Nick's Self-Interest in The Great Gatsby In his novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays a world filled with rich societal happenings and love affairs. His main character, Gatsby, is flamboyant, pompous, and only cares about impressing the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan. Nick is Fitzgerald's narrator for the story, and is a curious choice as a narrator because he is of a different class and almost a different world than Gatsby and most of the other characters in the book. Nick relates the plot to the reader as a member of Gatsby's circle, yet he expresses repeatedly his dislike for the man. Nick cannot relate to Gatsby because of their fundamental personality differences. Moreover, he disapproves of Gatsby's desire to impress Daisy at all costs. However, Nick continues to follow Gatsby because by doing so he can ensure his relationship with Jordan, a celebrity socialite, and because, in a perverse way, Nick can use Gatsby to bolster his own self-esteem. Nick expresses his opinion about Gatsby quite clearly: "I disapproved of him from beginning to end" (162). However, he makes this remark at the end of the novel and actually does like Gatsby when he first meets him. "I could see nothing sinister about him" (54). Nick's image of Gatsby only begins to be tainted once he learns of his relationship with Daisy. Nick's dislike does not stem from jealousy; it comes from the fact that Gatsby shapes his life around what Daisy wants. Nick does not see Gatsby as a real person, only as an image set out to please Daisy and conform to what she desires. The epigraph of the novel states: Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her; If you can bounce high, bounce for her too, ... ... middle of paper ... ...al element of life, and thus finds Gatsby foolish as he devotes his life to pleasing Daisy. However, Nick links himself with Gatsby so that he can gain in social status and self-regard. Nick wants to be respected, and Jordan gives him much more respect after he becomes Gatsby's friend. Thus Nick keeps up the friendship to benefit his love life. He also gains self-assurance because he sees himself as Gatsby's only "true friend". Thus it is Nick's selfishness that causes him to develop a rapport with Gatsby even though Gatsby "represented everything for which I [Nick] have an unaffected scorn" (6). Gatsby becomes merely an object, though he is the character that gives his name to the title of the novel. Gatsby is only "great" relative to Nick's self-interest. Work Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Simon and Schuster Inc., New York: 1991.
Through this character, Fitzgerald conveys a skeptical and logical, yet romantic and hopeful tone. This is shown by Nick’s cynical, but tender personality. “‘You can’t repeat the past.’ ‘Can’t repeat the past?’ he cried incredulously. ‘Why of course you can!’” (110; Ch. 6).This quote shows Nick’s logical look on life and how he believes these hopeless romantic ways of Gatsby’s will not always work . “You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together.” (154; Ch. 8). Contrary to the previous quote, this quote shows Nicks admiration for Gatsby. This quote also may suggest that Nick wishes for something better; he longs for a love like Gatsby’s.This possible romantic side of Nick is also shown by his relationship with Jordan, “.... I put my arm around Jordan’s golden shoulder and drew her toward me and asked her to dinner.”(79;Ch. 4). Nick’s assessment and criticism toward Jordan, Tom, and Daisy also show his skeptical and logical outlook on others around him.This tone shows Nick’s struggle between being like the emotionless and careless people around him (like Tom) or to be his own hopeful and romantic man (following
...wears the 5-cent piece around his neck, which Tom leaves for the candles, saying it is a good luck charm. Huck believes all African-Americans are superstitious, which is a racial stereotype, “Niggers is always talking about witches in the dark by the kitchen fire; but whenever one was talking and letting on to know all about such things, Jim would happen in and say, ‘Hm! What you know ‘bout witches?’” (6). Lastly in the end of the novel, everyone still believes Jim is a slave, but in actuality he is a free man “He aint no slave; he’s as free as any cretur that walks this earth!” (399). Miss Watson writes in her will, that once she is dead, Jim is freed. Miss Watson dies, but since Jim is African- American it is difficult for others to realize he is a free man. Twain created this character to show how racism and racial stereotypes play a major role in society.
Ultimately, Nick is an unreliable narrator who overlooks Gatsby’s lies because of his biased judgment of him. Nick portrays Gatsby as a generous and charismatic figure while in reality, he is a duplicative and obsessed man entangled in illegal business who is determined on an unattainable goal. It is highly ironic that Nick judges others for their lack of morality and honesty; his own character is plagued by lies as he abets Gatsby in many of his schemes.
Nick originally states in the first chapter that Gatsby represents everything for which he has, “an unaffected scorn,” Planting the seed on which my opinion of Gatsby grew. I saw little admiration for the so called, “Great Gatsby,” with a somewhat negative view on the man. However, only a few lines later, Nick...
In the beginning, Nick moves into New York and his neighbor turns out to be a very famous person around the city. This mysterious person turns out to be Jay Gatsby who is very well known but no one really knows who he is; they just know him from his extravagant parties that he throws all the time. As a result of these parties, he gets to know Gatsby as this very important, popular and well looked up to figure. Later throughout the novel, he starts to get to know who the real Gatsby is after Gatsby refers to him as one of his greatest friends. As he gathers this information about him, he comes to the conclusion that Gatsby is a fake who is not from a rich family, and that he has lied about a big part of his life. His reason for doing so is to gain the love of Daisy again because she comes from a rich family and he comes from a poor family and her parents would not allow her to marry him. As a result of this, Nick’s opinion about him changes from him looking up to Gatsby to shaking his head at him. Nick also learns about the seriousness of the affair between Daisy’s husband Tom and Myrtle when he sees Tom’s reaction after Myrtle was hit by Daisy in the car and was killed. Nick then begins to think that there is no faith or loyalty between anyone anymore. It is evident that Nick is a dynamic character through the novel
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.
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...
Nick is our narrator and the voice of reason in a time and place where parties are the goals and having a good time is all that matters. Parties at Gatsby’s mansion are the rule not the exception and all who attend pay homage to their false prophet Gatsby. He is their leader the charming man living in a mansion and driving and awesome care. Too bad he has no sense of real worth. Yet nick seems to be loyal to him the whole time “They're a rotten crowd, “I shouted across the lawn. “You're worth the whole damn bunch put together.”I’ve always been glad I said that. It was the only compliment I ever gave him, because I disapproved of him from beginning to end. First he nodded politely, and then his face broke into that radiant and understanding smile, as if we’d been in ecstatic cahoots on that fact all the time” (Pg 162). Nick appears on the sidelines more than in the mix with all the drinkers and boasters and unfaithful spouses. “I forgot to ask you something,...
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 ...
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...
Plagiarism- To perform illegal acts of copying from the work of any writer (author of any specific book, or any other such content which has a copyright) or even to claim other individual’s ideas to be one’s own.
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
The Great Gatsby is a difficult book to interpret, particularly because of the style in which it is written. Not only must the reader differentiate between the separate views of Nick as the narrator and Nick as the character, but he or she must also take into consideration at what time period, relative to this story, are these views being expressed. After all, Nick the narrator is presently evaluating the manner in which his character behaved the year before, as well as allowing his character to voice his opinion, as his opinion had been during that time frame. We learn to trust Nick as a narrator, because all the pieces of information he gives to us, received through symbolism, imagery, or personal reflection, lead us to make significant decisions regarding the other characters of the novel. His character, on the other hand, cannot be looked upon in the same manner; it can be seen as dishonest and hypocritical, yet it is these negative characteristics that humanize him, allowing readers to relate to him as a person.
Plagiarism, conventionally defined as literary theft, is the stealing and replication of the original ideas of another person without requesting for consent or crediting the author of a recorded or authored work (Heath 4). It may take several forms, for example, presenting an idea as original even though it has been derived from an existing source, or even neglecting to put quotation marks when quoting a sentence from borrowed work. In as much as plagiarism is widely regarded as a bad practice, it is at times committed unintentionally. As a result, there is an anti-plagiarism policy in several academic institutions and heavy penalties are imposed on individuals involved in plagiarism.
There is no fixed staff but need to extend the opening hours, which needs labour-saving.