"It was a matter of chance that I should have rented a house in one of the strangest communities in North America. It was on that slender riotous island which extends itself due east of New York - and where there are, among other natural curiosities, two unusual formations of land." - Nick Carraway, page 4.
This entire book is told in the form of first person point of view. As a result of this, the reader sympathizes most with Nick Carraway and even tends to have the same feelings and opinions about the other characters that he has. For example, if one were to look at Jordan Baker in the situation she is in, one might be more likely to judge her upon the sole fact that she is a cheater and dishonest. However, since the novel is told in the eyes of Nick who is physically attracted to her, the reader doesn't seem to have this judgement. Just as Nick Carraway somewhat pushes this flaw to the side and forgets about, the reader also forgets this flaw. Also, since the story is told in the eyes of Nick, it makes it a little hard to determine whether or not Gatsby truly is trying to be a friend with him. At first, I felt that Gatsby was sincerely trying to be neighborly by inviting Nick to his home and taking him to lunch. Once I found out that Gatsby's true motivation was to become closer to Daisy, I started questioning the friendship that I though was beginning to form. Now I have started to believe that Gatsby is only using Nick to get closer to his long lost love and will perhaps dump him once his done using him as a way to get to Daisy.
I also noticed that Nick is the most sympathetic because he is telling the story. He was also the easiest to relate to because he is not extremely wealthy like the the other characters and he is very open-minded and reserved.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the author also makes his ideas known through Nick. Because Nick is telling the story, he is able to add his own opinions into the narration. For example, on page 40, Nick, talking about the guests at Gatsby's, says "The bar is in full swing, and floating rounds of cocktails permeate the garden outside, until the air is alive with chatter and laughter, and casual innuendo and introductions forgotten on the spot, and enthusiastic meeting between women who never knew each other's names." He is clearly criticizing these wealthy party-goers because they are acting fake. The author seems to be satirizing these individuals and their lifestyle through Nick's criticism.
ReplyDelete