Nick Carraway
What kind of a person is Nick Carraway? How might Nick’s narration color the way readers view other characters? Provide examples. Is Nick a reliable character? Provide examples from the novel to support your responses.
Nick Carraway narrates The Great Gatsby. He values knowledge and is very observant making him a good narrator. In The Great Gatsby, all the characters tend to like him and trust him with their secrets. In the beginning, Daisy talks to Nick in private and tells him of when she had her baby girl. She said, “I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool-that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (17). Daisy thinks that the best way to easily get through life as a girl is to be stupid and pretty so she can marry a rich man and not have a worry in the world, which is what Daisy is doing. However, when Tom asks Nick if Daisy told him something, she lies and says they talked about horses. She was open to Nick to tell him her thoughts, but wanted it to be a secret from Tom. Nick understands the eastern way of living; with the partying, alcohol, and money. He shows the good sides of characters and the bad sides. He is a reliable character because although he adds in his biased opinions, he also tells the readers of the characters true personality and their actions. A. Through Nick, how does Fitzgerald describe each of your characters? What is Fitzgerald saying about each of your characters?
Through Nick, Fitzgerald describes Tom Buchanan as a “sturdy straw-haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner” (7). Through Fitzgerald’s diction, you can tell that Tom is arrogant and aggressive. Physically, he is described as big with muscles, a “cruel body” (7). To add to his big, arrogant figure, his voice is a “gruff husky tenor added to the impression of fractiousness he conveyed” (7). He has a personality and look that strikes fear in people and he moves around with aggressiveness. Myers
Nick Carraway narrates The Great Gatsby. He values knowledge and is very observant making him a good narrator. In The Great Gatsby, all the characters tend to like him and trust him with their secrets. In the beginning, Daisy talks to Nick in private and tells him of when she had her baby girl. She said, “I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool-that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (17). Daisy thinks that the best way to easily get through life as a girl is to be stupid and pretty so she can marry a rich man and not have a worry in the world, which is what Daisy is doing. However, when Tom asks Nick if Daisy told him something, she lies and says they talked about horses. She was open to Nick to tell him her thoughts, but wanted it to be a secret from Tom. Nick understands the eastern way of living; with the partying, alcohol, and money. He shows the good sides of characters and the bad sides. He is a reliable character because although he adds in his biased opinions, he also tells the readers of the characters true personality and their actions. A. Through Nick, how does Fitzgerald describe each of your characters? What is Fitzgerald saying about each of your characters?
Through Nick, Fitzgerald describes Tom Buchanan as a “sturdy straw-haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner” (7). Through Fitzgerald’s diction, you can tell that Tom is arrogant and aggressive. Physically, he is described as big with muscles, a “cruel body” (7). To add to his big, arrogant figure, his voice is a “gruff husky tenor added to the impression of fractiousness he conveyed” (7). He has a personality and look that strikes fear in people and he moves around with aggressiveness. Myers