The Great Gatsby would be nothing without the narrator Nick Carraway. Nick is the only character that we can truly connect with. It seems that Nick is the only character who has some sort of morals and values. This is clearly evident at the end of the story after Gatsby was killed. Nick is the single character who took the initiative to call everyone and inform them of Gatsby's death. However, all of Gatsby's "friends" could not seem to get away from their busy lives to attend. If this story was told through other characters eyes, I do not think that we would sympathize as much with Gatsby like we do. He is a criminal and obtained his money doing illegal activities. However, because Nick genuinely seems to like him we feel obligated to like him as well. In addition, because Nick is not selfish or rude, it is easier to see characters like Tom and Daisy and the superficiality associated with them. I think that the way that Nick presented the characters makes Nick seem above them, which may not truly be the case. In the beginning of the novel Nick talks about how he is "inclined to reserve all judgments." However, as the story progresses Nick seems to get more and more hostile, in one part he even criticizes Jordan's driving. He also describes Tom, Daisy and Gatsby as being "careless people."
At the end of the story I do not think that Nick's story has been resolved. We know that he went "West" but that is pretty vague in itself. We also don't know what he will be doing over there, we only know that he has left his home in West Egg.
I definitely think that Nick turns out "all right" in the end. Nick ends up abandoning the New York lifestyle of wealth, dishonor, corruption and immorality for the Midwest which is a symbol for morality and conservatism. Nick is so completely disgusted with the things that he has seen and experienced on West and East Egg, therefore, making his character appear honorable and right.
I wish that Gatsby was not the main focus of the novel at the end of the book. In my opinion, I feel that the book is incomplete in the sense that we are left wondering what has happened to the protagonist, Nick. I also wish that Nick had not have been so obsessed with Gatsby and instead lived his own life. It seemed that he was always struggling to be immersed in the New York lifestyle without totally being in it… if that makes sense.
Kayla, I agree with what you are saying about Nick. When I first started to read the book, I hated it. I didn't feel like I connected with any of the characters or relate to them. I was disgusted by their lifestyle and didn't understand why Nick was so obsessed with Gatsby. Eventually I started to relate with Nick because, like you said, he seemed like the only character that had moral or values. All the other people were living their lives with care in the world besides themselves. I agree, in the end Nick did turn out "all right." He was able to get away from the terrible lifestyle and move back west. But in the end, I do believe that his problems were resolved. I think he may have learned many life lessons, that he will continue to live by. His internal battle that he constantly dealt with in New York was finally over. I also agree with you about Gatsby. I had no interest in Gatsby's life and I really didn't care how his life ended up...and it turned out the entire ending revolved around him. I never understood Nicks obsession with Gatsby either.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I think your blog was very interesting and you made some great points :)
Kayla I agree that Nick should have had a greater role in the novel. Besides being the narrator, he was basically off to the side viewing all [major] events. He's the only one too - it appears - to learn anything or gain greater insight at the end.
ReplyDeleteI think Nick was a great narrator because he was reliable. He was trustworthy and "inclinded to reserve all judgements." It doesn't mean he wasn't judgmental - but that he was very open-minded and people tended to go to him to tell secrets or to confide in him. Because of his calm temperment, I think we saw Gatsby exactly as he was. I agree that Gatsby may have been different through other characters' eyes, but I believe that doesn't mean they would have seen a truer side to Gatsby. Especially since the other characters seemed too obsessed with their lavish lifestyles or their own personal desires.
I do wish Nick had a greater part, but he served his purpose well by giving us the story exactly how he saw it; we were also able to gain insight from Nick from his realization (of life and of the "American dream") at the end of the novel.
I completely agree with you on having the novel narrated by another character. I feel as if we never got a full picture of Nick since we was the one telling the story. In retelling the story, Nick has left out many of his own defining characteristics, and it’s hard for me to believe that he has not a single one. Nick, possibly purposely or unconsciously, comes off as very level headed, but also self-righteous in the novel. It even starts on the first page where he says that he “reserves all judgment” as you have pointed out. This is something that I think is common in all first-person accounts. The person telling the story will usually overlook their own flaws or characteristics in favor of the descriptions of the people around them. The book keeps with his personal account, so we never get a clear, unbiased picture of Nick. Also, it should be noted that Nick is telling this story far ahead in the future of when it actually happened. He could be missing details or overlooking parts that he does not want us to know. The story is biased, which is not to say it isn’t wonderful, and one can’t help but contemplate what would happen if the story was told through another person’s eyes, even if it was someone like Tom or Daisy. I think Nick has learned from his experiences (at least for the time being), but I agree with you that the ending is very vague, and even has a pessimistic tone. When Nick gives us those lines about Gatsby being blown back into the past, I couldn’t help but think of Nick’s own life ahead of him, because the ending makes us believe that this will happen to him. This is probably why the story is being told in the first place, because Nick still isn’t over what happened to Gatsby and the others.
ReplyDeleteKayla,
ReplyDeleteYou speak of Nick saying that he is inclined to hold judgements, but then state that he often appears to cast judgements. I completely agree. He tells us he looks with disdain on Gatsby. He confronts Tom Buchanan at the end of the book. He describes many of the character as careless, as you referenced. He also describes people like Myrtle in such a way that you can almost hear his distaste for them. When Nick is at the party with Myrtle and Tom, he listens in on Myrtle’s discussion of Daisy and states that he is “shocked” by her obvious and outlandish lies. I think that throughout this novel, Nick is always judging the various characters. He seems to hold low opinions of them all, but gets caught up in them because of his wonder at the rich lifestyle, his relation to Daisy, and his close vacinity to Gatsby. So why does he open the book by stating that he does not judge people? Honestly, I think this opening is Fitzgerald’s way of warning the reader that what is following is a story of judgment on the upper class lifestyle of the Jazz Age. I think he uses a bit of irony in saying Nick does NOT judge to warn us to watch out and notice all the judgments being made. It is Fitzgerald’s explaination as to what story he is about to unfold before our eyes. Maybe? I don’t know, but it makes sense to me!