How Is Nick Decent In The Great Gatsby

Superior Essays
Great Gatsby
Nick is the only decent person in the novel, explain:
Nick is the only decent person in The Great Gatsby. Nick lived during a time full of government corruption and extreme laws enforced to ban the supply of alcohol. Unlike the many people in his time nick strived to earn an honest living and proceeded to keep this mindset even when tempted a job offering in this type of field. Nicks ability to stick to his morals made him a very honourable character compared to the rest. In the end Nicks true characteristics and qualities prevailed and showed that he was loyal to not only himself but to Gatsby who had given him so much. These qualities and the lack of these qualities in his peers is what makes nick stand out as the only decent
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The day of Gatsby 's funeral turned to be a disaster for Nick who was been impatient and wondering why no one turned up to Gatsby 's funeral. "The minister glanced several times at his watch, so I took him aside and asked him to wait for half an hour, but it wasn 't any use nobody came" Everyone was on the Gatsby bandwagon when he was providing weekly parties filled with rich people and alcohol, but when all this came crashing down who was there to stand by Gatsby, or organise his funeral or even to go to his funeral. No one bothered now that he was gone except for Nick who organised his burial and the sale of Gatsby 's mansion. Nick was the only person to show emotion during this tragic event , the author symbolises his passion and emotion for Gatsby when nick says ' so I took him aside and asked him to wait half an hour '. The author Fitzgerald used this simple yet powerful statement to suggest that Gatsby was used by everyone during his time and when he was gone he was simply forgotten. Unlike Daisy, nick showed loyalty to Gatsby even when there was nothing left to gain. In the weeks leading up to the death of Jay Gatsby, daisy and himself had become quite close and were having an affair. When everything came crashing down due to the careless actions of daisy she merely disappeared and showed no sign of remorse for the death of Gatsby or myrtle. Sometime after Gatsby 's death nick says "Just as I was sure there 'd be a wire from daisy before noon-- but neither a wire nor Mr. Wolfsheim arrived. " the reader uses this quote to again symbolise that no one cared for the death of jay Gatsby and that he was simply forgotten. To see in two different quotes that no-one cared for Gatsby shows that he was simply used and makes the reader feel sympathy to Gatsby. Nicks loyalty is thoroughly shown throughout the book not only to Gatsby but to his wife

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