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Was Ewing Klipspringer supposed to be a gay character in "The Great Gatsby"? My theory is that he is gay, considering there is textual evidence, and that he lives in Gatsby's home.

Here are some quotes that I found that support this theory:

When Klipspringer had played The Love Nest he turned around on the bench and searched unhappily for Gatsby in the gloom.

This quote is from page 95 of The Great Gatsby. It states that Klipspringer searched unhappily at Gatsby in the gloom. It also states that Klipspringer turned around the bench, which could indicate some form of romance.

More evidence can be found on page 62:

A man named Klipspringer was there so often and for so long that he became known as 'the boarder' - I doubt if he had any other home.

This is really strong evidence that proves Klipspringer is gay, considering even Nick doubts Klipspringer "had any other home" - indicating he has moved into the house and searched for love in Gatsby.

I know that after Gatsby died Klipspringer only called for a butler to send a pair of tennis shoes and didn't attend his funeral. Despite this, based on the evidence shown, Klipspringer seemed to love him, looking "unhappily at him in the gloom" and having no other home.

Is there any other evidence that characterizes Klipspringer as gay? (essays from scholars, etc.)

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    The right way of formulating the question is something like: "Is there any textual evidence that Ewing Klipspringer is gay." Fitzgerald left enough textual evidence for us to suspect that Nick is gay (or at least bisexual) and has a crush on Gatsby. See this question and this article. So presumably if Fitzgerald had intended Klipspringer to be gay, he would have also left clues about that.
    – Peter Shor
    Commented Apr 11, 2021 at 12:51
  • Thanks Peter Shor, I figued the clues were already given. Like Look at how Klipspringer Literally LIVEs in gatsby's house and searched "unhappily for him in the gloom"
    – Vladimir George
    Commented Apr 11, 2021 at 17:57
  • The question is much better now. One comment: since I don't think Gatsby is gay (while Nick is), I don't see why living in Gatsby's home is any evidence for gayness.
    – Peter Shor
    Commented Apr 11, 2021 at 18:46
  • How? it clearly says "searched unhappily for Gatsby". Also about Nick, how is he gay?
    – Vladimir George
    Commented Apr 11, 2021 at 18:49
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    Read the Salon article I linked to: Nick Carraway is gay. I think Fitzgerald might be playing with us here, and have Nick (and maybe the astute reader) thinking that Klipspringer is like him, in love with Gatsby. But Klipspringer doesn't come to his funeral, revealing that he is just a free-loader (and to further emphasize this fact, after Gatsby dies he starts mooching off "some people up here in Greenwich").
    – Peter Shor
    Commented Apr 11, 2021 at 20:14

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