Great Gatsby

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Recommended: theme of the great gatsby and how the author shows it in the book

The Great Gatsby
There are many different types of people in this world. Apart from physical features, it is the characteristics of a person that makes him/her original. Nick Carraway the narrator of The Great Gatsby, has qualities which are the complete opposite of those of Tom Buchanan, his cousin-in-law. In the novel, the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, uses the comparison between two cousins to show how their differing characteristics reflects the themes of morality and reality versus illusion.
One of Nick’s Characteristics, that is incompatible with Toms is that Nick is cautious when speaking. On an occasion when Mr. Gatz said something that Nick disagreed with , Nick still hesitantly, agreed with him, as to not hurt an old man’s feelings; as apparent by the following quote: “If he lived, he would have been a great man. A man like James J. Hill. He’d of helped build up the country.’ ‘That’s true,’ I said, uncomfortably. (Pg. 164) Tom, who is at the other end of the rope, is very careless about what he says; he does not care if he hurts someone. At one time, he was very rude when paying only ten dollars to a dog seller on the street. “ ‘Is it a boy or a girl?’ she asked delicately, ‘That dog. That dog’s a boy. (Dog-seller) ‘It’s a bitch,’ said Tom decisively. ‘Here’s your money. Go and buy ten more dogs with it.’ (Pg. 28) This shows that Tom does not care if he hurts the feelings of the person to whom he speaks with. Nick’s carefulness when speaking and Tom’s Carelessness reveals a lot about their morality. It shows that Nick’s morals are high he can not hurt an old man who had just lost his son; whereas Tom’s morals are so low, that he hurts a poor stranger walking down the street, who is trying to make a living. The carefulness of speaking shows the theme of morality because it reflects respect for humanity. With the realization that the way one wants to be treated he or she treats the other person with the same respect.
Nick’s carefulness when saying something reveals the fact that he makes good judgements. An example of his g...

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...door while we were getting ready to leave and when I sent down “?'; that weren’t in he tried to force this way upstairs. He was crazy enough to kill me if I hadn’t told him who owed the car. His hand was on the revolver in his pocket every minute he was in the house-’ He broke off definitely. ‘What if I did tell him (Gatsby)? That fellow had it coming to him. He threw dust into your eyes just like he did Daisy’
(Pg. 180)

This shows Tom did not feel any remorse for telling on Gatsby. The fact that Nick has a conscience and Tom does not seem to have a conscience gives more depth of morality of these characters. Nicks sensitive conscience proves that he is a clean-hearted person; whereas tom insensitive conscience proves that he is a selfish person. The theme of morality is shown through their conscience actions.
The characteristics of human beings, can say a lot about what kind of person they are. Both Nick and Tom have characteristics that are quite the opposite. In showing the differing characteristics of Nick and Tom, Fritzgerald portrays the themes of morality and reality versus illusion.

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