Bystanders are often criticized for their passiveness and lack of response; however this criticism can turn into admiration when the spectators become narrators. Brilliant narrators are often bystanders in the story they are describing; playing a passive role gives them a sense of middleness. Another attribute which makes bystanders excellent narrators is their ability to report rather than comment. Reporting transmits information to the reader without personal opinion, allowing readers to formulate their own viewpoint. On the contrary, commentary is when the author gives information that influences the reader’s point of view on a specific aspect of the story. The book The Great Gatsby, which was recently turned into movie, written by
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New York is a bustling city full of opportunities to get involved in Wall Street trading; Nick and, “a young man at the office [planned to] take a house together” to get into this expanding market (Fitzgerald 5). Having to share the cost to live in a “beaten cardboard bungalow” proves Nick is not in the upper nor the lower class, but the middle-working class. Being in the middle class represents Nick’s levelness in the story. Another reason the audience sees Nick as an impartial narrator is through the way he does not approach others. Nick rarely chooses to meet a character; supporting characters often force him into greeting others, whether it is his cousin introducing him to Jordan Baker, a golfer, or his step-cousin introducing him to Myrtle Wilson. This gives the reader the impression that Nick is not actively seeking out new relationships, but is not indifferent because he is not avoiding confrontation. This is important because it demonstrates his position on this “middle ground”; neither active nor passive. Maya Samkanashvili, an author focused on the study of The Great Gatsby, goes so far as to claim that Nick is an, “innocent bystander” (Samkanashvili 76). She recognizes that Nick is uninvolved in the story and merely telling an accurate story of what transpired during his time in the
New York is a bustling city full of opportunities to get involved in Wall Street trading; Nick and, “a young man at the office [planned to] take a house together” to get into this expanding market (Fitzgerald 5). Having to share the cost to live in a “beaten cardboard bungalow” proves Nick is not in the upper nor the lower class, but the middle-working class. Being in the middle class represents Nick’s levelness in the story. Another reason the audience sees Nick as an impartial narrator is through the way he does not approach others. Nick rarely chooses to meet a character; supporting characters often force him into greeting others, whether it is his cousin introducing him to Jordan Baker, a golfer, or his step-cousin introducing him to Myrtle Wilson. This gives the reader the impression that Nick is not actively seeking out new relationships, but is not indifferent because he is not avoiding confrontation. This is important because it demonstrates his position on this “middle ground”; neither active nor passive. Maya Samkanashvili, an author focused on the study of The Great Gatsby, goes so far as to claim that Nick is an, “innocent bystander” (Samkanashvili 76). She recognizes that Nick is uninvolved in the story and merely telling an accurate story of what transpired during his time in the