Gatsby

6 Pages 1495 Words

The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a specific portrait of
American society during the Roaring Twenties. It tells the quintessential American
story of a man rising from rags to riches only to find that his wealth cannot grant
him the privileges of class and status. Although the central character of the novel is Jay Gatsby, a wealthy New Yorker known mostly for the lavish parties he throws
every weekend at his mansion. The narrator, however, is Nick Carraway, a young
mid-westerner from a prominent family who came to New York to enter the bond
business. Even though Nick Carraway is involved in all of the events of the novel,
he does not play a significant active role. Carraway’s characteristics of being
responsible, honest, and fair makes him a reliable narrator.
Nick's description of himself in the opening chapter holds true throughout the novel: he is “tolerant and slow to judge, someone with whom people feel
comfortable sharing their secrets” (Fitzgerald 7). Carraway has this willingness to
describe himself and the contours of his thoughts even when they are inconsistent
or incomplete. Toward the end of the novel, his long musing makes him seem
thoughtful and trustworthy. His discusses Gatsby’s dream of loving Daisy, but he
tells it as Gatsby’s struggle to recreate the past in the future. He realizes failure,
“the quality of distortion” that lures people to the East disgusts him (Fitzgerald
123). “Individuals must now struggle like rowboats against a current, as they
move forward with their dreams into the future, but are borne back ceaselessly into
a past they (like Gatsby) are doomed never to recreate” (Plotz 32). Nick
Carraway’s position in relation to the other characters gives him a perfect vantage
point from which to view the story. He is Daisy's cousin's old college friend, and
Gatsby's neighbor. They all trust him and rely on him. Nick Car...