Great Gatsby Essay - Wjec Exam Board Gcse English Lit: "Views on the Role of Nick as Narrator in the Great Gatsby Have Varied Greatly. How Do These Two Views Relate to Your Own View of Nick's Function in the Novel?"
"Views on the role of Nick as narrator in The Great Gatsby have varied greatly. How do these two views relate to your own view of Nick 's function in the novel?"
I aim to explain effectively my opinion that Fitzgerald 's use of Nick as the narrator of The Great Gatsby is a very successful literary technique. I shall do this by the analysis of the two contrasting pieces of criticism, as well as of the novel itself. I feel that the successful use of this technique can be attributed to three main elements: Nick 's geographical placing within the plot, his morality, and two aspects of his character. These are his astute observational skills and outward tolerance to "unsought…confidences" of others.
Nick must be in a position to tell enough of the story to satisfy the reader. To achieve this, Fitzgerald must create relationships between Nick and those characters from whom he is going to get the most interesting or useful information to aid the development of the plot. However, a balance must be struck between two extremes. Firstly, that Nick is so involved in the plot that he becomes noticeably biased. Also that he, and therefore the reader, is provided with too much information too quickly through the relationships that he has with the other characters. Secondly, that Nick 's relationships with characters are too distant therefore, preventing him learning anything from them by the end of the novel. If this learning process is absent, leaving Nick without motive to write the novel, one questions ultimately why Fitzgerald would use Nick as narrator. I feel that Fitzgerald has stuck this balance. Mizener commends Fitzgerald 's achievement of this when Nick is said by Mizener to be "…sufficiently near the centre of things to know all he needed to know…"
When Fitzgerald 's intentional geographical placing of Nick in the novel is considered, Nick 's objectivity becomes a factor. For example, if Nick were an Easterner, in the East, subscribing to the "careless"
I aim to explain effectively my opinion that Fitzgerald 's use of Nick as the narrator of The Great Gatsby is a very successful literary technique. I shall do this by the analysis of the two contrasting pieces of criticism, as well as of the novel itself. I feel that the successful use of this technique can be attributed to three main elements: Nick 's geographical placing within the plot, his morality, and two aspects of his character. These are his astute observational skills and outward tolerance to "unsought…confidences" of others.
Nick must be in a position to tell enough of the story to satisfy the reader. To achieve this, Fitzgerald must create relationships between Nick and those characters from whom he is going to get the most interesting or useful information to aid the development of the plot. However, a balance must be struck between two extremes. Firstly, that Nick is so involved in the plot that he becomes noticeably biased. Also that he, and therefore the reader, is provided with too much information too quickly through the relationships that he has with the other characters. Secondly, that Nick 's relationships with characters are too distant therefore, preventing him learning anything from them by the end of the novel. If this learning process is absent, leaving Nick without motive to write the novel, one questions ultimately why Fitzgerald would use Nick as narrator. I feel that Fitzgerald has stuck this balance. Mizener commends Fitzgerald 's achievement of this when Nick is said by Mizener to be "…sufficiently near the centre of things to know all he needed to know…"
When Fitzgerald 's intentional geographical placing of Nick in the novel is considered, Nick 's objectivity becomes a factor. For example, if Nick were an Easterner, in the East, subscribing to the "careless"
Bibliography: Gary J. Scrimgeour, 'Against The Great Gatsby ', in Criticism (1966) Arthur Mizener, The Poet of Borrowed Time