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The Great Gatsby Character Analysis

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“Her artificial world was redolent of orchids and pleasant, cheerful snobbery and orchestras which set the rhythm of the year, summing up the sadness and suggestiveness of life in new tunes” (Fitzgerald 151). The life of the upper class in the 1920’s was full of luxuries and frivolities due to the economic boom. During this time, the wealthy spent a majority of their time partying and drinking, and it was because of this behavior that they became shallow and self-centered. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the shallow behavior and vanity of its characters is a critique of the wealthy upper class in 1920’s America. First of all, Nick Carraway, who acts as The Great Gatsby’s narrator, is disillusioned with the wealthy upper class and constantly criticizes the people around him. Although he is from a wealthy family in the West, Nick was raised with values so he is not taken in by the selfish behavior of the people in East and West Egg. At the very beginning of the novel, he says that when he was young his father gave him this important advice that he still follows: “‘Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone... just remember that all people in this world haven’t had the advantages you’ve had’” (Fitzgerald 1). In short, he is stating the morals which he upholds where he does not judge people less privileged than him. On the other hand, when he sees how the upper class people surrounding him always seem to be dishonest, he says, “I am one of the few honest people that I

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