The Great Gatsby Caraway Analysis

Nick opens The Great Gatsby by stating that he is “inclined to reserve all judgments” (Page 7), but later contradicts himself by telling Gatsby: “They’re a rotten crowd… You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together.” (Page 146) Nick does not specify who this comment is aimed at, although from understanding the plot and the intentions of the main characters – namely Tom Buchanan, Jordan Baker and Daisy Buchanan – the reader can make a fair prediction.

We know that Nick is an unreliable narrator from the very first page of the book. He begins by telling us that he is the most honest person he knows, and that he does not judge anyone for any reason. However, one paragraph later, he says “Gatsby who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn.”(1) He is saying that Gatsby is the epitome of

beginning to end.” What does this curiously ambivalent admiration for Gatsby tell us about Nick,

Nick is an unreliable narrator. He seems, from the beginning, to be level headed and wholly observant. However, he blacks out when he gets drunk, and we lose time. Also, he is deeply embedded and prejudices us against Tom and for Gatsby.

Nick Carraway describes himself in the first chapter as reserved in judgement and tolerant of other people, even when subjected to their unwanted and boring secret confessions. He is indeed more tolerant than most, and holds judgement even when faced with huge and unmistakable character flaws. For instance, he makes no solid judgement on Tom Buchanan when he sees him openly displaying his extramarital affair with Myrtle and holding no shame or guilt about cheating on Daisy. His unwillingness to criticize leads to his having double feelings about several characters, because he see their faults but wants to keep an open mind. He is especially reserved in holding judgement against Gatsby, which causes him to go so far as to create a sort of blind spot towards him. He criticizes Gatsby’s obsession with wealth and luxury, and is very aware of his criminal behavior, yet he sees more in Gatsby the man who would do anything for his love and worked towards his dreams all his life.

The line of attack we use in order to identify individuals around us is an intriguing thing. Our perception is forever shifting, forever building, and affected not only by the person’s actions, but by the actions of those around them. In Scott F. Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby Nick Caraway’s perception of Jay Gatsby is always changing. All the way through the novel, Nick’s perception of Gatsby changes from him perceived as a rich chap, to a man that lives in the past, to a man trying to achieve his aspirations but has failed.

From now we begin to wonder about how great Gatsby really is? On one hand he is “vile” because Carraway tell us he has “Unaffected scorn” for him while on the other hand he is “gorgeous”. We consider Nicks opinions to be very accurate as he is a fair and sensitive person who is also the

One thing that surprises me about Nick is that he was loyal to Gatsby who seemed likeable enough but empty inside. He seemed like the picture was more important than the real person. Nick was interested in person and would put himself in a bad light to help a friend. “I didn’t want to go to the city. I wasn’t worth a decent stroke

Nick Carraway is the narrator of The Great Gatsby. As the narrator we get his insights and views of people and situations. From this, the reader can conclude that he is kind of stuck up and snobby. He almost seems to dislike people in general and totally avoids emotional commitments. He isn’t entirely honest about himself and often misunderstands others. From this, I conclude that Nick Carraway is an unreliable narrator. Nick uses various examples of Gatsby as if everything has already occurred. In chapter one it is unveiled that Nick is very judgmental. "Gatsby who represented everything for which I had an unaffected scorn for." (1, F. Scott Fitzgerald) Nick reveals through that quote that he has a type of affection for Gatsby and it seems like if it was anyone else he'd wouldn't care or give them attention. The more he learned things about Gatsby the more judgmental he seemed to become of others.

The speech characterises Gatsby using Nick’s personal experiences with him. For example, he talks about how Gatsby waited to make sure that Daisy was safe. This put Gatsby in a positive light, characterising

Besides ignorance to thought, Nick being a practical, peripheral narrator, provides little to no, personal opinion. Although it could be argued that this is a negative quality for a narrator, Fitzgerald made sure he gives nothing away, nor forces any opinions on the readers. He leaves all final opinions in the hands of readers, which makes the novel such an interesting topic because of the variety of interpretations available. Nick never judges any of the characters for their immoral actions and poses as an innocent, reserved bystander. This leaves final judgment open to opinion, which is why The Great Gatsby can appeal to so many different audiences. At the end of the novel, Fitzgerald includes the statement “one gentleman to whom I telephoned implied that he had got what he deserved” (169) in reference to Gatsby’s death, which leaves readers to choose a side, whether readers should pity Gatsby, or if one has the right to believe that his unlawfulness lead to his own demise.

His philosophy, ‘I’m inclined to reserve all judgements…’ suggests he won’t take any characters sides, and that he will think twice before ‘criticizing anyone’. Although at the beginning we seem to put our trust in Nick that he will be a detailed narrator, we can begin to question his reliability near the end of chapter 1 when Nick says, ‘I was in and without’, highlighting inconsistent narrating skills (he won’t be fully involved in all the events that go on), and therefore, we can assume that sometimes he will step back in the novel and let the inevitable unfold. One example of Nick being reserved is in Tom Buchanans house, when he is being invited over for dinner with Daisy Buchanans and Jordan Baker. He seems to withdraw in passing conversations and ‘avoid all eyes’. This either suggests he can be unsociable and shy at times, or he is merely observing certain situations without contributing to them.

The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel written by a renowned American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. The magnificent tale is told through the eyes of Nick Carraway and it is through his perceptions of characters that influence our thoughts of the entire story. Fitzgerald allows Nick to see both worlds and sides of conflict, as he is the moral center of the book. Even though the protagonist can be considered as an unreliable author, readers tend to agree with his sincere perceptions distinguishing between right and wrong, good people and bad people, truths and lies and reality. However, this quality does not interrupt the fact that he is an unreliable author. Revolving around the criticism of the ‘American dream’, Fitzgerald clearly uses Nick Carraway

However Nick’s style is challenging; his sentences can be complex, and his vocabulary can be difficult to understand. This could be due to him being an aspiring writer and wishes to impress the reader with his written style. Nick is a participant in the novel with his own specific characteristics therefore his narration is not a neutral affair. In reading the Great Gatsby we need to be aware of what he is disclosing about others.

Honesty is one of the most pivotal traits for a narrator to portray. Nick is a very honest man and he often, through the novel is not afraid give his opinion. As he was introducing the novel to the readers he gives and honest assessment of Gatsby, Nick says “Gatsby , who represented everything for which I have unaffected scorn.” (Fitzgerald 2) This displays that Nick is willing to bring forth his opinion on Gatsby and shows that he will be honest if it is necessary. Nick is exclaiming that his first reaction to Jay was off-putting, and he rejected his lifestyle. Nick honesty fuels him into a friendship with Gatsby and lets the story flourish. Nick also seems to be in the thick of things whenever something went wrong. He gets insider information throughout the story and