Ambiguity Of Nick Carraway In The Great Gatsby

Conformity is defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, as behavior in accordance with socially accepted standards. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, is narrated through the perception of Nick Carraway. The reader must take into consideration the importance of differentiating the separate views of Nick as the narrator and as a character, as through these different roles in the novel, he is given the opportunity to show his inner thoughts, while also displaying his outward actions. Although Nick is given the role as the narrator, he is not omniscient, which leaves him vulnerable to human flaw. Through the novel, the reader is invited to follow Nick as his character becomes involved in the moral ambiguity of the wealthy East Coast and

inadvertently, perhaps, he himself assumes some of the faults for which he criticizes the other characters. Nick’s attempts to "be himself" and to stand off from what he sees as empty social striving in the world he inhabits, however, he doesn't manage to completely rebel or maintain his individuality for the duration of the story. The way in which Fitzgerald writes the characters in his novel, causes many things to be revealed by their actions, their dishonesty in this case, allows the reader to explore the weaknesses of the characters.
Dishonesty is what allows Nick to deceive those around him and disguise his inner disgust of the inner workings of the empty social striving world he has joined. His dishonesty is subtly introduced early in the novel, when he states, “Every one suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known (Page 59).” This is likely the moment when the reader starts to suspect Nick doesn’t always tell the truth. If everyone “suspects” themselves of one of the cardinal virtues. If Nick says he’s honest, perhaps he’s not? Furthermore, if someone has to claim that they are honest, that often suggests that they do things that aren’t exactly trustworthy. Furthermore, although Nick has stated that he follows his father's advice of being careful about criticizing others who have not had his moral advantages, and he asserts that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," Nick spends a strong part of his narration judging others. This can be credited to his father when Nick states, “In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since. Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in the world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had (Page 1).” Here, Nick’s father is contradicting himself. He is saying that Nick shouldn’t judge others, but at the same time, he’s telling Nick they are better than other people. This sets the tone for the book; Fitzgerald is pointing out all the conflicting views of the super elite.
Nick cannot truthfully be classifies as an honest person, for his mind is filled with criticisms towards people he spends time with daily.

Readers know his thoughts through the narration of the story, but his actions are rarely reflections of these thoughts. He obviously doesn't respect the criminal activity of Gatsby, as well as his affairs with Meyer Wolfsheim, the man rumored to have fixed the World Series in 1919. When offered a job by Gatsby, Nick quickly declines: “I’ve got my hands full. I’m much obliged but I couldn't take on any more work (Page 88).” However, he remains Gatsby’s ally and defends im to the end, just because he admires Gatsby’s “extraordinary gift for hope (Page 6)” and romantic readiness (Page 6).” He admired Gatsby’s optimism and perseverance. However, Gatsby did not live up to Nick’s moral values and so Nick did not accept the job. Although this being an indirect way of displaying his disapproval for Gatsby, Nick never confronts his friend about his ethical values. Nick’s passiveness in dealing with a situation he obviously disapproves of makes him dishonest. Had he had been honest, he would have been upfront about the matter and voiced his opinion. This reservation of the truth which Nick possesses makes him conform with the majority of society. Most people are dishonest. They sacrifice their honesty to fit in with the

rest.
Although throughout the novel Nick was quick to draw comparisons between himself and those he deemed morally corrupt, at the end of The Great Gatsby, Nick reflects that all of the events and characters he encountered share a common trait; all had been chasing a false illusion of an “American Dream”.

He finds this common ground with them stating, “I see now that this has been a story of the West, after all—Tom and Gatsby, Daisy and Jordan and I, were all Westerners, and perhaps we possessed some deficiency in common which made us subtly unadaptable to Eastern life (188).” The small fractures that were present in all of the characters’ attempts to conform to the standards of the American Dream eventually grew larger and larger until the fracture became a division that split illusion and reality from each other. Nick attempted to conform into the dynamic world of Eastern America when he involved himself in the parties, drama, and scandals of his

companions.
Over the course of The Great Gatsby, the reader can see a coming of age story for the character of Nick. Although coming of age stories usually occur in the adolescent period, Nick Carraway goes through a major realization about the glamorous world of wealth that his companions in the novel live in. Nick starts out naïve and hopeful about his summer, and his future in New York more generally, as revealed through his narration (this optimism about his own life is mixed up with his sharp, snarky characterizations of others, which remain mostly the same all through the novel). As the summer goes on, he meets someone wildly more hopeful than he is, Gatsby, of course. He then begins to be more cynical in how he views his own life in comparison, realizing that there are certain memories and feelings he can no longer access. Finally, after the deaths of Myrtle, Gatsby, and Wilson, as well as the passing of his thirtieth birthday, Nick is thoroughly disenchanted, cynical, regretful, even angry, as he tries to protect Gatsby’s legacy in the face of an uncaring world, as well as a renewed awareness of his own mortality. He realizes he does not want to be a bystander of the actions of the morally ambiguous actions of the character around him and casts them away, finally outwardly expressing his disgust for their behaviors. Nick Carraway relinquishes his fears of expressing his inner questioning towards their lifestyle. Certainly, Nick is not the objective narrator that he initially declares himself. Moreover, he is not the morally upright person that he perceives himself; for, he retreats to the Midwest in the end, hoping to reclaim some of the values which he has abandoned. Yet, despite his moral weakness and judgmental attitude, Nick learned ethical lessons and lost his cynicism.: "I'm thirty...I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor" and he leaves his readers with a note of hope as he describes America as a great land of promise.