Preview

Nick and Gatsby

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
572 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Nick and Gatsby
How is Nick and Gatsby's relationship presented in the first chapters of
'The Great Gatsby'?

In 'The Great Gatsby', the relationship shared between Nick and Gatsby could be argued that it is based on Nick's awe and admiration for Gatsby, however I believe that the motivations for their relationships is based on entirely different reasons for each individual. Nick's view towards Gatsby seems to be fuelled by his curiosity which has been spurred on by the various rumours he has heard, whilst Gatsby may have more complex reasons for befriending Nick.

One of the main obvious reasons that connect Nick and Gatsby is Nick's cousin Daisy. We learn that the reason why Gatsby first made contact with Nick was due to his relation to Daisy. This suggests that Gatsby is merely using Nick to get close to Daisy once again and that he possibly doesn't care about his 'friendship' with Nick. This is further supported when Gatsby announces to Nick that he has a 'big request of you today' implying that all he wanted was for Nick to reintroduce him to Daisy. It could be argued that if this were true, Nick had knowledge that his relationship with Gatsby was not genuine and that he was playing it to his advantage to. When Nick first mentions Gatsby in the opening pages of the book he describes Gatsby as someone with 'an extraordinary gift for hope'. Gatsby's actions are implied to be solely focused on his reunion with Daisy, supported by the symbolism of the green light at the end of her dock - The green light represented everything Gatsby desired and hoped for, his own American Dream. It can therefore be argued that Nick has at least some inclination of Gatsby's aims and plays along to help his own goal of learning the truth behind 'Gatsby'.

Another element within Nick and Gatsby's relationship is money and society. The contrast between the two characters and the world they live in are evident in the description of their houses. Whilst Nick lives in a small and modest house
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Tom Buchanan And Jay Gatsby Alike
    • 248 Words
    • 1 Page

    Tom Buchanan And Jay Gatsby Alike

    Gatsby was using Nick. Gatsby wanted to find Daisy again because he haven't seen her in 5 years but Gatsby didn't know anyone that knew Daisy. Gatsby and Nick became good friends because Nick knew Daisy and Gatsby wanted to see her again. Gatsby wants Nick to invite Daisy to his tea party.…

    • 248 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Are Nick And Jay Gatsby Alike
    • 481 Words
    • 2 Pages

    How Are Nick And Jay Gatsby Alike

    Gatsby and Nick are two very different characters, but they are good friends towards one another. John Gatz, better known as Jay Gatsby is the main focus in the novel. Gatsby is a self made millionaire. He has no good family name and is constantly trying to make something…

    • 481 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Great Gatsby Chapter 5 Essay
    • 297 Words
    • 1 Page

    The Great Gatsby Chapter 5 Essay

    In Chapter 5, Daisy and Gatsby are reunited in Nick’s house and then Gatsby shows Daisy around his house. Gatsby attempts to reward Nick with money for helping bring him and Daisy together again, “Well, this would interest you. It wouldn’t take up much of your time but you might pick up a nice bit of money.” This shows how Gatsby is not used to people being hospitable towards him without wanting anything in return. It also demonstrates how Gatsby thinks he has to buy Nick’s loyalty in the hope that by bribing Nick with money, he won’t tell Tom about his meeting with Daisy. Nick refuses claiming, “I’ve got my hands full,” This reveals that Nick is very class conscious as he thinks he is above receiving money for something he has done. It also shows that he is aware of the corrupt criminal world that Gatsby is involved in because he doesn’t want to take the chance of getting involved in the same world as Gatsby.…

    • 297 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Great Gatsby In F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'Great'
    • 897 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Great Gatsby In F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'Great'

    Gatsby exploits Nick and Jordan’s relationships with Daisy, befriending them and offering Nick job opportunities in the hopes of creating a bridge between himself and…

    • 897 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Nick's Maturation In The Great Gatsby
    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Nick's Maturation In The Great Gatsby

    Nick's maturation in "The Great Gatsby" is most prominently exemplified by his views on the value of money. His feelings towards the subject of materialism and prosperity in general undergo a subtle transformation throughout the novel, and it is through this mental development that we see Nick step into the threshold of a sagacious adulthood.…

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examples Of Daisy's Dishonesty In The Great Gatsby
    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Examples Of Daisy's Dishonesty In The Great Gatsby

    Nick escorted Daisy into his residence only to discover Gatsby was not in the living room. Nick did not need to wonder long because “there was a light dignified knocking at the front door… Gatsby, pale as death, with his hands plunged like weights in his coat pockets, was standing in a puddle of water glaring tragically into my eyes” (86). The purpose of his action was to deceive Daisy and make her believe he was not waiting for her. While an innocent lie, it is already giving a dishonest start to the reunion between Jay Gatsby and…

    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Who Is Nick Carraway Selfish In The Great Gatsby
    • 1879 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Who Is Nick Carraway Selfish In The Great Gatsby

    Turning away from Daisy’s side and fully backing Gatsby, was the turning point of Nick’s embodiment of Gatsby. Towards the end of the story, Nick realizes that “a new point of view occurred to me” (Fitzgerald 144). It was Gatsby’s, and though it did not present itself to him until the end of the story, he has subconsciously been on Gatsby's side for far longer. “In many ways, Nick is an unreliable narrator” (Edwards). Nick likely embellished the story to seem as though he was more on Gatsby's side when, in reality, he was not. Yet, it is easy to understand, as Nick remained obsessed with impressing Gatsby, even two years after his death. In the switch from Daisy’s to Gatsby's side, a single encounter with Gatsby summed up Nick’s new feelings. Nick told Gatsby “‘They're a rotten crowd… You're worth the whole bunch put together’” (Fitzgerald 154). In this one sentence, Nick sold out all his other friends to claim Gatsby as his only friend. He received the reassurance he was hoping for when Gatsby's “face broke into that radiant and understanding smile, as if we'd been in ecstatic cahoots on that fact all the time” (Fitzgerald 154). This was the pinnacle of Nick's summer; though all of his friends’ lives were jumbled, Nick’s goal to be accepted by Gatsby had been reached, and that was all that mattered to Nick. Even when Nick found himself “on Gatsby's side, and alone” (Fitzgerald 164), he was proud to say that he was the…

    • 1879 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Great Gatsby Rhetorical Analysis Essay
    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Great Gatsby Rhetorical Analysis Essay

    In the classic novel, The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a young man discovers concealed secrets from his neighbor, relatives, and close friends. At one point in the book, located on page fifty-five, Nick, the main character who is on a journey of mysteries, shows a fond interest in the peculiar acts of his neighbor Gatsby. Questions arise in Nick's mind. Why was such a popular man such a loner all at the same time? On this particular page, Nick questions these ideas. The passage reveals to the reader a sad sympathetic story behind the so-called "Great Gatsby" using tone, imagery, and diction giving the reader a more obsolete and clearer vision of Gatsby.…

    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Great Gatsby: Dust Essay Example
    • 408 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Great Gatsby: Dust Essay Example

    In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the narrator, Nick, was uncertain about how he felt about Gatsby. Initially, Gatsby feigned into being someone that he was not. Throughout the novel Nick got to know who Gatsby really was and saw a side of Gatsby that not many people got to see. This is proven when the author writes, “No, Gatsby turned out alright in the end. It was what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men.” Nick’s perception of Gatsby is much different from that of the other characters in the novel, and saw how scrupulous Gatsby was. However, while Gatsby was pursuing his ultimate goal of getting Daisy back, he got involved in illegal activity, the pursuit of wealth, and came across many horrible people throughout his journey in life. These events are “what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams” and was the ultimate cause of his death. Nick’s perception of Gatsby is valid because he was among the few characters that got to know who Gatsby really was, instead of the fake stories that Gatsby told majority of people on Long Island.…

    • 408 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Theme Of Symbolism In The Great Gatsby
    • 1222 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Theme Of Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

    Even though he is the narrator of the book he does not have too big of a role in the storyline. Fitzgerald chose a great way to tell the story by using Nick as an observer of the story and also taking place in it at times. Nick gives the readers a better view on the story. However, while Nick is a spectator, his role is needed. Nick begins his story with an important point; that he has no bias in the favor of Gatsby when he says, “Gatsby turned out all right at the end, and it was what preyed on Gatsby...” Later in the book he admits that he believes every man to be worthy of some virtue and that Gatsby’s is honesty. Fitzgerald starts the book by giving us Nick's thoughts on the summer that the story tells. About a half of page long explains how Nick's experience with Gatsby and Daisy has ended his curiosity in the "abortive sorrows and short winded elations of men." (Page…

    • 1222 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Lies In The Great Gatsby
    • 885 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Lies In The Great Gatsby

    Gatsby lives a life full of lies. Nick tells, “His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people- his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all. The truth was the Jay Gatsby of West Egg; Long Island sprang from his platonic conception of himself “(104). The Gatsby that is introduced at the beginning is different than the one known now. Throughout the book so many things about Gatsby that were covered up by his lies are discovered. Nick says, “He might have despised himself, for he had certainly taken her under false pretenses…he had deliberately given Daisy a sense of security; he let her believe that he was a person from much the same stratum as herself—that he was fully able to take care of her. As a matter a fact he had no such facilities—” (149). Daisy fell for Gatsby because she thought he could take care of her but he is not able to do so. If he is truthful he will not hurt so many…

    • 885 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Great Gatsby
    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Great Gatsby

    Yes. The DMV record showed that the vehicle tag was registered to a “Nicole Shore”, 19 Anthony Lane, Boulder. After arriving at the investigation scene, I confirmed that the DMV record matched the plate on the car.…

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Romanticism In The Great Gatsby
    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Romanticism In The Great Gatsby

    They used to think that their dream are within reach, and their lives will be consumed by the passion and dignity of life. As mentioned before, Nick and Gatsby are the apathy and fantasy of Scott Fitzgerald, so that their way of chasing dreams are different definitely. Gatsby’s greatness came from his passion to his American dream, or in another word, Daisy. Gatsby made almost all of his decisions out of a desire to relive his love with Daisy; while Nick would rather watch the game. Gatsby showed a romantic hopefulness that is lastly tragic, and he prefers to escape from the present and selectively relive the past. In the end, however, he died for his unrealistic fantasy of Daisy since he had lost touch with present and himself. Nick stood on the moral high ground in the novel. And for Nick, as mentioned before,Nick’s apathy and tolerance due to his father’s advice was ultimately changed since the death of Gatsby. I think maybe Scott Fitzgerald wanted us to understand that it is this thing that made Nick a real person than just a moral…

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Love and Gatsby
    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Love and Gatsby

    The way an author concludes a story can be key in the success of the novel. Whether the ending is satisfying or not, it needs to be conclusive. The reader should be able to answer and adjust to a novel’s uncertainties. The conclusion to The Great Gatsby could be see as one of the most well-designed in American Literature. Fitzgerald’s ability to wrap his novel up with only a few sentences that leave the reader in awe but still lifted from all confusion. The Great Gatsby concludes so that the themes of the novel are in entirely understood. Fitzgerald’s approach to retouch on the themes throughout the novel: hope, love, and the burden of the past in the conclusion refreshes the reader’s mind allowing him/her to comprehend the overall message of the novel.…

    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Teacher
    • 388 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Teacher

    This chapter starts out when Nick is approaching his house and he notices that Gatsby’s house is brightly lit but no one is in there. He is surprised because there is always someone there but then he sees Gatsby coming across the lawn and he seems nervous because he nervously asks Nick if he could have Daisy come over his house for tea. Nick agrees and Gatsby was very excited. On the day that it was arranged for Daisy to come over, Nick and Daisy went into Gatsby’s house but no one is there. Suddenly Gatsby comes in and awkwardly knocks off a clock. He is nervous about meeting Daisy and he shows her the lavishness of his house and his old English shirts.…

    • 388 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More

Related Topics