It is a recurring theme in life, history, and literature, that there is an ordinary man behind every extraordinary one. In the Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald’s character and narrator Nick Carraway is by all means an ordinary man. After growing up in a prominent family in Chicago, going to Yale, and fighting in World War One, Nick moves New York City to start a life in the bond business where he first encounters Jay Gatsby, the paradigm of a truly extraordinary man. After getting a taste of the superfluous lives of the wealthy, Nick falls into the role of a empathetic, encouraging, and trustworthy confidant for many of the characters in this modernist novel. To a fellow Yale classmate, Tom Buchanan, Nick acts as a supportive friend,, to his
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On one hand Nick’s character represents practicality, ethics, and mediocrity, and on the other Gatsby represents success, corruption, and extravagance. Even more so, Gatsby symbolizes the allure of the American dream, while Nick epitomises those who are enticed by its promise of prosperity. After finishing this novel, a reader might wonder why he or she was so easily fooled by Gatsby’s false integrity. In reality, Gatsby did not just pass secrets to his friend and confidant, Nick, but he also metaphorically “threw dust in [Nick’s] eyes just like he did Daisy” (Fitzgerald 119), blurring Nick's vision between right and wrong. In the end, it is not Gatsby who attempts to justify his indiscretions and corruption, but instead it is Nick who skews the reader's perception of Gatsby because he is blinded by the seduction of his lifestyle. The foil between Gatsby and Nick is central to the meaning of the work because similarly to Nick, the reader is fooled into ignoring the underlying tone of moral carelessness due to the allure of Gatsby’s American Dream story. The juxtaposition and character foil between these two characters also helps add to the theme that frivolousness and superficiality are concomitant to both capitalism and the American
On one hand Nick’s character represents practicality, ethics, and mediocrity, and on the other Gatsby represents success, corruption, and extravagance. Even more so, Gatsby symbolizes the allure of the American dream, while Nick epitomises those who are enticed by its promise of prosperity. After finishing this novel, a reader might wonder why he or she was so easily fooled by Gatsby’s false integrity. In reality, Gatsby did not just pass secrets to his friend and confidant, Nick, but he also metaphorically “threw dust in [Nick’s] eyes just like he did Daisy” (Fitzgerald 119), blurring Nick's vision between right and wrong. In the end, it is not Gatsby who attempts to justify his indiscretions and corruption, but instead it is Nick who skews the reader's perception of Gatsby because he is blinded by the seduction of his lifestyle. The foil between Gatsby and Nick is central to the meaning of the work because similarly to Nick, the reader is fooled into ignoring the underlying tone of moral carelessness due to the allure of Gatsby’s American Dream story. The juxtaposition and character foil between these two characters also helps add to the theme that frivolousness and superficiality are concomitant to both capitalism and the American