Silence In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is an elegant piece that begins with the narrator, Nick Carraway, introducing the main characters of the novel, including himself. He focuses on Jay Gatsby, declaring him to be the protagonist of the novel with one goal in mind – to win over his old lover, and Carraway’s cousin, Daisy Buchanan. Carraway throughout the story observes, without much interference from him, the immoral and shallow lives of those around him and eventually the downfall of Gatsby. While The Great Gatsby has a variety of relevant themes, one such often overlooked is the power of silence which can be observed in the character development of Nick Carraway. Carraway’s silent nature is frequently seen in the novel. On page one he states his father and he have “…always been unusually communicative in a reserved way…” (Fitzgerald). His suggestion hints at a tendency to convey his thoughts without much verbalization. However, a person unused to this could easily …show more content…
For example, when he confronts Gatsby over the hit and run, Gatsby is unsure as to whether or not Daisy and him were seen leaving the crime scene. “I disliked him so much by that time that I didn't find it necessary to tell him he was wrong” (Fitzgerald 143). Nick is very aware of the truth and that the truth could and more than likely lead to trouble for Gatsby. So, rather than inform him of the truth Nick chooses instead to hide the truth and allow him to run into trouble even though Nick knew Gatsby was not actually the culprit. As Boyle states, “Nick instead becomes an accomplice after after the fact by concealing Daisy’s crime of manslaughter” (22). Furthermore, when he reencounters Tom he clearly rejects his welcoming and says “You know what I think of you” causing Tom to become defencive (Fitzgerald 178). His rejection and words are straightforward than when he was originally