Hypothesis: Nick is an unreliable narrator
Some critics may say that Nick was an honest person and his narration while writing the Great Gatsby was reliable and credible. Other critics say that Nick was biased, therefore deeming him an unreliable narrator. After reading the Great Gatsby I conclude that Nick reliable, although The Great Gatsby is narrated by Nick’s viewpoint. He may be very involved emotionally with the characters and events in the book in which he frequently makes statements showing his bias, however if his narration is deemed unreliable, Fitzgerald’s intentional messages of the book would be tainted.
During my research, I have found a variety of critics who have different and similar views on my initial hypothesis. The
His American Dream, although, was not particularly wealth but rather the idea of obtaining Daisy. After a 5 year rise to wealth and finally acquiring Daisy’s attention, we can see that Gatsby’s luxurious life of a dream lead to a downward spiral to his inevitable death. Daisy is the embodiment of the corrupted American Dream, completely consumed in the material world. Murtaugh states that “Daisy is fatal to Gatsby due to her involvement in Myrtle’s death, and therefore Fitzgerald evokes the fatal quality of the materialistic American dream”, which means that Gatsby’s downfall is simply connected to him obtaining the American dream, which to him was Daisy. If Nick’s portrayal of Daisy, a careless woman who was fully consumed by materialism, was unreliable, all Daisy becomes is a “...woman caught in a complicated situation with two men she loves” and no longer a simple embodiment of the American dream. If Nick’s narration was deemed unreliable and did not portray the representations the characters were labelled as, Fitzgerald’s purpose of the novel is
If it weren’t for Nick’s credible narration, the various symbolisms in the characters will not be portrayed. This would mean that Fitzgerald’s messages of the corrupted American dream did not convey to readers and the novel means nothing. Although, this contradicts to the book’s worth, as The Great Gatsby is considered a great American classic for many generations and many schools worldwide have used The Great Gatsby to understand how materialism corrupted the American Dream. People do not study The Great Gatsby to understand poor narration, but because it is an excellent book to understand the American Dream. The fact that Fitzgerald never intended Nick to be an unreliable narrator should erase all doubts of the idea of an unreliable narrator; if the author never intended anything then that is how it is. It is logical to think that many people agree that Fitzgerald’s message is communicated through the novel, therefore Nick’s narration must be
Nick wants the readers to believe that the way he was raised gives him the right to pass judgement on a immoral world. He says, that as a consequence of the way he was raised he is "inclined to reserve all judgements" about other people (page 5). His saying this makes it seem like we can trust him to give a fair unbiased account of the story that he is telling, but we later learn that he does not reserve all judgements. Nick further makes us feel that he is a non-partisan narrator by the way he tells of his past. We come to see that Nick is very partial in his way of telling the story. This is shown when he admits early in the story that he does not judge Gatsby because Gatsby had a "extraordinary gift for hope, a romanric readiness". This made Nick more loyal to Gatsby than other characters in the book.
He repeatedly tells the reader that he is “inclined to reserve all judgements,” portraying himself as the ideal, impartial narrator (1). He continues on to say that “reserving judgement is a matter of infinite hope,” suggesting that he himself has the infinite hope of which he speaks (2). This entire exchange sets the reader’s expectations for Nick, and develops the basis of his character, which is expanded on as the novel progresses. Despite his self-lauded tolerance and inclination to reserve judgement, Nick seems to have no qualms about judging Jay Gatsby.
The character of Gatsby and Fitzgerald’s commentary on the logical fallacies of the American Dream are closely intertwined, which is why Fitzgerald goes to such great lengths to separate the two. By distinguishing Gatsby from the flaws he possesses allows the reader to care for Gatsby, and the impact of his death all the more powerful when it finally occurs. By making Gatsby a victim of the American Dream rather than just the embodiment of it, Fitzgerald is able to convince his audience of the iniquity of the American Dream by making them mourn the life of the poor son-of-a-bitch
Nick Carraway is a special character in Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatbsy. The fictional story is told through the eyes of Nick Carraway who is deemed to be unbiased, impartial, and non-judgmental in his narratives. At the top layer, he appears to be genuine and great friend, who seems to be the only true friend and admirer of Great Gatsby. As the story unfolds, readers get glimpses of internal issues that Nick Carraway that show him as more of a flawed character than previous thought of. The first issue that readers see and challenge in the novel is Nick’s attempt at being an unbiased narrator. He explains that his background and upbringing allows him to be impartial and non-judgmental, but certain instances in the novel prove
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.
In conclusion, Nick is not a reliable narrator because of his negative judgments of others, his friendship with Gatsby, and his lack of knowing everything that is going on. Nick is a very proud man and this is shown throughout the novel. He prides himself on being honest and non-judgmental when he is both of these things. His depiction of the other characters is affected by the current situations and his relationship with Gatsby. Overall, Nick tries to tell the story how it occurs to him at that time.
One of the traits of Gatsby that makes him truly great is his remarkable capacity for hope. He has faith that what he desires will come to him if he works hard enough. He does not comprehend the cruelty and danger that is the rest of the world. Gatsby, while a man of questionable morals, is as wide-eyed and innocent as a small child in his views of the world. These ideals are evident in Nick’s narration and in the words spoken by the other characters, including Gatsby himself.
Ultimately, although readers portray Nick as an honest and unbiased narrator, through the above evidence combined with the fact that the 2 years have passed for Nick, his narration point is inherently bias. Since he has such a close friendship with Gatsby, Nick manages to overlook Gatsby’s illegal activities, and portray him unjustly as a virtuous man. The portrayal is unjust because Nick doesn’t account for his flaws, and he highlights his positives.
At the roaring ages of 1920s, the booming economy brings up the notion of American dream. People chase the American dream in pursuit of happiness while some of them believe that wealth will fix everything in life. For the same reason, they are wiling to idolize Gatsby. Chasers are inspired by achievers just like how Nick is fascinated by Gatsby before knowing him .Nick’s fascination turns into idolization after Gatsby invites Nick to his party. Nick describes Gatsby had “one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life(Ch.3).” Such description unifies the appearance of Gatsby with people’s expectation of a man who accomplished the American dream.
As Gatsby, at least in the eyes of many critics, should represent the idea of the American Dream, the presentation of his character puts the whole concept in question again, without being intended as criticism. This is mainly the fault of another weak character in the novel, Nick Carraway. At first, the only function of Nick in the novel seems to be to act as a reporter, telling us the truth by telling us his shrewd, objective perceptions. Then, as the novel progresses, it turns out that the opposite is the case, and he is siding with Gatsby to make this character stand above all others and shine. Nick Carraway is one of the finest examples of reader manipulation in literature.
Daisy proves how Nick is an unreliable narrator and how Nick’s interpretation of Gatsby and his personal relationship with him prevents him from being a reliable narrator.
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.
Gatsby's goal was to achieve the American Dream but unfortunately for him he was surround by all these factors to tarnished his chances of ever reaching it. All of his "friends" were the greedy and shallow people who destroyed Long Island's value. "On the flip side of the American Dream, then, is a naiveté and a susceptibility to evil and poor-intentioned people." (Telgen). Gatsby had one goal throughout the novel and it was to be with his one and only love, Daisy. She was his weakness.. After years of waiting for her, she was the reason his dream was not achieved. "I think he half expected her to wander into one of his parties one night." went on Jordan, "but she never did. Then he began to casually ask people if they knew her, and I was the first one he found" (Fitzgerald 79). He waited so long because he loved her and would do anything for her. He took the blame for Myrtle Wilsons Death when Daisy ran her over accidentally. Due to that, he was murdered by Georg...
“The Great Gatsby”, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, portrays a world filled with rich societal happenings, love affairs, and corruption. Nick Carraway is the engaged narrator of the book, a curious choice considering that he is in a different class and almost in a different world than Gatsby and the other characters. Nick relates the plot of the story to the reader as a member of Gatsby’s circle. He has ambivalent feelings towards Gatsby, despising his personality and corrupted dream but feeling drawn to Gatsby’s magnificent capacity to hope. Using Nick as a moral guide, Fitzgerald attempts to guide readers on a journey through the novel to illustrate the corruption and failure of the American Dream. To achieve this, Nick’s credentials as a reliable narrator are carefully established and reinforced throughout the story.
At the beginning of the book Nick sees Gatsby as a mysterious shady man. In the beginning of the chapter Nick somewhat resents Gatsby. In Nick’s opinion Gatsby was the representation of “…everything for which I have unaffected scorn.” (Fitzgerald 2). Nick sees Gatsby as what he hates the most in life, rich folk. Since the start of the novel it was obvious that had “Disapproved of him from beginning to end.” (Fitzgerald 154). As time passes, Nick realizes his neighbor has quite a mysterious past. Some think he’s a bootlegger, and a different person wa...