Who Attended Gatsby's Funeral

Okay, let's be honest. Gatsby threw the parties of the century. Mountains of food! Rivers of booze! Dancing till dawn! But his funeral? A ghost town. And I have some opinions.

The Obvious No-Shows

First off, let's talk about the "friends." You know, the ones who crammed themselves into his mansion every weekend. Did they show up to say goodbye? Nope. Zilch. Nada. Probably nursing hangovers and already planning their next extravagant adventure. I mean, it’s not like Gatsby could host them anymore, right? Unpopular opinion: They were all just using him.

And Daisy? Don't even get me started on Daisy. We all know the story. She was kind of the reason Gatsby did everything. But did she show up to his funeral? Of course not! Too busy being… Daisy. Living in her gilded cage, pretending nothing happened. I'm not saying she's a bad person (okay, maybe a little). But seriously, girl. A card? A flower? Anything?

The Slightly Less Obvious Absentees

What about all those business "associates" of Gatsby's? You know, the shady characters lurking in the background. The ones who seemed to know more than they let on. Did they suddenly develop a conscience and offer their respects? I think we all know the answer to that. My guess is they were too busy covering their tracks. A funeral is not a good place for a business meeting that is shall we say, a little too intense.

Then there are the random party guests. The ones who showed up every single week, probably didn't even know Gatsby's last name. You'd think at least one would feel a little guilty, a little obligated, to pay their respects. But no. They moved on to the next big thing. Probably a speakeasy with slightly less potent cocktails. Unpopular opinion: They were probably just there for the free booze, anyway.

The Few, The Proud, The Funeral Attendees

So who did bother to show up? Well, there was Nick Carraway. Bless his heart. He was basically the only friend Gatsby had. He tried his best to wrangle people, to guilt-trip them into attending. But it was a losing battle. Props to Nick for being a loyal friend until the very end.

And Gatsby's father, Henry C. Gatz. A simple, humble man, completely out of place in the world of West Egg. His grief was real, his love for his son unwavering. It's heartbreaking, really. All that effort, all that striving, and in the end, the only person who truly cared was his dad.

Then there was Owl Eyes. Remember him? The drunken guy in the library? He showed up. Why? Who knows! Maybe he actually appreciated Gatsby's collection of unread books. Maybe he just felt bad. Whatever the reason, he gets points for being there.

My Hot Take

So, my unpopular opinion? Everyone in West Egg was awful. Selfish, shallow, and completely lacking in empathy. Gatsby deserved better. He deserved genuine friends, a love that was real, and a funeral that wasn't so… empty. It’s a sad, sad commentary on the human race.

And maybe a reason why those parties never really stopped. They moved on to the next, and the next, with someone else at the center, equally alone, equally misunderstood, and equally surrounded by people who don't see them for who they are. It’s something to think about at least. And maybe tip your bartender extra next time. You never know who might be in the next chapter of their story, and how many chapters they have left to write.