanket of "we're just friends" because the source of his green light is now well and truly gone... even as he writes this book, immortalising Gatsby's memory. Overall, my personal reading is that (to some extent) Nick dropped the ball, and it cost them both their happiness. Nick, in his many monologues over the course of the story, makes clear what he dislikes about the noveau riche (and thus the things he dislikes in the facetious Gatsby), his nigh-instinctual awareness of the "real" Gatsby behind that facade, and what he claims Gatsby is thinking. Gatsby, according to Nick, asked DIRECTLY what the latter thought of him; Nick's response was as non-committal as could possibly be, despite the wealth of evidence to show he had lots of opinions. Gatsby also gives Nick quite a bit of insight into his unglamorous history first-hand, which Nick includes in his written account - but Nick still chooses to see and now paint Gatsby as a person with an incredible sense of hope; he deliberately refuses to acknowledge the image behind the curtain, even though he knows it well. Nick only asks Gatsby to run away once, and drops it when Gatsby refuses - not wanting to shake him free of that hope. Unwilling to really make an attempt to reach out to the source of that light, and unable to suppress and destroy the light completely, Nick refuses to respond to Gatsby's invitation to "peek behind the curtain" and refuses to tear down the curtain himself. It's only now, in writing this book - a memoir to his close friend and lost love, the great Gatsby - that Nick pretty much does the same thing as Gatsby did before him. He deliberately leaves gaps in the curtain and invites the reader to call them both out, for Nick's hypocrisy and Gatsby's artificiality, looking behind the many veils that shape what we expect of each character in the story to find the tragic reality embedded within. And in doing so, the two are united, recognised as the flawed beings that they really are, rather than the facades they each put up.

[@Reed5016]

That’s a good analysis.

[@aliendeathrocker]

Thank you for writing this, I really loved reading it.

[@lilworld6060]

Amazing❤

[@leogingerich1141]

Every time I think of this book I think about the time I referred to Gatsby and Daisy as "good friends" in front of my teacher and 20+ classmates... I really "gal pal-ed" them they way straight people do to any gay people...

[@lordcawdorofmordor2549]

YES BABY!

[@imani7979]

as you should queen😌

[@buccy9841]

that's a power move

[@sadies8100]

Big mood.

[@bdaarmy9736]

Ok that's kinda cool

[@rosieg6989]

My 60 year old grade 12 English teacher was surprisingly gay aware and had a whole day of our Gatsby 3 weeks devoted to debating nicks sexuality. Even during our big final exam worth 25% of our final mark one of the essay questions you could write on was write about the following relationships, and Nick and Gatsby was one of them. He also did a piece on Hamlets sexuality. Man I loved him, out of 35 teachers in my 4 years of high school, including 4 health teachers, he was the only one that talked about queer matters without being asked first.

[@wandanemer2630]

Amazing, I wish I'd have a Lit teacher like that! We all should really talk more about Hamlet's sexuality tho.

[@rosieg6989]

@@wandanemer2630 Yes, he was great. One day in class I got to that chapter in Gatsby, the one where nick is at that apartment, and I read the couple pages where it looks like nick slept with the guy, and I was completely shocked, I had not expected an early 20th century book to have queer content and I thought I was crazy and just miss reading, I didn’t say anything, I finished the book at home that night. The very next day he said we were doing another debate and analysis, and that it was on Nicks sexuality and I just blurted “I knew it.” I was very shocked and surprised because I had gotten so used to not talking about lgbt+ in class, but he was the one who brought it up and that was probably the best debate we ever had as a class. Sorry that this was long, I never got to tell this story before and I wanted to write it out. For your mention of Hamlet we had a similar debate and I think as a collective we agreed he was bi/pan. For Nick it was 100% closeted gay man based off his love for Gatsby, that scene with the guy, and the fact that the most attractive he found his girlfriend was when she had a perspiration mustash.

[@haobinversed]

that's so cool omg

[@rosieg6989]

@@haobinversed Thank you.

[@meatloverdelight]

I'm not even good with English nor literature but he's the type of teacher I aspire to be

[@elikitchener1008]

This just makes me want to write a scipt for a movier modern adaptation that is loyal to the book and all the subtext and HAS THE MR. MCKEE SCENE

[@laonagrouchini]

DO IT

[@alluneedislessthan3]

Ohhhh so *THAT’S* why I was inexplicably obsessed with this book in high school, and when given an assignment in art class to depict important people to us, I painted my ✨totally straight best gal pal that I definitely wasn’t deeply in love with✨ and I holding hands in a garden while my boyfriend at the time was standing off to the side in a Gatsby-inspired Art Deco style. (Yes this is a real thing that happened, no it was not intentional. I was so in the closet in high school I hadn’t even realized I’d done that until I found it in a box of old high school stuff a few weeks ago ahsjakakdk help.)

[@alluneedislessthan3]

Also I was in my junior year when the 2013 movie came out and we had just finished the book as a class. My best gal pal and I saw it together and a-hole boyfriend wasn’t invited. (Yes the rest of my English class was there too but that’s not important.)

[@emery7331]

When we had to do a project on The Great Gatsby, the straight girl in our class that every guy in our school had dated at least once, made her project about why Nick and Gatsby were in love. They gay.

[@caw1997]

👏 🥇

[@tomsagamesisbackagain.3808]

Dang, that girl.

[@gabrielae2944]

that is literally any girl who grown up with ao3

[@atlf3357]

Tell her that we think she’s iconic

[@bumblebeeproductions1673]

Iconic

[@quiondasjj9293]

I sent a screencap of this video to my old high school English teacher and he said "Why do you need to watch an hour-long video for something that takes 5 minutes to confirm"

[@lee-ci8mj]

Mom: are you texting your friends? Me: yes *actually watching an hour long analysis of nickxgatsby like a boss*

[@aratrikaroy8284]

15:02 Nick and Mckee- Literally on a bed in their underwear. Old Literary Critics and English Teachers- ✨They were such good friends ✨

[@reecentfailures6627]

When I was doing the great gatsby in high school my teacher started the book off with "I don't think nick is gay so don't start" so I of course highlighted all the gay parts in my copy of the book. I hope she enjoyed my annotations :)

[@uncertain_zee]

She didn't even wanna allow a discussion cuz she knew how easy it was to prove lol

[@mattiemccarthy9102]

Lol email them this

[@kittyykatie]

i haven't watched the video but yes, yes they are

[@ZerianisTheWitch]

Nagito pfp 😳

[@Vivigreeny25]

-Literally everyone

[@queefgod99]

Exactly

[@aurora_skye]

NAGITO KOMAEDA

[@mouldy_zebra2667]

N a g i t o K o m a e d a

[@ericalevinson213]

I remember in my English class my teacher argued that Gatsby only wanted Daisy because she was like a material item to him. A status symbol. I totally agree with that. He only wants her bc she would be a great beard lol

[@ImAPotato-]

My English teacher literally said. “So if you couldn’t tell some people think nick might be bisexual and have a thing for gatsby” We got to the first chapter and I don’t remember what it was but something in my brain went “wow this nick dude sounds in love with gatsby” Also just a note about my English teacher and how great he is, when myrtle died the last note on her character he had us write was “beep beep” so take that as you will I find it hilarious

[@mimimicamica]

please we need a are they gay subject in school, we need to identify the gayness sooner. Won't somebody please think of the children?!

[@a1t3rmusic]

them poor kids with no gaydar a shame indeed😔💔

[@reniseboisrond5971]

@@a1t3rmusic a shame 😞😪

[@redacted5078]

i dont want the poor children to grow up thinking my favorite characters are.... 🤢 Straight

[@jvmeel7454]

@@redacted5078 My god don't say it... I don't want my children to grow up where being straight is deemed acceptable😰...

[@nunyabusiness164]

i took a queer literature class in community college! it was amazing. i recommend Kissing The Witch by emma donoghue and giovanni's room by james baldwin

[@fiona_6714]

I remember reading this book in high school and going into the class discussion fully expecting that everyone had noticed how gay this book was. Needless to say, I was shocked when the whole rest of the class said I was crazy. One kid tried to use Jordan as evidence that Nick was straight and I LOST IT. Like, telling me that woman is not a lesbian is like telling me that the sky isn't blue or that bisexuals don't cuff their jeans.

[@selenegarcia138]

the fact that I'm bi, yet I can't tell whose gay and who isn't my friend's right, my gaydar is broken

[@scofieldvictoria]

You need a gaydar technician

[@mostlyimpulsive3462]

I'm genuinely surprised that you guys haven't done an are they gay episode for Phoenix and Edgeworth. Those two idiots are legendary!

[@hopekeeley2122]

Seriously he’s gotta do it, The jokes he could make

[@redballoon9007]

I suggested it a year or so ago. I guess it never came up. But Narumitsu has S O much potential as a video-

[@lourivas21]

As a Literature Major, I have mad respect for this dissection of an inherently gay classic novel. Even if Nick may not be 100% gay, and may identify as something else on the spectrum, it is impossible not to pick up on his attraction toward Gatsby. And it is damn near impossible not to read his attraction as anything other than romantic pining. Take my Like, you have earned it.

[@ecilaflameshe221]

My teacher, without saying anything, posted an essay about the homoerotic subtext of the gay gatsbi in the class notebook. I was like... 👀

[@queer-ios3155]

She realized that everyone already knew and cut to the chase. Respect.

[@valerianicoleperez8969]

My English teacher went into a whole rant about the symbolism of Nick being gay and broke down that whole scene when he is on the elevator with this guy and then wakes up on his bed like oop- It was great

[@alexandras7905]

The real question is: How would Fitzgerald know how to write all these gay feelings if he didn't actually have them himself?

[@lilworld6060]

He is a rumoured one, with Hemingway.

[@fatemehmirzaei646]

No one: Literally no one: Nick: "HiS uNdReStAnDiNg SMILE"

[@lily65982]

nick and jordan literally commiserate about being "bad drivers" at life. BAD DRIVERS? GAY

[@lauram7929]

*Cries in trying to leave the parking lot after Pride Fest*

[@bugjmoss]

14:56 the brokeback mountain theme song killed me 💀

[@asuspiciouslyefficientmito8338]

Nothing like being a Jew and sitting in an English room whilst reading the chapter with Meyer Wolfsheim and everyone spins around to look at you, good times.

[@lexithebesti]

THE ONLY CLASS IM WILLING TO PAY ATTENTION IN- YESSIRRRR

[@tummylicker3847]

I deadass thought you were iNabber

[@byrnetdown6076]

@@tummylicker3847 LMAO SAME AND I DID A DOUBLE TAKE

[@lexithebesti]

HSGDJSHAHAH ‘tis what i do😌❤️

[@redacted5078]

@@tummylicker3847 SAME LMAO

[@leechs]

the fact alex has been making these videos faithfully since tenth grade. king

[@JC-ij9ul]

KING

[@prowlandsasuke]

Nick was the only one to show up at his funeral and weep for him. 💅💅💅💅

[@paolima1448]

Are they gay: Achilles and Patroclus

[@magicrainbowkitties1023]

No debate necessary, they gaygagaygay gay

[@chimmybacon1964]

this just made my day 1 HOUR OF ARE THEY GAY ABOUT THE GREAT GATSBY??!

[@somethingunusual8456]

Lol I didn't notice the length! I'm gonna watch it anyways of course

[@spoofie2762]

your profile picture>>>>

[@randompersonn610]

when i was in high school, i wrote a paper abt how nick is gay and presented it to my english class while basically screaming at anyone who tried to argue that nick was straight

[@a1t3rmusic]

as you should😌

[@mateletanelu5270]

You are a person of culture😌

[@alainataul3367]

This is so funny because my English teacher (love her) was practically screaming and begging the class to realize that these two are so ungodly god. And I, as a gay, was so ready. I lead every class discussion lmao.

[@forthefrogs]

“lunch! the second gayest meal” we all know it’s brunch

[@jvmeel7454]

Indeed

[@mariaantoniaportodevasconc4012]

all those social media but we just want to know your AO3 name Alex

[@astrinymris9953]

This made me go to AO3 to check the popular pairings for 'The Great Gatsby', and as of today the Nick Carroway/Jay Gatsby tag has 416 listings, while Daisy Buchanon/Jay Gatsby only has 106.

[@mariaantoniaportodevasconc4012]

@@astrinymris9953 we winning huh

[@gwendalynnwatkins1296]

@@astrinymris9953 that makes me so happy

[@ZeroOhClock]

@@astrinymris9953 also good to note people tag "Daisy/Jay" even in fics where it only started like that and ended with Nick

[@veravucic3182]

Could you do Alexa and Liana from Barbie Diamond castle?They literally escaped from to guys using a rainbow bridge.

[@jojomaria498]

Ah yes, then dumped their men to go live in a cabin together

[@sophifoxqueen3890]

Yeeeeeeesssssss

[@i.7525]

yes!! it would be great if it got covered here. their dresses were literally in the color palettes of the bi and lesbian flag....

[@gwendalynnwatkins1296]

Omg, I loved that movie when I was little, I had a crush on all of them. All of the characters, the main three, the love interests, the villain, some of the random background people, everyone

[@Zraytre]

So this please

[@shelbylindsey3826]

Hi thank you for the video. I found this about a month after writing a paper on why Nick was gay and it was awesome to see someone else talking about the same points as me

[@charlie2.048]

My high school English experience was just teachers learning every year not to call on me unless they wanted an overly detailed deconstruction of how literally everything is gay.

[@AngstyRat]

Why does every single piece of classic literature that they force us to read in school literally always have gay subtext? Like istg they all do-

[@tell-talehearts4462]

Because most of the authors were probably in the closest themselves and writing was the only way to express themselves

[@AngstyRat]

@@tell-talehearts4462 it's really sad but yeah.. at least people today still read these stories and can recognise the hidden meanings and subtext, even if at the time they had to be disguised in stories like this.

[@nothingbutfleurs]

everything has gay subtext

[@isoldewas]

i’m only on minute 16 and i haven’t laughed so hard in months curing my depression AND furthering the homosexual agenda ? i know i’m in love

[@jvmeel7454]

Same

[@elianna838]

I hated the Great Gatsby when I read it in school bc I thought it was one of the worst, most boring, books ever. When I discovered that Nick was gay 2 1/2 years after reading it for school, I could finally appreciate the Great Gatsby as the great american classic it's known to be. Nick being Gay makes the entire story worthwhile and relatable and tragically beautiful. Shame on the teachers who shy away from allowing their students an opportunity to really learn.

[@ritzexists2201]

My favorite moment in discussing this book in high school was the teacher getting to that scene that nick goes off with Mr. Mckee and basically did the "we don't have time to unpack ALL of that" John Mulaney bit

[@gracegrace7292]

nick just did what leonard bernstein would’ve done simple

[@kokoloka1223]

My literature teacher at the university said that ''The Great Gatsby'' is one of his favourite american books and this book covers queer, feminist themes and it is Polish university and saying something about lgbt+ people here in good or neutral way lately is pretty hmmm... brave I would say. Ps. I love how big your research is. You made, great job!

[@Arthur-yf9yv]

I went to school in England, and the Merchant of Venice was only interesting to read because I read Antonio as a barely closeted gay man with a crush on his friend who uses him for money.

[@mothmanlol6263]

Same

[@tasnimahsankhan501]

Even my kinda homophobic classmates say that Antonio is a gay pining man lmao

[@vidyasreeram2587]

Same.

[@immapokeyouwiththetruth1476]

Hear*

[@totallyoutofit6989]

1:05:00 it's so true though. They will make you analyse the smallest things, but they will not address a clear possibility within the text. The only other person in my class who acknowledged this was a straight, cis girl in my class, and they all laughed at her. Which is why I never said anything, as a clearly LGBT+ guy. Because even the english teachers can't bare to think that Fitzgerald could have planted a small piece of queerness in his work. We literally never talked about that scene with Mr. McKee, and it was so obviously because the teacher couldn't think of a straight explanation for it.

[@shtfock5343]

I always thought that yes; Nick is gay... But also that Jordan is non-binary or a demi-girl that had a crush on Daisy *This makes me happy, thanks for the video*

[@Reed5016]

Jordan was used almost exclusively as a dude’s name back in the 1920’s, and considering how Fitzgerald was familiar with the sapphic scene, I wouldn’t be surprised if he intentionally wrote her as gay. Obviously, not all lesbians are masc, but considering the time the story was written, I’d say it’s decent representation.

[@estellacorduroy5259]

The first couple of seconds accusing me of ACTING STRAIGHT.... SIR THAT WAS OUT OF POCKET but damn I sat through the whole merch promo

[@gibigabi1651]

I have the popcorn, I got the blanket, ready to spend an hour watching this

[@cereza5983]

My sophomore year teacher was a closeted lesbian and was currently going through her divorce. She was dead straight on not allowing us to say that nick was gay :)

[@M-WG]

I see what you did there 😂

[@artsyaly465]

My teacher actually brought up Nick’s gayness in class so the class would have that context reading the rest of the book. I sent this video to him. He liked it and thought you made good points :)

[@CyreneDuVent]

As someone who accidentally started reading a 300000 word fanfiction at one am, I feel that.

[@wandanemer2630]

Same.

[@scofieldvictoria]

Always when I have work in the morning 😭

[@larsshort6367]

I'm just reminded of how I wrote my 11th grade English final basically on how Nick was gay for Gatsby(noticing most of the evidence on my first read, like "really? we're reading this in a highschool class? No one is noticing how this is super gay, with extreme romantic overtones between these two? How does Nick know she's wearing freaking CHIFFON?!) Anyway, I tied in a whole theme of unrequited love, and how the obvi love gatbsy has for daisy (the ideal) parallels nicks love for him, and proved in my essay how said themes were Improved by this parallel, after of course proving the Nick is a raging homosexual liar to my teacher who didn't even acknowledge the gay hookup (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.) I got an A on that. I still consider that my best work of writing I ever wrote in highschool

[@immapokeyouwiththetruth1476]

Do you have a copy of it? I want to write an essay like that to my heterogeneous mixture of a teacher who hasn't seen the Rath of Gay agenda I was born to write.

[@omdarjiintheflesh]

omg I did the same thing on my last final

[@personornot]

These videos are the only reason I watch anything besides child cartoon shows over and over again.

[@klarag.1010]

We read "the Picture of Dorian Gray" in high school and never once talked about the big gay energy in it... Re-reading it today I can't believe my teacher never mentioned the topic. Wilde was imprisoned for being gay, ffs. So yeah, I can definitely relate to your frustration with reading Gatsby in class...

[@killitwithfire5377]

...what? Isn't there a literal gay love confession in that book?

[@klarag.1010]

@@killitwithfire5377 never underestimate the power of conservative english teachers haha... On a more serious note tho, I don't live in an english speaking country and it's not my first language. So, as we were not really great at reading english texts, it might have been easy for my teacher to just explain the gay (sub)text away

[@laura.r365]

@@killitwithfire5377 well, kind of? there’s no explicit gay ‘action’ or anything (although that is actually hinted at a bit) but one of the characters (within the first chapter) lengthily confesses his undying love for another male character and doesn’t even care to pull a ‘no homo’ kinda moment at the end (that man is WHIPPED my god.) - to the point where a friend takes an interest in the uncommon dimensions of his feelings and well, it all goes downhill from there. so, nothing explicit but like, kinda explicit honestly. if you don’t get the homoerotic overtones you’re seriously disturbed. read it, it’s pretty amazing.

[@lindseysquire8417]

As a straight person, I have to say that even we pick up on the overt gayness of this story, and anyone who says they don't is in denial

[@davidfisher9252]

Same. Granted, I never really picked up on any specific instance of the gay subtext, probably because I wasn't that interested in the book and wanted to get it over with. However, my friends and I all agreed that the best ship by far was Nick x Jay. They just had the most chemistry out of all of the characters.

[@lindseysquire8417]

@@davidfisher9252 Gatsby: Old sport Me: Oh my gosh, just get married

[@scofieldvictoria]

@@davidfisher9252 Honestly, that was basically my experience too.

[@lexithebesti]

HELLO LGBTQ COMMUNITY

[@emotapw]

Hiya!

[@imani7979]

bonjour

[@PLAGUE-KARM]

That Inabber pfp’s incredible lmao

[@hum3911]

Hi

[@izunahosaki6133]

Hello

[@happbapp]

I’m reading this in school rn and the first page when nick is describing gatsby I was just like “are you a homosexual” and was pleased to find others thought the same

[@lilypadbear]

i own the “authorized edition” of the book (according to the cover) and the introduction straight up confirms that nick was in love with gatsby

[@swaggy_phrogge7885]

“and as we all know there’s nothing gayer than getting lost.” I choked on air ;-; this is so true-

[@wandanemer2630]

I feel validated!

[@uh8300]

@@ella-louisewhite7938 same it’s a pain honestly

[@cottoncandysprite]

Ok but while this was a classic of gay subtext in english class, no one seems to remember the ORIGINAL gay book we (or at least my school) read in 8th grade: the outsiders. you cannot TELL me Ponyboy and Johnny weren't gay as hell

[@fabianshedenhelm2986]

True

[@heinoustentacles5719]

never heard of em lol

[@susienight6118]

Duuuude the outsiders!! Have the book an movie😅 “stay golden ponyboy stay golden “ 😋

[@harveyhaslostit]

Gotta read that one again. I'm usually the first one to pick up gay subtext, but I can't remember I did with those two. I'd say running off together would be kinda gay subtext, but on the other hand Johnny literally stabbed a guy lol

[@gwendalynnwatkins1296]

I just immediately put Dallas and Johnny together when I first read in in 7th

[@mbclove1]

As a straight man on this channel I'm offended that you haven't asked the real question.... Are Goku and Vegeta? It haunts my dreams knowing that with your expertise you haven't answered the question 😭😭😭😭

[@stephaniejean7429]

I will always hear "He smiled understandingly- much more than understandingly..." in your voice whenever I think of this book. Congrats, you win. I don't know what you won, but you did. Also, it might just be my bisexuality showing, but I think Gatsby is bi.