Nick Carraway: Friend, Critic, and Non-Dreamer

Nick comes into their lives as a naïve visitor from the West and leaves with contempt for the people he once called his frien... ... middle of paper ... ...olved character and is not completely neutral, but at the same time this makes him the most ideal narrator. While Nick’s declaration of honesty is often incongruent with his account, he comes to be a valuable asset to the novel. As the storyteller, Nick “was within and without” (Fitzgerald 36). He is present, yet removed from the people he writes about. Nick spends a generous amount of time with these people, but is constantly overlooked and it seems that his opinion is considered irrelevant.

Also, the ending is incredibly unfulfilling; not only through its speedy intensification, but through the short amount of time given to absorb said escalation. Major questions that the book raised weren’t even answered, so there was no closure for the reader. Lastly, the message—what many readers look for in a book—is entirely absent. Bento learned nothing in his life, convinced himself he was right, and refused to believe otherwise. Dom Casmurro took the readers’ expectations and shattered them—causing many to shake their head.

“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.” - Nick Carraway’s father From the beginning of The Great Gatsby by Francis Scott Fitzgerald, Nick Carraway is developed as a reliable narrator. His honesty and sense of duty are established as he remarks on his own objectivity and willingness to withhold judgment. However, as the book progresses and Nick’s relationship with Jay Gatsby grows more intimate, it is revealed that Nick is not as reliable as previously thought when it comes to Gatsby. Nick perceives Gatsby as pure and blameless, although much of Gatsby's persona is false. Because of his friendship and love for Gatsby, his view of the events is fogged and he is unable to look at the situation objectively.

Hemingway substitutes the word nada, a Spanish translation for nothing, which is one-word description for both a lack of meaning and for all the irrational forces that infringe upon the human self (Hoffman 31). Some live in Nada and never know it but eventually some reach a dreadful realization and they fear that “it was all a nothing and a man was nothing too” (Hemingway 3). Everything is nothing and nothing is everything as this life holds no true meaning for mankind to comprehend. Yet still there are men who realize Nada and become sleepless in their unceasing search for meaning (Warren 20), although “it is probably only insomnia; many must have it” (Hemingway 4). These men create a dilemma in which they wish for meaning but live in a world of spiritual emptiness (Bache 22).

Sydney Carton in Charles Dickens’ novel A Tale of Two Cities, finds himself trapped within this cycle. Believing his life to be a waste, he does nothing to help himself, causing other characters to see him as worthless, which reinforces his beliefs. However, through his love for Lucie Manette, his actions show that he is both right and wrong because his life, though squandered, comes to end with a selfless sacrifice. Hiding behind false paradigms, Carton’s biggest obstacle is himself. Often, he dismisses his intelligence and diligence.

They argue that the character Willy Loman fits the mold of a tragic hero, a misguided man unaware of his flaws who comes to discover them through his journey but ends up dying in a tragic way in the end in grand release of tension. However, Willy Loman doesn’t reach the standard of a high status that is required to be a tragic hero. He is simply a typical man, a simple salesman. Willy is not even great at being a salesman or even a husband and father, the only roles he plays in his simple life. He never comes to discover his many flaws, he is deluded until the very end.

Another thing-don’t imagine it’s vanity that spurs on me. I’m certainly not working for my own sake. Oh no, it is my life’s mission that stands before me night and day.” (41) In creation of this idealistic attic, Hjalmar is granted a safe haven ... ... middle of paper ... ...about his predicament that he trudges in with his current name, instead of attempting to make the best of the situation he is left in by rekindling the soured relationship with his father, Old Werle. Gregers criticizes his father for becoming someone who lionizes himself in spite of others such as Old Ekdal and places himself as someone to be pitied upon instead of moving on with his life. Both the cynics and the idealists are at odds inside of there own worlds and it is their headstrong opinions of either aristocracy or lower-class ideals that allow them to thrive inside their self-created worlds.

However, as noted by Nick in the novel, this does nothing more than present Gatsby with an outlet for his false hope. He fails to acknowledge the space between himself and Daisy; the great divide, as well as the contemptibility of his dream, forcing him on a tumultuous path that leads to the demise of both his American dream and life. As the green light remains ever out of reach, the subject of Gatsby’s dream would never truly have been his, especially without

What is beyond the house of Usher? The only thing that is beyond the house of Usher is his own mind. The house crumbled and Poe cracked. He ran but the only place he found to confide in was him self. Edgar Allan Poe was scarred and needed help but there was no one, in the end Poe fueled his very own insanity.

Seeing how both families, the Linton and the Earnshaw's stand up for one another, Heathcliff understands that the one thing that kept him alive has now been defeated. Therefore his life has no purpose, and he has lost. Emily Bronte's master piece, Wuthering Heights, is a timeless story of love, deception, betrayal and revenge. It recognizes that life in the world is not a utopia. Revenge is the main theme in the book because it highlights important events, personality flaws, and the path to self-destruction.