Importance Of Nick In The Great Gatsby

If there was a movie made about a person’s life it would appear different on screen than it would through that person’s eyes considering that the angle the story is being viewed at is changed. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby from the first-person point of view of Nick Carraway. His life story primarily focuses on his relationship with Gatsby, including Gatsby’s connections and relationships with other people. Nick is considered to be an unreliable narrator due to the fact that, “[He] does not understand the full import of a situation ... [and he] makes incorrect conclusions and assumptions about events witnessed” (“Narrator”). Nick’s standpoint contributes to the effectiveness of the book which leads to an enhancement in the story.

As a minor character, Nick has a good relationship with the major characters. Nick went to college with Tom, he is cousins with Daisy and he is Gatsby’s neighbour. The fact that Nick is a minor character helps the storyline as well. This point of view allows the focus to be on the more important character’s relationships rather than overwhelming the reader with facts about the narrator, which are unnecessary in The Great Gatsby’s case. Nick does not have a storyline about himself, only his occurrences with Gatsby. Nick is also very bias towards Gatsby for they are good friends. He always thinks Gatsby is a great guy, despite the fact that Gatsby is involved in illegal activities; bootlegging. In Aly Zanne’s essay, Nick Carraway: an Unreliable Narrator, she argues, “As a result of their [Nick and Gatsby’s] strong connection, Nick’s narration of The Great Gatsby becomes heavily biased towards Gatsby’s favor, often highlighting the events that show Gatsby’s good character in a good light, whilst downplaying the unfavorable ones” (Aly Zanne). Nick’s biased opinion about Gatsby stays true throughout the book. Zanne mentions the time that Gatsby and Daisy reunite at Nick’s house for a planned tea party. He helps Gatsby connect with Daisy even though Nick knows it is wrong for her to cheat on her husband, Tom, for Gatsby. Zanne comments on Nick’s feelings during the tea party, “He [Nick] does not care about what Tom will feel, he only cares for Gatsby’s happiness” (Aly Zanne). Nick purposely did not invite Tom to the tea party for the purpose of having Gatsby and Daisy together, making Gatsby one step closer to his goal which is to get Daisy. Nick’s biased opinion about Gatsby allows the reader to assume Gatsby is great as well, which in the end, appears to be a little