Views on the role of Nick as a narrator in the Great Gatsby have

In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby, the narrator Nick Carraway's loss of innocence and growing awareness is one of the significant themes. Nick moves to West Egg, Long Island, an affluent suburb of New York City, where millionaires and powerbrokers dominate the landscape, from his simple, idyllic Midwestern home. In his new home, he meets Jay Gatsby, the main character in the novel. Throughout the novel, Nick's involvement in Gatsby's affairs causes him to gradually lose his innocence and he eventually becomes a mature person. By learning about Gatsby's past and getting to know how Gatsby faces the past and the present, Nick finds out about the futility of escaping from the

In the beginning of the Great Gatsby, we are introduced to a number of characters through the main narrator, Nick Carraway. We are given hints and suggestions about how Nick can be portrayed as a narrator and as a main character. Throughout the first two chapters, we get an impression that Nick is an effective narrator and a key character in the novel. However, our opinions of him may differ as we get deeper into the story.

Without Nick, Gatsby's true colors would not be shown and his behavior would be left not pondered.  His presence from the beginning to the

Nick Carraway is a prime example of how an unbiased and trustworthy narrator can change a book. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is told in first person point of view, through the eyes of Nick Carraway, a 30-year-old man living in West Egg, New York. Carraway tells the story as it is happening and lets the reader know what is to come. Nick seems to be an “invisible character” because he is involved in the story but not in the major conflict. Nick Carraway is the perfect choice of narrator because he is reliable, connected to the main characters, and has an amicable personality.

Nick’s father gives him this advice “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one”(Fitzgerald 1) and to keep in mind “People in this world haven’t had the advantages you’ve had” (Fitzgerald 1). Nick then claims that he is “inclined to reserve all judgements” (Fitzgerald 1). Nick was able to stand up for Gatsby rather than just let Tom have a skewed view of Gatsby when he said that he was “Some big bootlegger”(Fitzgerald 107). Many other people believed Gatsby had some illegal, high paying job. Nobody knows Gatsby’s job, but Nick wanted to make sure that his reputation was not tainted before he met Tom. Nick defended Gatsby well staying reserved and without being rude to Tom. and on the surface it hardly did anything to gatsby’s reputation at all Daisy runs over Myrtle, Nick

    Summary: The narrator of The Great Gatsby, Nick starts the novel by describing himself and introducing Gatsby, everything he scorns, but strives to be. Nick moves to the West Egg in New York to work in the bond business. Nick goes to Tom and Daisy’s house for dinner one night. Tom is a friends from college and Daisy is Nick’s cousin. Nick finds out about Tom’s lover, and sees Gatsby reaching off in the distance when he arrives home.

The real contradiction to Nick is The Great Gatsby himself, Jay. Jay and Nick share a similar small town upbringing but Jay was able to parle his stolen trades into the corrupted version of the American Dream. Most of what Nick knows about Jay is based on his reputation and it’s not until they actually meet and Nick sees the “quality of distortion” in Jay’s New York lifestyle that Nick sees for himself the illusion that Jay created. Nick is attracted to the high life that Gatsby has created in the valley of ashes. Who can blame him with all the lavish parties, cars, mansions, women and other temptations. It’s like Fitzgerald has placed Nick in the Garden of Eden and the two characters; Nick and Jay, represent the good

Through the observations and experiences of Nick, The Great Gatsby exposes the temptations that men have towards the allure of the East and the consequences of giving into them. When Nick first attended one of Gatsby’s parties, he noted that “they [the guests] conducted themselves according to the rules of behavior associated with an amusement park” (41). Nick describing the guests of Gatsby’s party with the behavior associated with an amusement park shows that people from the East are not truly any more civilised than those from the West. Throughout the book, the East is seen as being more privileged than the West, with grander houses and prestigious families, while the West is less fashionable with wide lawns and friendly trees. With the

In The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nick Carraway functions as both the foil and protagonist, as well as the narrator. A young man from Minnesota, Nick travels to the West Egg in New York to learn about the bond business. He lives in the district of Long Island, next door to Jay Gatsby, a wealthy young man known for throwing lavish parties every night. Nick is gradually pulled into the lives of the rich socialites of the East and West Egg. Because of his relationships with Gatsby, Daisy, and Tom, and others, along with his nonjudgmental demeanor, Nick is able to undertake the many roles of the foil, protagonist, and the narrator of The Great Gatsby.

In a coming of age story, a character must look back on his or her youth and say goodbye. Nick Carraway comes to Long Island as an almost 30 year-old man who prides himself on the fact that he is a non-judgmental person. However, after his experiences he is no longer the same person he was before his 30th birthday. Along with turning 30, Nick’s experiences allow him to see past the illusions of the upper class lifestyle. Initially, Nick was intrigued by the glitz and glamour that accompanied the lives of Tom and Daisy. Slowly but surely, he matures out of his infatuation and comes to several realizations about himself and those around him. Fitzgerald initially presents Nick as a trustworthy character who reserves judgment and is unaffected by others. This first impression provides a meaningful contrast for Nick’s final opinions. After an unforgettable summer, Nick matures into a different person and has several judgments to make towards the people of East and West Egg.

In “The Great Gatsby” Jay Gatsby is portrayed as a rich successful business man, but his true past is known to few. We are introduced to Gatsby early in the book, but he remains a mystery until he reveals himself to nick. Gatsby host extravagant parties, but no one knows who he is. Many of the party goers have never met Gatsby, they just attend him parties for the fun. As nick asks around everyone he speaks to had no idea who Gatsby is.

He was simply a man; helpless, desperate. Without a true friend to assist and confide in. Nick Carraway was stuck in the drama of the wealthy and wicked. He reached toward the light for none but his supposed friends, yet the light was extinguished before he could take it. Neglected by his cousin, his love, and even the man who was the closest he got to a friend.

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

Gatsby tells Nick that he comes from a wealthy family in the Middle West and says that he went to Oxford University. When he says the Oxford line Nick realizes why “Baker had believed he was lying” it was because “he hurried the phrase ‘educated at Oxford’” and it was “as though it had bothered him before.” It was because of this that Gatsby’s statement “fell into pieces”. Because Gatsby couldn't say that line fluently Nick started questioning Gatsby by asking him where he specifically lived in the Middle West. Gatsby answers by saying “San Fransisco”, but in Nick’s mind he knew that San Fransisco didn't really count as Middle West. It’s interesting how Gatsby says that he doesn't want Nick to get “a wrong idea” about him, but meanwhile almost

The Great Gatsby contains a variety of characters with many contrasting and similar traits. The novel takes place in the Roaring Twenties, after the end of World War I and is inhabited by the Lost Generation. Crimes became more common among common citizens as New Money became a way to make a quick profit. With prohibition being enforced, bootlegging increased. Nick Carraway observes the interactions between the other characters after moving into West Egg on Long Island, next to Jay Gatsby. Throughout the novel, it is clear that Gatsby is one of the most despicable characters and Nick is the most admirable. This point is demonstrated through the characters’ traits and goals.