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Who Is The Narrator Of The Great Gatsby

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The Great Gatsby by Scott F. Fitzgerald has invariably been regarded as a true masterpiece in the world of literature. One would think such a respected work that is considered an American classic surely would be an amazing read. However, after finishing the book I discovered that this novel is not as “great” as the name implies. The Great Gatsby fails in one of the most important aspects of novels: the characters. None of the characters in the book are likeable so much so that I hardly even empathized with Gatsby as he was murdered. The main reasoning for this lies in the narrator of the novel, Nick Carraway. I read The Great Gatsby only a few months ago, yet I can hardly remember any details of Nick’s personality. Throughout the book, Nick is merely an observer who relays the interaction between the characters. The benefit to this narrative approach is that it allows Gatsby’s character to be shrouded in mystery although as a reader, it made me feel detached from the characters. …show more content…

One exceptional case of the first person narrative writing style is is The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. As I read this novel, I felt as though I were a part of Holden Caulfield's world due to his bold and vivid account of his thoughts and interactions with others. In contrast, Nick in the Great Gatsby did relatively little as a narrator to sustain a connection to the other characters for the reader. did On the other hand, Nick did relatively little as a character other than allowing a connection between Gatsby and his love interest, Daisy. He hardly intervened in the affairs of the other characters. Due to Nick’s limited interactions with other characters, I could not be fully immersed in their

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