Dishonesty In The Great Gatsby

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Paula Cuglewska English 2 Professor Selena Faenal Character Analysis Nick Caraway Nick Caraway, the narrator of The Great Gatsby, grew as a person throughout the book. In his earlier years Nick went to Yale to study literature, he also fought in World War 1. When Nick was younger he lived in Minnesota then he moved to New York to learn the business bond. He lives in the West Egg which is a part of Staten Island which is home to the newly rich. In the East Egg live the wealthy, who have had money through generations. In the beginning of the book Nick calls himself “One of the few honest people that I’ve ever known”. Throughout the book Nick gives examples that even though he is polite; he will tell people how it is. A few examples are when he talks about how dishonest his friend Jordan is, as well as calling Tom and Daisy careless people. Nick also says that Gatsby represents everything that makes him feel like an unaffected scorn. Nick proves throughout the story that he really isn’t as honest as he has thinks. Nick does not reveal he knows about Tom’s affair with Myrtle. He also pretends he didn't know Daisy was driving the car. Another example of his dishonesty is when Nick doesn't tell the police at the crime scene everything he knows, which would have saved Gatsby's life. Nick also matures throughout the novel. In the beginning he is very innocent, saying he only drank once in his life, and he believes in the good of people. Throughout the novel Nick’s innocents drains slowly. He see’s Gatsby as a role model until he finds out how much Gatsby does for Daisy, which bothers him. Nick has also admired Gatsby for living a lavish lifestyle which is betraying in what he believes in. Nick would do anything to make Gatsby happy; his... ... middle of paper ... ...d Nick of being dishonest I agreed with her. In the beginning I thought Nick would be the most honest character, but he wasn’t. I think the environment and people around Nick changed him. Especially when everybody in the book was being dishonest (Jordan by cheating at golf, Tom by having an affair with Myrtle) which influenced Nick. Nick portrays how not only the city but the enviroment you live in can change you. It is hard to relate to stories that happened in the earlier days, because it is like two different worlds. Fitzgerald uses societal developments of the 1920’s to build the story, for example Gatsby’s automobile and his stories from the past. In conclusion Nicks change of character and development is displayed throughout the Great Gatsby. Nicks opinion of Gatsby changes as well, showing how Nick Carraway is maturing, and he’s leaving behind his innocence.

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