Preview

Who Is Nick Carraway A Good Narrator In The Great Gatsby

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
377 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Who Is Nick Carraway A Good Narrator In The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby: Narration, Chapters 1-4
Every novel is told from a perspective that has been created by the author to facilitate the understanding of the story. The person who expresses this novel is a special character that conveys the development of the plot even though it may not be obvious. Nick Carraway narrates the lives of the characters giving the American tale a distinctive aspect.
Nick is a young man from the Midwest who is living in West Egg surrounded by wealth. He is different from the others possessing a quality that is very rare, the ability to “refrain from judgment” (Fitzgerald 1). The fact that he is a neutral character makes him a great narrator, he is able to clearly tell the story through his point of view, expressing

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    1. How does Nick describe himself at the beginning of the book? Why do you think Fitzgerald chose him to be the narrator?…

    • 5320 Words
    • 22 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nick fails to accomplish his dream of fitting into the upper social class because he can’t seem to realize that people are flawed. This is shown when Nick states, “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money and vast carelessness” (Fitzgerald 187-8). Disgusted by their behavior, Nick begins…

    • 307 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    At this point in the novel, Nick Carraway was invited to one of Gatsby’s extravagant parties and was searching for Gatsby among the crowd. Nick became reacquainted with a man he had fought with in the war, only to realize the man was Gatsby. As Nick was struck with realization, his surprise melted into interest as exhibited in the syntax and imagery of the passage above. Gatsby seemed to “[smile] understandingly—much more than understandingly” and had a smile that “faced—or seemed to face—the whole external world;” the pauses in Nick’s descriptions—noted by the hyphens—emphasize the succeeding clauses that continue to shape Nick’s opinion of Gatsby. More importantly, however, these pauses serve to manipulate the passage’s fluency and mimic…

    • 325 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    roaring twenties" that only want to be in the "fast lane" and do not give a damn…

    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the main character, Gatsby, has many different sides of his character, which are shown in different parts throughout the novel. The reader understands him to be a very versatile man who feels emotion deeply, but doesn’t show it on the outside nearly as much as he should. Gatsby meets a man named Nick who moves in next to him and becomes the narrator of Gatsby’s great story. Nick helps the reader understand what is happening and conveys the judgmental tone and social stratified theme through his detailed descriptions of Gatsby’s character using diction, detail and syntax.…

    • 726 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Great Gatsby There are many responsibilities that are crucial to being an ideal narrator. I believe that a good narrator would be honest, have no biases, and would not exaggerate or undermine key elements in a story. While reading Great Gatsby, coming across quote this that was said by the narrator, “I am one of the few honest people that I know,” would lead one to assume that the story was told with all honesty. However, I believe that Nick Carraway was not completely honest in his telling of the story.…

    • 553 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Along the novel, Nick Carraway and other characters manage to unfold Gatsby's deception. Nick has always thought that Gatsby "inherited [his] money" but Gatsby automatically and "hardly knew what he was saying" responds "I did…but I lost most of it in the big panic." The allusion to Belasco by the owl-eyed middle aged man is an indication of irony of Gatsby's lies for which David Belasco is an American playwright and producer known for his realistic stage settings. He is surprised that Gatsby's books in the library are "real", yet they are props and never cut meaning they have never been read. Gatsby's uncut books symbolize the façade he presents to the…

    • 113 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    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
  • Good Essays

    In the beginning of The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway’s tone is humble, he respects others and isn’t judgmental or at least tries not to be. The tone in the beginning is reflective and Nick is the type of character that is submissive to others feelings and actions, and tries to not judge them. He sticks onto the saying of his father, “Whenever you feel like criticizing one, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had” (Fitzgerald, 1). The quote reveals his humble personality, even if he comes from a wealthy family, he keeps to his righteous morals. He is raised in a certain way in order to be able to think from different point of views. Nick is an unbiased observer and narrator, “...accused of…

    • 346 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nick Carraway, from the book The Great Gatsby, is a reliable narrator for the story because he uses lots of detail when he describes events or situations, he is able to give an exact date, time, and place, and not only does he give his side of the story, he can relay stories that other people tell him accurately. Nick can be trusted because of his attention to detail. He can be very accurate, even when he is telling another person’s story.…

    • 771 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Weather is always changing, especially in Kansas. It will be sunny one minute and snowing the next. The purpose of this statement is that weather is unpredictable, just like a book. A reader can never guess the outcome of a book in the end. For example, settings change, plots change, and most importantly characters change. A dynamic character is one who endures internal change, and in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, many characters change by the end of the book. By analyzing one of the characters in particular, Nick Carraway, from the beginning, middle, and the end, one can realize the dynamic change within himself.…

    • 593 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A Carraway Comparison

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Separate from other critics, some recognize that although Nick has come to a deceitful, ugly place, he has enough moral courage to be aware of himself. Nick is aware of his need in situations and places himself only in the matters of his business. He said, “Calmness wasn’t an end in itself, I made an excuse at the first possible moment, and got to my feet” (Fitzgerald 87). This quote is applicable when explaining why Nick has…

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway, the narrator, tells a story about Jay Gatsby chasing his dream, a girl by the name of Daisy. Jay Gatsby was born into a poor family of farmers and totally transformed himself into someone with money just for Daisy. In the end, the money didn’t even matter because Gatsby died, chasing after…

    • 63 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together” says Nick Carraway the Narrator toward the end of the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. We are lead to believe that even though Gatsby is fixed on reliving the past and is involved in illegal activity Nick still thinks he is a better character than all the rest. A good Narrator is someone who the reader can rely on to portray what is happening in the story without passing any judgment of their own, But Nick is an unreliable narrator because he passes judgment on his characters, his relationships with other characters are not strong, and he only knows second hand knowledge.…

    • 600 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    He analyses the actions of others which allows the reader to comprehend the novel and the themes. Nick is the ‘Everyman’. He comes from an undistinguished background. He was taught good values like work, perseverance, justice. To illustrate, his father told him “whenever you feel like criticizing any one…just remember that all the in this world haven't had the advantages that you had.”(Fitzgerald 1). People from the 1920’s wanted to see an ordinary man’s perspective on rich people. Nick is the perfect character because the majority of people from 1920’s could relate to him. He is not as financially comfortable as Gatsby or Tom, but he isn’t as poor as George. Fitzgerald succeeded in making the reader relate to the narrator and see the lives of the rich through the poor. Nick does not allow himself to become blinded by the glamour that characterizes their lifestyle. He does not lack…

    • 1038 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays