Nick Carraway's Significance in The Great Gatsby

Nick Carraway is a necessary character in the novel for many reasons. We see how his interacting with the other characters brings about a few traits, which make the story a pleasure to read, and I must say, to write about. Nick lends us his talents to bring us a more realistic story, a larger database of which to draw our information about the characters, and thus better characterization in the novel.

The first benefit of having Nick narrate the story is giving us a more realistic story. His point of view, that of a relatively objective observer, allows us to see the story through very accurate eyes. Through Fitzgerald’s stroke of genius, the novel draws us into itself, and the I that Nick uses to relate to himself becomes the I or ‘eyes’ that the reader uses to see the story. A part of this, Nick’s believability, lets the reader identify or sympathize with his values. Gatsby’s wealth or the riches of Tom and Daisy do not easily sway Nick. He is a tolerant person, but not overly so. An example of this is seen as Nick puts up with Tom’s racism and bigotry, but in the end he tells Gatsby that he is “worth the whole” dang “bunch put together”. He is very honest, but not Puritanical or narrow-minded. The objective viewpoint from w

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Without that information, we could not study these characters’ pasts and analyze them to death, that is, until they die. With this, he allows us a better characterization for the characters, showing us that he really is what he claims to be, an honest, non-judgmental person. At the end of the novel, he is Gatsby’s only friend, even though he disapproves of many things which Gatsby stands for: the extreme materialism and prejudice against poverty. With Myrtle, he goes out on the town and to parties with no concern of the consequences of his actions. One of the traits that make Nick special is that he understands Gatsby.

Secondly, Nick adds information to the story through quite a few avenues. He moves in to the house next door to Gatsby. She says she surrounds herself with people who won’t crash into her. He adds a sense of realism to the novel, showing a stark contrast to the wealthy and careless people he encounters. Nick Carraway becomes a critical part of the story, and as the narrator he makes the story the best it can be, and proves that in the end, as he said, Gatsby really did turn out alright. He is shameless in what he does, and who he does it with. It is through Nick that we see how Daisy is a trapped, caged woman. We see him reminding Jordan to be careful while she is driving, and though she doesn’t, we can see the carelessness at which she lives her life. hich Nick tells us the story adds a sense of realism to The Great Gatsby. Instead of working through it, they left it all behind.

Approximate Word count = 869
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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