Character Analysis Of Nick Carraway In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

The American dream is to achieve democracy, freedom, prosperity, identity and opportunity. Many come to find a new life and fortune. Although everyone has a different dream, it is the hope and illusion that they can achieve that dream with hard work but this dream also inevitably leads to many cases of tragedy, if not properly planned and worked on. In The Great Gatsby, author F. Scott Fitzgerald describes the tragedies of various characters in the pursuit of the American dream. One of these characters is Nick Carraway, the narrator of the novel. Fitzgerald seemingly establishes an ingenuous and reliable narrator in Nick to contrast the corrupted society, which he has fallen into. Furthermore, this proves the point to which society has met
Carraway is fascinated by the lives of the wealthy and the freedom they embody. However, as the plot progresses, he sees the impact of this behaviour on the lives of others. This is shown when Tom abuses Myrtle as well as the way he treats Mr. Wilson. Nick is a very moral person but yet too passive. When Tom speaks to Nick about his mistress, “[he] is curious to see her” but he “had no desire to meet her” (Fitzgerald, 24). This demonstrates that Nick does not bother protesting the idea that his cousin is being cheated on. Nick believes that some people in this world are born to be nicer and more honest, but likewise, believes that being rich or poor would affect this. We see that Nick’s personality is unlike all the other characters and is portrayed as being more humane than others. This humble nature is brought back when he does not know how to respond when he is introduced into Tom and Myrtle’s secret world. This is shown when he says “Hold on, I have to leave you here” (28). Nick has what many of the other characters lack, personal integrity and his sense of right and wrong helps to elevate him above the others in intelligence. He knows the difference between good and bad, and he believes that the Buchanans and Jordan are just “a rotten crowd”, while Gatsby is “worth the whole damn bunch put together” (154). Nick easily recognizes the flaws in society and realizes that even though Tom and Daisy have a substantial amount of money, Gatsby
The deeper he is drawn into these relationship, the less honest he becomes. However, Nick eventually realizes that Jordan rebukes him for being just as dishonest and careless as the rest of them. The words of his father have remained with Nick through all these years, “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had” (1). Nick constantly tries to remain pure hearted and his faith is constantly tested throughout the book. The kind-heartedness of Nick also provides a catalyst for his tragic downfall. Nick moves to New York to start a new life and have a meaning for himself in the world. He is determined to achieve his American dream and believed that hard work will lead to eternal happiness and success. Nick’s will to succeed with hard work is shown when he “[decides] to go East and learn the bond business” (3). Believing that being in the bond business will earn him enough money, he aims to be successful and achieve his dream. Nick realizes through Gatsby’s death that these greedy and selfish people, their actions and things going in the East were meaningless and he was angry by this. Towards the end, Nick says, “I thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. He had come a long way to