compare and contrast between Nick Carraway and jay gatsby

2376 Words5 Pages

F.Scott Fitzgerlad’s The Great Gatsby, an American classic and a marvelous reminiscent of work was written in 1925, and provides an extremely critical and intuitive outlook of the American nouveau riche taking place in the 1920s. In Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” , two major male figures, Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway, are established to contrast between each other. Jay Gastby , the hero of romance and the narrartor of the novel , Nick Carraway, is the other form of hero in The Great Gatsby, whose nostalgic knowledge is advanced.
F. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates Nick Carrway as a moralist figure through a novel introduced with lies and deception. Fitzgerald applies various themes throughout the book one being, truth versus lies, within the novel virtually all main characters are dishonest to others or to themselves which reveals each character’s true self to the reader. Jay Gatsby, the protagonist fabricates a story about his life piecing together facets of information that sound intriguing and somewhat believable. Through the examination of the characters, Fitzgerald depicts Nick Carraway as an honest man, and Jay Gatsby as a dishonest man. Nick vaunts himself on his honesty : “Every one suspects himself of atleast one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known.”(Fitzgerald 59). He is exceedingly truthful,straight forward , and abstains from speaking lies and as a result his value of narration is based upon that. However, Nick’s honesty appears to be virtually insignificant contrasted with himself and others; his personality was purely “an unbroken series of successful gestures,” (Fitzgerald 8 ) and still “there was something gorgeous about him , some height...

... middle of paper ...

...terest to which everyone has some vague right at the end.”(fitzgerald 156) “ We were close friends,” (fitzgerald 150) Nick informs Gatsby’s father. Nick will return West, inthe beginning not waiting any longer “privileged glimpses into the human heart,” although prepared on consideration to receive the expansion of his commiseration his occurencess have caused. The quality of magnificence of The Great Gatsby , consists mainly in the form it manipulates to capture the juncture of change, in the growth of the Western sensitivity, during the time at which fresh outlooks or attitudes to the heroic were laying hold of formation. Nick is the hero with whom the reader, regardless of stipulation, considerably empathizes himself. Gatsby is excessively preporterous, and astounding. Even though Nick’s sentimental education is foretelling by Gatsby’s outstanding career.

Open Document