“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”‖ said Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald, 59). Nick Carraway is a savvy, intelligent man; who unlike others is able to perceive a person’s hidden desires and ambitions. He is surrounded by people like; Tom Buchanan, Daisy, Buchanan, Jay Gatsby, and others who seek the highest pleasures and luxuries in life in order to quench their unsatisfied desires and pain. Nick has a taste of their luxurious and lavish habits; however as enticing as it may be he pulls away and separates himself from those of the pleasure seekers and their lifestyle which left a bitter aftertaste. The Great Gatsby is …show more content…
Carraway describes throughout the book. Tom has lived a life of affluence and pleasure, wealth flows through his veins as smoothly and numerously as blood. Tom is said to have wealth, charm, dominance, and a beautiful wife; however in chapter one it is revealed that Tom has a mistress and his wife, Daisy, is fully aware of it. It is never said Tom is dissatisfied with Daisy, however it shows that his thirst to fulfill his desires cannot be quenched with what he has already obtained. His affair demonstrates the never ending journey to further his so called “happiness.” Tom shows no remorse or pity for the things that stand between him and his contentment. In chapter two Nick describes “Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand,” (Fitzgerald, 37). This perfectly illustrates the lengths Tom is willing to go to, in order to squash any hint of “trivial” annoyances that will prevent him from having …show more content…
On week-ends his Rolls Royce became an omnibus, bearing parties to and from the city between nine in the morning and long past midnight,” Nick narrates (Fitzgerald, 39). Jay Gatsby, Nick’s neighbor, is a mysteriously moneyed man who throws extravagant parties every weekend for seemingly no reason. These spontaneous events are not said to have a purpose until he reveals they were held in order to obtain that one thing he could not live without, Daisy. It is divulged that Gatsby and Daisy were once lovers and he had become rich and famous all to be recognized by society but more importantly Daisy. Gatsby gained fame and money all to obtain, Daisy, his happiness. He had become so enveloped in the materialistic luxuries of society and made a habit of achieving happiness. Obtaining Daisy was his most important goal in life and that can be interpreted as happiness and pleasure was his most important ambition in life no matter what the cost. In chapter six Nick explains “He wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: I never loved you. After she had obliterated four years with that sentence they could decide upon the more practical measures to be taken,” (Fitzgerald, 109). Gatsby was fully aware of Daisy’s marriage to Tom; yet he completely disregarded that for his own personal gain and pleasure. Gatsby holds a distorted and selfish version of reality in his mind and will do anything to
Uma Kocherlakota Mrs. Cristen Cassler AP English Literature and Composition 16 September 2015 The Imperfection of Being Human There is only one thing which every philosopher who speculates about the human condition can agree on, and that is the idea that humans are complex, imperfect beings who may not always understand themselves. F. Scott Fitzgerald, in his novel The Great Gatsby, attempts to reveal this idea about human character by fashioning the narrator, Nick Carraway, into a complex character. He does this by highlighting Nick’s contrasting opinions of and interactions with life amongst the rich, and showing that Nick’s character is not as infallible as he himself would like to believe. Through his contrasting judgements and actions, along with honesty and dishonesty, Fitzgerald paints Nick as the quintessential third party and shows that one’s appraisal of one’s own traits can often be incorrect. It is clear, throughout the novel, that Nick thinks highly of his own tolerance and conduct, his “sense of fundamental decencies,” believing that his are superior to those around him (Fitzgerald 2).
Carraway employs his initial meetings and mentions of Gatsby to establish the non-money related values of Gatsby. For instance, when Nick says Gatsby’s name for the first time in the novel, he narrates, “I wanted the world to be…at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart. Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction” (2). Recalling the story from the future, Nick says he wants “moral attention forever,” signifying that he longs for further virtue than was exerted during his stay in the east. With the use of “privileged,” he brings attention to the advantage of wealth and how it connects to the “riotous excursions.” However, Gatsby is “exempt.” Nick does not group him with the others, so Nick must perceive Gatsby as more virtuous than the rest. Similarly, after describing their first meeting, while Nick exalts Gatsby’s smile, he all the sudden says, “precisely at that point it vanished — and I was looking at an elegant young rough-neck, a year or two over thirty, whose elaborate formality of speech just missed being absurd.” (45). Noticing that Gatsby isn’t really the prosperous image he projects to the residents of the Eggs, Nick can see through Gatsby’s façade. At this point, he is still “elegant” and refined, but now Nick understands that his “elaborate…speech” is more an act than reality. Gatsby continues to appear wealth-obsessed, but at least Nick can recognize that Gatsby’s knows this is not his real
Nick Carraway is a special character in Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatbsy. The fictional story is told through the eyes of Nick Carraway who is deemed to be unbiased, impartial, and non-judgmental in his narratives. At the top layer, he appears to be genuine and great friend, who seems to be the only true friend and admirer of Great Gatsby. As the story unfolds, readers get glimpses of internal issues that Nick Carraway that show him as more of a flawed character than previous thought of. The first issue that readers see and challenge in the novel is Nick’s attempt at being an unbiased narrator. He explains that his background and upbringing allows him to be impartial and non-judgmental, but certain instances in the novel prove
Alli Craig AP Language Mr. Ruddy October 11, 2015 The Great Gatsby Synthesis Essay Nick Carraway the voice telling the story “The Great Gatsby” but the mastermind giving it purpose is the author Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald lived a lifestyle that was very similar to the one we see in Nick. He was also a very average man placed into a society of over the top lifestyles and extravagant wealth, possibly reflecting how Fitzgerald felt as an average person in a thriving time period being the 1920’s where people would do anything to pursue the American Dream. People, especially the rich, primarily value money over basic morals.
The quote that best describes Nick Carraway is, “The abnormal mind is quick to detect and attach itself to this quality…in college I was unjustly accused of being a politician, because I was privy to the secret griefs of wild, unknown men”(1). The good qualities of Nick are he is open-minded, a good listener, and tolerant of most things. His bad qualities are that he was affected by the fast life of New York, an example being when he got drunk just because the other people he was with were drunk. F. Scott Fitzgerald developed this character because as the narrator he can tell the readers what is happening. Additionally, he is important because through Nick readers realize how morally empty living a life such as Gatsby’s is.
Both men experienced a deep yearning to achieve more than they already had: the woman of their dreams and the wealth that would enable them to live with ease. This parallel created between the two men reveals a deeper connection than just a simple resemblance. Fitzgerald was able to fit himself (as Gatsby) into a novel that describes his inner struggle with his ambition. Nick Carraway, seen as the narrator, stands for Fitzgerald’s conscience, the careful and reserved observer that quietly judges Gatsby’s actions as well as the behaviors of the characters around him. Both Nick and Gatsby describe two sides of Fitzgerald’s personality. Nick is the quiet, reflective mid-Western man who is mesmerized by the glitter and glam that the East seems to uphold. Gatsby, on the other hand, represents Fitzgerald’s ambition in the way that he will stop at nothing to achieve his dreams and fulfill the image that he made for himself earlier on in life. Throughout the novel, the readers can tell that Gatsby’s hopeful ambition eventually causes his downfall. In this sense, his death signifies the death of one of Fitzgerald’s personalities. Gatsby symbolizes the epitome of the American dream: a self-made man who’s life was always climbing higher and higher. Gatsby’s death is the death of that dream; it was Fitzgerald’s realization that the American Dream had been
Nick Carroway is not a very judgmental person, in fact, he himself states that he withholds judgment so that he can get the entire story out of the person to whom he is listening. To say that Nick is both approving and disapproving is not suspiring, for Nick rarely looks at things from only one perspective. Nick finds Gatsby to be ignorantly honest, in that Gatsby could not fathom the idea of saying something without really meaning it. He respects Gatsby for his determination to fit in with the East Egg crowd, though Gatsby does not realize that he does not really fit in with them. On the other hand, Nick sees Gatsby to be excessively flashy and, in the words of Holden Caulfield, 'phony.' Gatsby's whole life is a lie from the moment he left behind the name James Gatz and became Jay Gatsby. Gatsby lies about his past to try to have people perceive him as an 'old money' guy when that really is not necessary. Gatsby's valiant efforts to lure Daisy are respectable, yet they show Gatsby's failure to accept reality and give up on his long lost dream.
“The Great Gatsby”, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, portrays a world filled with rich societal happenings, love affairs, and corruption. Nick Carraway is the engaged narrator of the book, a curious choice considering that he is in a different class and almost in a different world than Gatsby and the other characters. Nick relates the plot of the story to the reader as a member of Gatsby’s circle. He has ambivalent feelings towards Gatsby, despising his personality and corrupted dream but feeling drawn to Gatsby’s magnificent capacity to hope. Using Nick as a moral guide, Fitzgerald attempts to guide readers on a journey through the novel to illustrate the corruption and failure of the American Dream. To achieve this, Nick’s credentials as a reliable narrator are carefully established and reinforced throughout the story.
This is easy for the reader to comprehend when Fitzgerald tells of not only the open affair Tom is having with his mistress Mrs. Wilson but also the discontent with one another during their visit with Nick. For example, Tom constantly cuts his wife short during the conversation and shows irritation at the mention of them moving. Daisy, however, tries to present herself as the happy wife but a hint of her unhappiness is displayed after Mrs. Wilson call during dinner. When she reenters the room she states "It couldn't be helped! cried Daisy with tense gayety” (Fitzgerald, Ch. 1). Although both Daisy and Tom Buchannon act as though they are the devoted couple the underlying words Fitzgerald portrays speaks
The classic novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is one that opens reader’s eyes to the clouded hallow hopes and dreams that came with the famous idea of an American Dream. The hopes that one day a person could make their own wealth and be successful quickly became dead to many around this time and it is played out by characters and conflicts within The Great Gatsby. Nick Carraway is the very first character we meet in this story. A young man who came to West Egg, Long Island the summer of 1922 for work unknowingly walked into a summer that would haunt him forever. The character of Nick Carraway is one who is characterized as someone who is extremely observant as well as the mediator between many of the characters. He is always involved
Through Nick Carraway’s narration, Tom Buchanan is portrayed as a smug man who has little regard for the feelings of others. His character traits appear to be shaped by the excess and entitlement that accompanies his social class and wealth. Tom is careless. As information is revealed regarding the affair Tom is not - so - secretly having behind his wife 's back, readers form a judgement on his character. Tom has the decency to not be seen with his mistress, Myrtle Wilson, in his
Nick Carraway is the only character worth knowing in The Great Gatsby. He is living in East Egg with the rich and powerful people. He is on the guest lists to all of their parties and yet he is the person most worthy of attending such parties because he is well bread and his family is certainly not poor. “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” (Ch1, P1). These words were taught to Nick by his father showing the qualities that a man with goals and values would have in a place where goals and values was no existent. His Judgmental eye for character and guts of using them when desired makes him more interesting. He has a greatest fear that he will be all alone by himself.
“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 describes Gatsby as “one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life(Ch.3).” Such description unifies the appearance of Gatsby with people’s expectation of a man who accomplished the American dream. The obsession with wealth often blinds people from the potential crisis. The crisis of having everything they worked and struggled for redefined if the reality fails them. Just like strivers who chase the American dream, Gatsby also spent his whole life in pursuit of his American dream, which Daisy was a major component of.
Tom Buchanan is described as having a strong and repugnant presence. He was a star athlete at Yale and is restless after his glory days of playing there, “…had been one of the most powerful ends that ever played football at New Haven-a national figure in a way, one of those men who reach such an acute limited excellence at twenty-one that everything afterwards savours of anti-climax” (page 10). He is arrogant and seems to believe that he can have anything that he wants. Even though he has a wife and child, he has no problem with having a mistress on the side and does not care that others, including his wife, know about it. In addition, Tom is very self-absorbed and cares only about himself and his own desires. Tom was what Daisy’s family considered to be suitable for their daughter. That, along with his money, is mainly why she married him.