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Character Analysis Nick Carraway

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Carraway: Professional Wallflower The Great Gatsby is home to many well-crafted characters, so well-crafted by F. Scott Fitzgerald that we “love to hate them”. Nick Carraway is, in the opinion of many (and probably the author), one of the most “good” characters of the novel. His midwestern morals contrast those of the new world that he is dropped into. He seems to undergo a bit of a culture shock when thrust into his new environment. Welcome to an analyzation of Nick Carraway: the awkwardly aloof, not very upstanding character who is, as much as we hate to admit it, the true antihero of The Great Gatsby. He pulls off the gig very well, being so prodigiously mediocre in his actions that he frustrates and puzzles the readers. He is slow to judge, making that clear on the very first page, saying that he tends to be “inclined to reserve all judgements” (Fitzgerald 1). Nick has a way of charming as well as vexing the audience with his open-mindedness and his innocence. Nick Carraway’s “innocent bystander” approach to his social life blends with his …show more content…

He wants a friend in this strange world, and he looks for one in Gatsby. Some have speculated that Nick is looking for more than friendship with him, and there is ample evidence to back up this claim. Sexuality aside, Nick is Gatsby’s only friend, and this is clear when he is one of the sole attendees of Gatsby’s funeral. The others just exploited Gatsby for his lavish parties and free liquor. However, from beginning to end, he does not approve of Gatsby, his rise to riches, and his affair. While some may argue that Gatsby is the hero of the story, Prepscholar.com disagrees. The views of this site is that Nick is the protagonist and therefore the hero because he is the most dynamic character; he changes the most (Edwards). Nick is more of an antihero because he does nothing of use to anyone around

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