Nick Carraway In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

The narrator of The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway comes from a wealthy family in Middle Western city, a graduate from New Haven, and a veteran who fought in the World War I. He relocated to West Egg, Long Island with hope to become a “well-rounded man” and also to experience the sense of excitement of being a man and a soldier from World War I after going through restless moments. Preparing his way as a sales bondsman, Nick rents a small apartment adjacent to an opulent house, which eventually is owned by Jay Gatsby. On the opposite side of the East Egg is where Nick's cousin, Daisy Buchannan, and her husband, Tom Buchannan live. Nick visits Daisy and Tom, and consequently he meets Jordan Baker, a skillful golfer. While they are all sitting and
As Nick is back home that evening, he sees Gatsby leave his mansion. He wants to call out but holds back because Gatsby "gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone." Nick witnesses a weird event as he sees Gatsby standing by the waterside stretching his arms toward the darkness trembling. All Nick can make out is a green light like the one found at the end of a dock across the sound. When Nick looks back, Gatsby had disappeared, and he claims to be solitary once more in an uneasy darkness. The second chapter begins with a description of the valley of ashes, a dismal, barren wasteland halfway between West Egg and New York. A pair of enormous eyes broods over the valley from a large, decaying billboard. These are the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, which are "blue and gigantic ⎯ their irises are one yard high." Tom Buchanan takes Nick to George Wilson's garage, which lies at the edge of the valley of ashes. Wilson's wife, Myrtle, is the woman with whom Tom has been having an
The third chapter tells about Jay Gatsby, being known for his huge parties, throws one over the weekend. People flock his house to use his pool, boats, cars, and etcetera. His parties serve two dinners including an orchestra and a few musicians. Gatsby's parties often last throughout the night into the morning. Nick receives a handwritten note asking him to join the parties. Many participants are not invited, but simply arrive and know they will not be turned away. During the party, Nick tried to find Gatsby, but the party is too busy. As Nick walks around, he finds Jordan Baker, and she joins him in walking around. They mingle around and hear all kinds of different rumors about Gatsby; one being that he once killed a man. Nick gets a little tipsy after several glasses of champagne, and begins to converse with Mr. Jay Gatsby himself, but doesn't know it. Later, Gatsby takes Jordan Baker to the side to talk to her about something between only the two of them. What they talked about is not told, but Jordan says that it is "the most amazing thing." Nick meets back up with Jordan Baker in mid-summer and begins