What is the purpose of Owl Eyes in Great Gatsby?

Question

Scott Fitzgerald rarely puts characters or events that have do not either have an underlying message or support in the character development of the lead characters. Therefore I was confused as to what Owl Eyes represented. Clearly he is significant as he is one of the few people to show up to Gatsby's funeral. So what is he supposed to represent or rather what message is Fitzgerald trying to deliver through Owl Eyes?

Answer 1

Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald frequently uses eyes as a symbol for perceptiveness, vision, and truth-seeking. Owl Eyes is no different, and this is perhaps the reason he attends Gatsby's funeral.

The first time we meet Owl Eyes, he marvels at the fact that Gatsby's Library is real:

“Absolutely real — have pages and everything. I thought they’d be a nice durable cardboard. Matter of fact, they’re absolutely real. Pages and — Here! Lemme show you.”

Keeping this in mind, his appearance at the funeral is perhaps Fitzgerald's way of analyzing and sympathizing with Gatsby's character and ultimate death:

"He took off his glasses and wiped them again, outside and in. “The poor son-of-a-bitch,” he said.”