A Summary on Nick Free Essay

Great Gatsby

Nick is the narrator of the story in the book, but he turns out to be not the most reliable narrator because he is not really objective and, more important, he is not always truthful. Instead, he is a liar, not the great one probably, but still he does lie over and over again throughout the book until the moment that he finally recognizes him being a liar. At the same time, Nick’s narration defines, to a significant extent, the perception of other characters as well as Nick’s himself by the audience. In other words, even though Nick is a liar in a way, the audience has no other narrator to learn the Gatsby’s story from. This is why the audience relies on Nick entirely that means that the audience may also get tricked by him and perceive the story the way the narrator wants readers to perceive it. In such a way, F. Scott Fitzgerald reaches the desirable effect and influences the perception of specific characters through the way Nick depicts them to the audience but not in the way those characters actually are, if Nick’s judgments are left aside and the audience takes into consideration objective facts only.

In this regard, the beginning of the book is particularly important because this is the point, when the narrator attempts to persuade the audience in his absolute objectivity and truthfulness. He sets the mood of truthfulness and trust to his narrative and the audience does nto have any objective reason to doubt in his words, when Nick insists that he is “inclined to reserve all judgments,” (Fitzgerald 5). However, the further analysis of his words and actions as well as actions of other characters reveals the fact that he actually spends the remainder of the book forming judgments of all the other characters. For example, he gives his judgments on Gatsby: “Gatsby … represented everything for which I had an unaffected scorn.” (Fitzgerald 7). More important, he does it over and over again throughout the book. The same issue occurs to other characters that comes into the direct conflict with his words about his honesty, objectivity and freedom of any judgments. The problem is that readers may simply fail to notice this trend and still perceive the story he narrates from his standpoint and take it for granted as if his narrative is still the absolute truth. Anyway, what Nick actually does is he presents himself as the non-judgmental, objective narrator that readers learn at the beginning of the book, and then he tells the entire story and the audience is likely to trust him, while this is probably the biggest lie of the entire book.

Ultimatley, Nick admits: “I m thirty, I said. I’m five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor” (Fitzgerald, 174). In such a way, Nick recognizes that he is a liar, but the fact that he admits it implies that the writer appeals to the audience and encourages readers to follow the lead of Nick and to stop lying not only to others but also to themselves. Nick admits that he was lying but this is the purposeful revelation that aims at readers. He also admits that it is too late for him to keep lying.

at the same time, the revelation that Nick is the liar and the recognition of this feature of his reveals that, in spite of being too old to be a liar, he actually is a liar and keeps lying over and over again. Therefore, Nick is apparently unlikely to change himself and he will be the liar. His confession of being a liar is the appeal to the audience to change oneself before it is too late as is the case of Nick.

In addition, the episode, when Nick finally recognizes that he is a liar and he can do nothing to change his lying nature, also reveals the human nature because the question that begs is whether people can really stop being liars or they just have the same experience as Nick does. His experience and his revelation also reveals the overwhelming power of lie over humans. He is a reasonable, rational character, who does his best to be objective but always slips to biases and judgments he makes about others. He probably does it because it is a part of human nature, but reason allows people to prevent biased and prejudiced attitude to others and, thus, from being liars. As Nick failed, he has proved that it is extremely difficult for people to be absolutely honest and give up lying.

Finally, on analyzing the lying nature of Nick, the last question that remains unanswered is the question whether lie is really essential for Nick and for people at large. The question that Nick and the writer never raise throughout the book is implicit. Would people be able to live the lfie without lie and, if they did, would their truthfulness be always good? This question is rather philosophic and not openly present in the book but Nick’s character and his self-revelation as a liar give implications to the greater question of the role of truth and lie in the life of people and which of them is actually better for people, lie or truth.

Thus, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the narrator as a tool to lead the audience the wrong way and to view and perceive other characters and events he describes from his subjective and biased perspective. In this regard, it is crucial that Nick presents himself as objective and non-judgmental narrator at the beginning of the book and slips to lying throughout the entire book over and over again to end up recognizing himself to be a liar. Such narrative and narrator allow the writer to manipulate with the perception of characters and their actions as well as raise important philosophic questions concerning truth and lie and their role and importance in human life.

Reflection

  1. To what extent does Gatsby embody the American Dream?

Gatsby personifies the American Dream, to a significant extent, but he even goes further and ruins it. Gatsby is the key character with regard to the American dream. He is the character that has it and pursues it but comes up being absolutely disenchanted in what he has pursued. He has different sources of inspiration that nourish his dream and keep it growing stronger at first. For example, his acquaintance with the Carraways and their story can hardly keep him from admiring them and his faith in the American Dream should have grown ever stronger. Anyway, their example should have inspired him since “the Carraways are something of a clan, and we have a tradition that we’re descended from the Dukes of Buccleuch, but the actual founder of my line was my grandfather’s brother, who came here in fifty-one, sent a substitute to the Civil War, and started the wholesale hardware business that my father carries on to-day” (Fitzgerald 31). The great success story of the Carrways is really inspiring, epsceially for Gatsby, who strives to break through social class barriers and get wealthy, in spite of his origin and background. He is still pursuing his American Dream. However, the more he learns about the upper-class world, the more disenchanted he grows about his American Dream. He ultimately learns that the American Dream is an unattainable illusion, a mirage that will never come true. His disappointment and failure to make his American Dream come true and his disenchantment with the upper-class society and its lifestyle mean the downfall, if not to say destruction of the American Dream.

  1. Gatsby remarks on page 120 that Daisy’s voice is “full of money.” How do you interpret Gatsby’s description of her voice?

The writer uses the metaphor, when he refers to Daisy’s voice as the voice “full of money”. Gatsby, who pursued wealth at all costs describes it as follows: “Her voice is full of money,” he said suddenly. That was it. I’d never understood before. It was full of money – that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals’ song of it… high in a white palace the king’s daughter, the golden girl” (Fitzgerald 120). This means that her voice is a great hope for him. Her voice is pleasant to hear for him and her voice is ideal for him because this is the voice of the wealthy, young lady which he would like to stand on the equal ground with. Her voice personifies wealth and her voice is catching, attractive and seductive that make it very similar to the effect of money and wealth itself which is also as attractive, catching and seductive as is Daisy’s voice. Such a metaphor is very skillful and reveals the mastery of the writer in the revelation of the deepest aspirations and feelings of the main characters of the book and uncovering their true nature.

 

Works Cited:

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. Great Gatsby.  New York: Penguin Classics, 2015.

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016.

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
Available at:

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]
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