Honesty In The Great Gatsby By Nick Carraway

334 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Morality in the great gatsby

“Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known.” We all have secrets, whether or not we are honest is our choice. Nick Carraway had secrets. I have secrets. I see myself in Nick some days. I hold secrets and unspoken words inside my head, things that I can’t say without hurting someone or myself. Nick had to deal with this until the very end of the book. He didn’t say a word of the things he was told and he didn’t risk causing trouble, doing damage. It was like he held a stone in his hand that could start a tsunami in a puddle. I keep my mouth closed sometimes, either to save myself or others. This book made me feel as if I was not the only one

Show More
Related

  • The Emerfection Of Being Human In The Great Gatsby

    1141 Words  | 3 Pages

    On the next page, he deals a simple ultimatum about his own character: “I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known” (59). Part of the fundamental basis of honesty is the establishment of trust between two people; therefore, Nick’s supposed honesty implies that he is trusted by those around him - particularly Tom, Daisy, and Gatsby. However, Nick clearly violates any and all trust which is placed in him on several occasions during the novel; therefore, while his words show him as an honest and true man, his actions show that not only is he dishonest at times, but he also encourages the dishonesty of

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby Essay

    812 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nick Carraway says: “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy – they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together and let other people clean up the mess they had made…” (Fitzgerald 170). Nick makes this observation about his family in the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F.Scott Fitzgerald. In the spring of 1922, Nick moves to West Egg and meets a mysterious man named Jay Gatsby; there he witnesses Gatsby longing for a life with Daisy Buchanan and failing to achieve the American dream. Tom and Daisy initially show their carelessness by deciding to marry each other when neither of them were fully committed. Their thoughtless behavior carries on through their marriage as they both partake in affairs and emotionally torture their partners. When the Buchanans show their next act of carelessness it results in the death of three people. In “The Great Gatsby”, Tom and Daisy continually show how careless they are and there are many repercussions to their actions.

    Read More

  • SELF- IMPROVEMENT PLAN FOR NICK CARRAWAY

    849 Words  | 2 Pages

    As much as generous and honest Nick Carraway is, he still needs a few important improvements in himself. Nick went to Yale, fought in world war one and moved to East of New York to work in finance. After moving to New York, Nick faces tough dilemmas throughout the story such as revealing secrets, and witnessing betrayal. His innocence and malevolence toward others was beyond his control. He did not have the ability or knowledge to know what he should have done in the spots he was set in. He seemed lost and having no control of what went on- almost trapped- but indeed, he had more control than he could have ever known. Because of the situations he has experienced and the people he has met, such as Gatsby, Tom, Jordan and Daisy, his point of view on the world changed dramatically which is very depressing. Trusting the others and caring for them greatly has put him in a disheartening gloomy position.

    Read More

  • Free Great Gatsby Essays: Deception

    979 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are many American novels that yield insights into human nature, but few are as honest or intriguing as Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. The Great Gatsby is brilliantly composed, and involves many different personalities, but it is at the core of this novel that we find the dark secret of humanity: deception.

    Read More

  • Dishonesty In The Great Gatsby

    1071 Words  | 3 Pages

    Being a good friend sometimes means overlooking the obvious. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a novel set in the 1920s. It details the story of the narrator, Nick Carraway, an aspiring bondsman who has moved to the West Egg section of Long Island from Minnesota in search of business. Nick is considered a man of "new money." He has established and now manages his own riches. He meets a particularly mysterious man, his neighbor, Jay Gatsby. Through Gatsby, he meets people from the East Egg of Long Island, who are considered to be of "old money," wealth or business that has been inherited through generations. Over time, Nick and Jay become great friends. Nick helps Gatsby learn about himself and his aspirations in life, and vice versa.

    Read More

  • Truth in The Great Gatsby

    565 Words  | 2 Pages

    Truth in The Great Gatsby & nbsp;       The Golden Age, a time when money was abundant.  Wealthy family always demanded to impress others rather than living their own. life.   How did wealth develop with scandals and how would dreams contribute to destiny?  In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel "The Great Gatsby" Nick Carraway's great American dream was to control the truth. he lives his life. & nbsp; & nbsp; Money is a motivating force for almost everyone, but not everyone. loses sight of who they are.  Gatsby's house and parties were a part of the shows he wanted to impress Daisy with.   Daisy, confused by Gatsby's money. and wealth tried drawing away from her husband Tom when she saw financial security with Gatsby.  Although Nick was tempted to be successful and wealthy he viewed  ethics and even his own morals to be additionally.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of Nick Carraway In The Great Gatsby

    1418 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Great Gatsby, Francis Scott Fitzgerald’s third book, was first published in 1925. It is a tale of love, loss, and betrayal set in New York in the mid 1920’s. It follows Nick Carraway, the narrator, who moves to Long Island where he spends time with his cousin, Daisy Buchanan, and meets his mysterious neighbor, Jay Gatsby. Nick can be viewed as the voice of reason in this novel. He is a static character that readers can rely on to tell the truth, as he sees it. But not only the readers rely on him. Daisy, Gatsby, Tom, and Jordan all confide in him and trust that he will do the right thing. Nick Carraway is the backbone of the book and its main characters.

    Read More

  • Lies And Deception in The Great Gatsby

    714 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Every one suspects himself of one of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people I have ever known.“ This quote by Nick from The Great Gatsby ties well with The Great Gatsby’s theme: People may use dishonesty to get what they want, but in the end it may only serve to destroy them and the things and people they love. Outlined below are some examples where this theme can be found in the book.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby Ethical Analysis

    779 Words  | 2 Pages

    Like God observing the world, we are the observers of The Great Gatsby. According to German philosopher Immanuel Kant’s two categorical imperatives, Daisy and Jay were unethical. Kant’s categorical imperatives state; ‘Act as if your action could be elevated into universal law’ and. Based on the principles of Kant, Daisy and Jay were unethical in several ways, according to Kant’s two categorical imperatives. Daisy used people emotionally and lacked responsibility, and Jay was manipulative towards the people around him. The Great Gatsby is a great example of a society that does not abide by Kantian principles.

    Read More

  • Essay On Why Is Nick An Unreliable Narrator In The Great Gatsby

    665 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is about Nick Caraway, a man who moved into New York in West Egg. He soon finds out that his house borders a mansion of a wealthy man, named Jay Gatsby, who is in love with Nick’s cousin Daisy Buchannan. Nick describes his past experiences with Gatsby. He is an unreliable first person narrator, for he is extremely subjective being biased towards Gatsby and he is deceptive, with his lying and past actions. His evaluation of Gatsby is not entirely just, due to his close friendship with Gatsby.

    Read More

  • Nick Carraway as Honest Liar in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

    1308 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...themselves. Even when confronted with a disproof of his perfectly honest nature, as Jordan does late in the novel, Nick responds with an appeal to his belief in his own honesty-his myth about himself is that sacred. Much like Gatsby's self-image, Nick's belief in his own honesty seems to spring from the Platonic conception of honesty, and, much like Gatsby, he simply ignores or rationalizes away anything that comes into conflict with his belief. Nick Carraway is far from one of the few honest narrators I have ever read, but he is a testament to the powers of self-deception that exist in both fictional and non-fictional human beings. "Everyone suspects himself of one of the cardinal virtues," Nick says, and as Nick himself demonstrates, nearly everyone is wrong.

    Read More

  • Lies and Deciet in The Great Gatsby

    1131 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lying has deadly effects on both the individual who lies and those around them. This concept is demonstrated in The Great Gatsby. Although Gatsby, Tom and Myrtle have different motives for being deceitful, they all lie in order to fulfill their desires and personal needs. Myrtle’s desire to be wealthy is illustrated when she first meets Tom, dressed in his expensive clothing, as her attitude changes when she puts on the luxurious dress and when she encourages Tom to buy her a dog. Tom’s deception is clear when he hides his affair with Myrtle by placing Myrtle in a different train, withholding the truth from Mr. Wilson of the affair and convincing Myrtle and Catherine that he will one day marry Myrtle. Gatsby tries to convince himself and others that he is the son of wealthy people, he creates an appearance that he is a successful, educated man through the books in his library and assures himself that Daisy loves him. Tom’s dishonesty reveals that he is selfish, while Gatsby’s distortions expose his insecurities, and Myrtle’s misrepresentations show that her sole focus in life is to achieve materialistic success. Gatsby and Myrtle both lie in order to obtain the “American dream.” However, Tom, who appears to already have achieved the “American dream”, deceives others out of boredom and because he takes his wealthy lifestyle for granted. F. Scott Fitzgerald demonstrates the human flaw of dishonesty for personal gain and how lies have inevitably tragic consequences in his characterization of Gatsby, Myrtle and Tom.

    Read More

  • Dishonesty in The Great Gatsby

    1501 Words  | 4 Pages

    Lies are a treacherous thing, yet everyone tells a few lies during their lifetime. Deceit surrounds us all the time; even when one reads classic literature. For example, F. Scott Fitzgerald makes dishonesty a major theme in his novel The Great Gatsby. The falsehoods told by the characters in this novel leads to inevitable tragedy when the truth is revealed.

    Read More

  • Essay On Nick Carraway In The Great Gatsby

    657 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.”

    Read More

  • Morals and Ethics in The Great Gatsby

    918 Words  | 2 Pages

    Most self respecting people have ethics and morals they try to abide by. They create standards that they live life by and construct their own philosophy with. In the novel The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, morals and ethics are a scarce practice. Jay Gatsby lives his life by the over bearing morals and values of devotion, corruption, and his will to control.

    Read More

More about Honesty In The Great Gatsby By Nick Carraway

Open Document