Character: Nick Carraway

Role as Narrator

Nick Carraway is the novel’s first-person narrator, providing readers with an in-depth and personalised perspective of the story.
Although generally considered reliable, Nick’s close association with Gatsby and personal biases may result in subjective interpretation of events and characters.
This aspect encourages readers to apply critical thinking, questioning Carraway’s neutrality and checking his account against the evidences provided in the novel.

Character Traits

Nick is an impressionable individual with an inner conflict between his Midwestern values and the extravagant lifestyle of the East End.
F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays Nick as a figure of moral integrity, often contrasting him with the deceiving, superficial and morally compromised characters he encounters.
Despite his disapproval of Gatsby’s lifestyle, Nick displays an empathetic understanding towards Gatsby’s idealism and ambition.

Nick’s Relationship with Gatsby

Nick is a close confidante and the only true friend of Jay Gatsby.
Despite his initial prejudice, Nick grows to admire Gatsby’s immense hope and perseverance, which sets Gatsby apart from the shallow hedonism of the era.
Ironically, while he disapproves of Gatsby’s illegal means to achieve wealth, Nick yet becomes an aid to Gatsby’s pursuit of Daisy, showcasing a complex character trait.

Nick’s Transformation

Throughout the novel, Nick develops from a reserved observer to an involved participant, deepening his understanding of the socio-cultural landscape of the Roaring Twenties.
His experiences in New York cause him to become disenchanted with the extravagant and immoral lifestyle, leading him to retreat back to his Midwestern roots.
His final assessment of Gatsby as someone who possessed a “romantic readiness” but fell victim to a world unworthy of his dream, captures the essence of Fitzgerald’s critique of the American Dream.

Summary

Drawing the line between moral integrity and societal disillusionment, Nick Carraway stands as a pivotal conduit between the reader and the decadent world of The Great Gatsby. His evolution throughout the narrative, the complex relationships he maintains, and his pivotal role as the narrator ultimately paint a nuanced picture of the Jazz Age and its intrinsic fallacies.