F.Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is narrated by character, Nick Carraway. Now, some argue that Nick is a completely unreliable source, however, this is not exactly true. One of the reasons presented as to why Nick is an unreliable narrator is due to his drunken state in chapter two. Nick very clearly admits in the following quote that he was drunk: “I have been drunk just twice in my life and the second time was that afternoon; so, everything that happened has a dim, hazy cast over it [...]” (Fitzgerald, 31). In the quote mentioned above, Nick makes sure to inform the audience that some of his personal opinions may pour in. He does not attempt to manipulate or influence the readers and undoubtedly declares his faults, demonstrating that …show more content…
he is very honest and straightforward. It is important to note that Nick is a 3rd person participant narrator. Participant means that he is a character himself in the novel.
In other words, he is a human being, not the traditional mechanical narrator in many novels. As a human, it is virtually impossible to have no biases. It is an inevitable part of human nature and you would be lying if you said that you are an objective, impartial individual 100% of the time. Also, though Nick shares his opinions on various characters, that does not mean that his views are inaccurate. For example, Nick characterized Tom as arrogant and snobbish, which is indeed true considering how he brags about his status, cheating on Daisy and when Myrtle kept repeating Daisy’s name, he makes “a short deft movement”(Fitzgerald, ), breaking her nose. This shows that he has a short fuse and will hurt a woman without hesitation. Nick’s descriptions are not just “biases” since Tom really is sexist, rude, and condescending. Without these descriptions the audience may be misguided into thinking that the characters are nicer than they really are (in Tom's case) and so forth. Though his comments may be “snarky”, this does not mean that they are false, which again showcases Nick’s …show more content…
honesty. It is the narrator's job to reveal information about each character in order build character development, and Nick fulfills this duty entirely by providing commentary and the characterization of others. However, Nick does not only give negative opinions.
Though he rightfully finds Tom as snobby, he acknowledges that he is a very accomplished man, as shown in the following quote: “[Tom is] one of those men who reach such an acute limited excellence at twenty one” (Fitzgerald, ) and even calls him a “national figure”. Nick made sure to give the audience both sides- the negative and the positive which shows that though he is not fond of Tom, he is able to put personal feelings aside, making him reliable. Finally, what better choice is there? If Gatsby were the narrator, he would normalize his complete obsession with Daisy, and Daisy and Tom would just completely target Gatsby while fabricating their relationship. For example, in chapter 1 Daisy reveals that Tom hurt her finger. It was more than “hurt”, in fact “her knuckles were black and blue” (Fitzgerald, ). Tom’s perspective would definitely not include his penchant for hitting women (as mentioned before when he broke Myrtle’s nose). Instead he would insist that he is a loving husband which is false. Nick is not involved in the conflict between the other characters so he would be a reliable source. He has nothing to gain by agreeing with
Gatsby. Just because he likes Gatsby’s demeanor does not necessarily equate to favouritism. Nick is not some aristocrat or corporate businessman trying to feed off of Mr. Gatsby, thus he has no reason to intentionally deceive the audience and distort events to make Gatsby look better. Therefore, in these ways, Nick does in fact prove to be a reliable narrator.
...has led him to the position he is now in. For instance, there was an opportunity that daisy went back to Gatsby, if she knew Tom was cheating on her. Also, if he told the police the truth, they could have come to Gatsby before the husband did which may have prevented Gatsby’s death. Later on in his life, if Nick see’s something wrong he should speak up no matter the consequences are or else he can end up losing great friends just like he lost Gatsby.
His opinions were never spoken, and no one asked for them. This characteristic about him never changed throughout the story. Nick changed in a different way, mostly involving his emotions towards Gatsby’s actions when he attempting to get Daisy back. He started partying more which then led to him drinking more in his life than he ever has before. As he got more involved with Gatsby’s situation he became more annoyed and frustrated with it. Gatsby always talked to him about it and would never leave him alone. He got pushed into awkward positions like the argument in the hotel (page 133,134,135). Nick was emotionally drained towards the end of the book, and could not deal with the drama he had became involved
Though the story is told from Nick’s point of view, the reader gets many perspectives of Gatsby from different characters. One can see from characters like Jordan Baker -Nick’s girlfriend through the majority of the novel, or Tom- the husband of Nick’s cousin Daisy; that Gatsby is not as good as everyone where to think. Based on how these characters act and feel about Mr. Gatsby it is evident that they dislike him to some extent, showing a bit more of a flawed human side of him. Tom is quoted saying “I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and I wasn't far wrong.” about Gatsby depicting Tom’s harsh feelings towards him and showing the reader Tom’s negative feelings about Gatsby. Because the story is told from Nick’s point of view, Gatsby is still painted as this mysterious man because Nick is a bit curious of him and does not know Gatsby in the beginning. ‘"They're a rotten crowd," I shouted across the lawn. "You're worth the whole damn bunch put together."’ Nick says to Gatsby, showing that he thinks he is worth more than Daisy, Tom, or the other characters. With this quote one can infer that Nick holds Gatsby on a bit of a high platform than the other characters, giving the reader Nick’s indirect characterization of
Uma Kocherlakota Mrs. Cristen Cassler AP English Literature and Composition 16 September 2015 The Imperfection of Being Human There is only one thing which every philosopher who speculates about the human condition can agree on, and that is the idea that humans are complex, imperfect beings who may not always understand themselves. F. Scott Fitzgerald, in his novel The Great Gatsby, attempts to reveal this idea about human character by fashioning the narrator, Nick Carraway, into a complex character. He does this by highlighting Nick’s contrasting opinions of and interactions with life amongst the rich, and showing that Nick’s character is not as infallible as he himself would like to believe. Through his contrasting judgements and actions, along with honesty and dishonesty, Fitzgerald paints Nick as the quintessential third party and shows that one’s appraisal of one’s own traits can often be incorrect. It is clear, throughout the novel, that Nick thinks highly of his own tolerance and conduct, his “sense of fundamental decencies,” believing that his are superior to those around him (Fitzgerald 2).
In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nick’s unreliability as a narrator is blatantly evident, as his view of Gatsby’s actions seems to arbitrarily shift between disapproval and approval. Nick is an unreliable and hypocritical narrator who disputes his own background information and subjectively depicts Gatsby as a benevolent and charismatic host while ignoring his flaws and immorality from illegal activities. He refuses to seriously contemplate Gatsby’s negative attributes because of their strong mutual friendship and he is blinded by an unrealized faith in Gatsby. Furthermore, his multitude of discrepancies damage his ethos appeal and contribute to his lack of dependability.
Throughout the entire novel it is clearly portrayed that Nick Carraway is not a moral character by any stretch of the imagination. Nick Carraway may seem to have some good values, but he is in fact immoral for many reasons. First, Nick uses Jordan Baker; he never actually became interested in a serious relationship with the golf star. Miss Baker is basically just a fling to him. Secondly, Nick Carraway always seems to be the middleman in all the trouble that is going on in the novel. The narrator knows about all the lying, deceiving, two-faced things that are going on throughout the story, and he is completely ok with it. Also Nick defends Gatsby even though he very well knows of all Gatsby's criminal activity and liquor smuggling. Finally, Nick is the character who sets up two of the main characters, Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby, to have an affair. It never crosses Nick's mind that it is an immoral thing to set up an affair. During the novel there is a discussion between Gatsby and Nick about when to set up the secret meeting with Daisy. During this exchange Nick actually says, "I'm going to call up Daisy tomorrow and invite her over here to tea.
The Great Gatsby is narrated by Nick Carraway. Nick tells the story of the things he experienced when he moved to New York City to work in the bonds business. The reader is told the story, which includes Nick’s perception and opinion in certain events. The reader wants to believe that Nick is a reliable narrator and he seems to be one, in the beginning. Nick describes himself as “one of the few honest people that I have ever known” (Fitzgerald, 59). Although, Nick thinks this of himself, there are many things in the story that hint otherwise. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nick is not a reliable narrator. This is seen through his negative judgments of others, his friendship with Gatsby, and because he does not know everything about Daisy and Gatsby.
Why would he help Daisy have an affair if he was such an honorable gentleman? One reason he might’ve helped Gatsby and Daisy was because he knew Tom was an awful husband and person and Tom and Daisy’s marriage was unhealthy. He thought that Daisy deserved better and Gatsby could give her better than Tom. Another reason was because of the advice his father gave him. “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” Nick is a pretty tolerant person and tries not to judge people. Because of this he doesn’t say anything to Tom about his promiscuity or to Gatsby about his infatuation with Daisy. It’s also the reason he sees Jordan. She’s obviously dishonest but he overlooks it as a way of being tolerant. This is another reason why everyone likes him, he doesn’t say anything about their bad deeds. This is not one of his best traits. Its good to be tolerant in some cases, but Nick can sometimes act as an enabler. His tolerance can also lead him to awkward situations. For example, he could’ve pushed harder to leave when Tom invited him to spend the day with him, Myrtle, and the others, but he doesn’t want to judge Tom so he stays. This happens again when he spends the afternoon with Gatsby and Daisy after they first reunited. Although, at the end of the book Nick becomes tired of being tolerant of things he doesn’t agree
At the beginning of the book, Nick's dependability is demonstrated as he recounts various information about himself. He is “inclined to reserve all judgments”(1), a trait that implies objectivity and therefore reliability as a narrator. However, he continues to say that this reservation of judgment has certain limits, especially recently in his life. These limits, apparently, do not apply to Gatsby, as evidenced in the next line. Nick says that only Gatsby “was exempt from [his] reaction”, even though Gatsby “represented everything for which [he has] an unaffected scorn”. He then continues to praise Gatsby's “heightened sensitivity to the promises of life”, and his “extraordinary gift of hope”(2). This beginning excerpt from the book in the first two pages sets the tone for the rest of the book and foreshadows the events that are going to happen. It is one of the most important sections of the book, as it lays out ...
Narrator's Perspective in The Great Gatsby. Nick Carraway has a special place in this novel. He is not just one character among several, it is through his eyes and ears that we form our opinions of the other characters. Often, readers of this novel confuse Nick's stance towards those characters and the world he describes with those of F. Scott Fitzgerald's because the fictional world he has created closely resembles the world he himself experienced. But not every narrator is the voice of the author.
Daisy serves as symbolism for Gatsby as chasing the one thing he couldn’t have no matter how much wealth or parties he threw or possessed. Wilson also has a similarity because he also wants myrtle which he can’t have because in Fitzgerald’s book women are only portrayed to be attracted by Tom’s Money. Both characters Daisy and Mrytle only serve as objects for money. Ultimately, Nick's major character trait – reserving judgment – allows him to be almost an "invisible" narrator, similar to a traditional third-person omniscient point of view. Which leaves us with a question (or three): why choose a first-person narrator at all? Why not just a third-person and be done with it? And how "invisible" and "non-judgmental" is Nick, really?
“The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a book about a young rich man that had a mysterious past. The author intentionally chose Nick as the narrator of this story. He is Gatsby’s neighbor, and he often contradicts himself. He said he was taught by his father to not criticize people, but he often criticized people including Gatsby. Critics in real life often behave like Nick and are hypocritical.
Nick is astonished at this information. He finds it hard to believe that Tom, with a beautiful wife and child, would be having an affair with some woman in the city. Miss Baker thinks “everybody knew” about the affair, yet Daisy is still with Tom. Being too ignorant to make herself believe it’s true, Daisy is willing to stay in the marriage, even when she is presented with an opportunity from Gatsby to escape. Daisy is willing to stay with Tom just because he has “old money,” and that shows how important it is to her. Everyone else’s morals are just as bad as Tom’s because they know about what’s going on and know that it’s wrong, but they don’t say anything about it. Later in the story, when Wilson is looking for the driver of the yellow car that killed Myrtle, he also suspects that person of having an affair with...
Nick The Great Gatsby allows the book to fit the theme choices and possibilities perfectly throughout the entire novel. All the characters made decisions that influence the outcome of the plot, but Nick is the stepping stone which allows these dreams to come to fruition. Knowing what he is doing, but like others not planning out what may happen in the near future, Nick allows his cousin Daisy to cheat on her husband Tom and Tom to cheat on Daisy. Gatsby, the man Daisy was cheating with, befriended Nick so he could get closer to Daisy and even convinced him to get Daisy and him together over a nice lunch. Tom having a girl, named Myrtle, in New York City decided to tell Nick his best friend about her and even took him out to meet her. Nick, Meeting Myrtle for the first time, notices that she is also married to a man named George and that they live in an apartment above the gas station that they own. When Tom finally finds out about Daisy being unfaithful to him he humiliates Gatsby in front of Daisy then insults Daisy making her run off and drive back to her house not talking to Gatsby the entire ride. On the car ride back Daisy decides hit Myrtle who ran out of the gas station thinking it was Tom and continues driving without looking back or slowing down. Tom driving back in a separate car
“Guided only by Nick’s limited view of her, readers often judge Daisy solely on the basis of her superficial qualities” (Fryer 43). What the reader sees through the eyes of Nick only appears as a woman whose impatience and desire for wealth and luxury cost her the love of her life, Gatsby. Nick’s narrow perception does not allow one to see that “. [Daisy’s] silly manner conceals a woman of feeling or that her final ‘irresponsibility’ towards Gatsby stems from an acute sense of responsibility towards herself” and that Nick “.clearly does not understand what motivates her” (Fryer 43).