The Great Gatsby Reliability Of A Narrator

The Reliability of a Narrator
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby is a depiction of the 1920s as seen through the eyes of a young man by the name of Nick. This use of first-person point of view lends the accuracy of the story to the credibility of the author. Throughout the novel, however, Nick reveals himself to be an unreliable narrator. His description of both characters and events are revealed to be inaccurate and extremely biased Nick’s self contradictions distort his depiction of other characters as well as plot events.
From the beginning of the work, Nick almost immediately contradicts himself within The Great Gatsby. On the opening page of the book, Nick states, “I’m inclined to reserve all judgments,” (1); however, on the

very next page he contradicts himself when he says, “I am still a little afraid of missing something of I forget that, as my snobbish father suggested...” (2) By referring to his father as snobbish, Nick shows that he is not as slow to judge as he would have the reader believe. This contradiction presents nick as a man who lies and constantly attempts to put himself in a good light. In doing this, Nick becomes an unreliable narrator and, as a result, makes the rest of his story less credible.
Because Nick is trying to portray himself to be on the moral high ground, his descriptions of other characters, by consequence, are extremely biased.

This is particularly true in the case of Nick’s description of Gatsby as a man for whom, “represents everything for which I have an unaffected scorn” (2). This description of Gatsby would suggest that Nick has a strong dislike for Gatsby but one a few lines later he describes Gatsby as having, “a heightened sensitivity to the promise of life...it was an extraordinary gift of hope,”(2). This statement suggests that Nick adores Gatsby and finds him to be quite similar to nick himself. This contradiction makes it difficult for the reader to get a clear picture of Gatsby solely from the description nick gives of him and must rely on details of the plot or Gatsby’s own dialogue. Nick continues displaying this bias in his descriptions of Tom and Daisy. Nick describes tom as having “... a touch of paternal contempt... even towards people he liked...” (7). This instantly puts tom in a bad light even though the reader has barely just been introduced to Tom. In contrast, Nick describes Daisy in a way that gives the reader an idea that she is angelic. The first time the Fitzgerald introduces Daisy into the book, Nick states, “[she] held my hand for a moment, looking up into my face, promising that there was no one in the world she so much wanted to see” (8-9). By doing this, Nick attempts to villainies Tom and make Daisy appear to have

no faults in their relationship. This firmly puts the reader on Daisy’s side in Tom and Daisy’s relationship even though Daisy is just as much at fault as Tom. Nicks inconsistent and biased description of characters further detracts from his credibility as a narrator.
In addition to a biased view of characters, Nick’s incredibility detracts from the accuracy of plot events. While attending one of Gatsby’s parties, nick comments that “Instead of rambling, this party had preserved a dignified homogeneity, and assumed to itself the function of representing the staid nobility of the countryside...”(44) Nicks description of this party as dignified bears a sharp contrast to his description of events that took place at this party. Later in the evening, Nick describes an event that took place at the party as follows: “Most of the remaining women were now having fights with men said to be their husbands. Even Jordan’s party, the quartet from East Egg, were rent asunder by dissension.” After describing the party as dignified, nick displays a scene from that same party that could not be farther from that description. This inconsistency in narration makes it nearly impossible for the reader to get a firm grasp upon what actually happens within the novel.
The inconsistency and self contradiction of the narrator in The Great Gatsby greatly decreases the readers understanding of the book. Nicks obvious contradictions and bias make it increasingly difficult for the reader to understand not only the events of the plot, but also the participants there in. without a credible narrator, it is impossible for the reader to create an objective view of any story.