Explore the character of nick. How are the readers suppose to feel about him in what ways does he come off as reliable or unreliable?should we feel sympathetic towards him?”
In the novel The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway serves as the narrator and the central character of the story, which helps to give readers an insight into his perspective and also raises questions about his reliability. As the story continues, Nick presents himself as a neutral observer, someone who claims to “reserve all judgments.” However, how he portrays events and the people close to him suggests otherwise.
On one hand, Nick may be found to be a reliable character by the readers because he offers a detailed account of the life of Gatsby and the extravagant world of West Egg. As compared to other characters, his moral compass appears intact. He is not into the hedonism of the people around him, and his eventual disillusionment with the East Coast society reinforces the sense that he sees through the superficiality that others embrace (Yan, 2022). In addition, his moments of self-reflection, where he questions his role in the events and his complicity, also lend him some credibility.
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However, his reliability can be put into question, owing to his personal biases. To some extent, he idolizes Gatsby, viewing him as a symbol of hope and ambition, while portraying others like Tom and Daisy Buchanan in a more negative light. This partiality may skew the narrative since he appears to downplay Gatsby’s more questionable actions. Moreover, Ascher (2021) notes that since Nick has shown an interest in the glamour of Gatsby’s world, he may not be as detached as he claims.
Nick may receive some sympathy from the readers because, as compared to the other characters, he is searching for genuine and meaningful human connection. His sense of moral discomfort and alienation sets him apart. However, his remote role in promoting the tragedies around him complicates the empathy of readers, leaving them to question whether he is truly innocent or complicit in the downfall of Gatsby.
References
Ascher, A. (2021). Nick Carraway as Telemachus: Homeric Influences and Narrative Bias in The Great Gatsby. The F. Scott Fitzgerald Review, 19(1), 203-221.
Yan, W. A. N. G. (2022). Discovering Nick: An Analysis of the Narrative Features in The Great Gatsby. Psychology, 12(8), 608-611.