F. Scott Fitzgerald’s use of flashback in The Great Gatsby proves to be an effective tool in order to reveal information from the characters’ past. These flashbacks are effective because they allow the reader to know and understand the character better before a situation in the novel arises. Three examples of flashbacks that Fitzgerald uses are when Jordan explains to Nick how and when she first met Gatsby on page 79, when Nick explains to the reader how Gatsby got his name and what his childhood was like on page 104, and when Nick explains again to the reader what happened when Gatsby returned from the war on page 160. The placement and effective