1 ENGL 4351 Assignment 2 Topic 1 X00021174 Blake Salemink 10 8 16 Word Count 1690 According to Nick Carraway Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues and this is mine I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known p 59 An honest heart learns more and appreciates more Nick Carraway may be that person and seems portrayed as rather innocent Nick Carraway the narrator of the story does not have enough character to see through the misleadings of the other characters as depicted by Nick The honesty of Carraway and his narration allows the hero Gatsby to exist as a figure with rich powerful lucky and mythic qualities Nick s honesty is thus a foil for those around him As a foil and narrator Nick also takes part in the story While investigating rumours of himself he meets Tom Buchanan with his cousin Daisy They only exchange niceties Nick and Daisy through the story but Nick seems to dislike Tom throughout Because of his dislike much of his participation in the story and his forgone conclusion Gatsby turned out alright and matching Gatsby with Daisy we see a character who brings out good in others and even pushes Gatsby when he comments that she is sitting in there all alone p 88 When he was younger and more vulnerable Nick got some important advice Nick s father told him that Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone just remember that all people in this world haven t had the advantages that you ve had p 1 This suggests a quiet 2 nature and an honest narration on the first page of T he Great Gatsby From the very get go of the story you already have a glimpse into the ethical core and nature of the narrator This distills an impression on the reader that the narrator is reflective well taught and has a good personality which is reflective to his actions in a manner that is potentially a good influence on others in the story as a catalyst to the love interest of Mr Gatsby his neighbour Nick prides himself on being honest He has a college education and his defensive reaction in The Great Gatsby show his humiliation in being unjustly accused of being a politician because I was privy to the secret griefs of wild unknown men p 1 I assert that the beginning and end bookend Nick with claims of honesty The beginning shows his good upbringing and also that he felt bad being accused of being a politician and the ending highlights his resolve in being thought of as honest and through it all Nick still maintains honour and even though he sometimes seems ambivalent his honesty does not go past a fault and is as honest as honest may be Another character Jordan Baker who appears to like Nick seems castaway by him In the end Jordan Baker accuses Nick of being dishonest This accusal of Nick is proven wrong several times Nick s character of honesty trumps Jordan because of her emotional infatuation with Nick Nick is repelled by her as he grows to know her cheating ways such as cheating in golf Jordan Baker instinctively avoided clever shrewd men and now I saw that this was because she felt safer on a plane where any divergence from a code would be thought impossible She was incurably dishonest She wasn t able to endure being at a disadvantage and given this unwillingness I suppose she had begun dealing in subterfuges when she was very young in order to keep that 3 cool insolent smile turned to the world and yet satisfy the demands of her hard jaunty body p 57 58 After Nick and Jordan s awkward conversation in which he continues to resist her making up excuses not to meet her breaking up with her in which she holds a grudge till the end of the story where projecting her frustrations on Nick calls him on his bluff as being a liar He still bets though Jordan criticizing Nick in the metaphor of a friend being a driver says You said a bad driver was only safe until she met another bad driver Well I met another bad driver didn t I I mean it was careless of me to make such a wrong guess I thought you were rather an honest straightforward person I thought it was your secret pride I m thirty Nick said I m five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor p 177 Jordan Baker who projects her dishonesty on to Nick shows the nature of a liar For the most part an honest account is required because of the double standard by Daisy and Tom We could see by their sins they may not be truthful and this need to be inspected by Nick They needed to be described impartially without bias or a hidden agenda I assert more evidence of good character proving Nick honest as a narrator and by his wants and or actions that his being related to the love interest of Mr Gatsby his willingness and allowance of Mr Gatsby and actually helping Mr Gatsby be with his cousin Daisy show a humility towards others and a usefulness in the story to not just be a narrator but develop plot and character in other characters I imply that Nick has fulfilled an honest account of events he truly is one of few honest people I has ever known I assert Nick has a good understanding of himself so he 4 could know himself enough to make this statement His modest character is complemented by Gatsby s overbearing nature The reason he appreciates Gatsby even though scorning him for his mystique or suave and because he is so much like Nick s opposite and like a hero for Nick Nick seems to favour Gatsby especially over Tom The story being called T he Great Gatsby supports this assumption Nick likes the story of Gatsby Gatsby grew up poor and made something of himself unlike Tom who inherited from birthright Nick Carraway may be somewhat enlightened Educated and of proud birth what he lacks is the wealth and power of Tom and Gatsby He makes up for in a balanced even keel mind and a modest humble persona Because of these he makes a good narrator His reserved nature and insight is furthered by many of the comments such as Either you ought to be more careful or you oughtn t to drive at all p 58 The literal accident between Daisy and Tom towards Myrtle Wilson shows this hindsight and also Nick s symbolically crashing into Jordan Baker where she calls him out as being a bad driver in having relationships or ending them The ambivalent nature of Nick supports his character as honest Early on Nick admits the interest rather touched him and made them his cousin and Tom Buchanan seem less remotely rich nevertheless he was confused and a little disgusted p 20 Nick appears naive and adventurous yet he is easily influenced especially by Jay Gatsby perhaps because of his wealth and power and seems rather submissive in his facilitating relations between his cousin Daisy and Gatsby Nick s enabling behavior towards Gatsby supports him being a foil and this character attribute in this story seems faultless without desire for reward plainly to help and experience or socialize with Gatsby Nick s character appeals to the reader by showing development in his character as Carraway warns from Gatsby s failure Readings from Critics 5 p 68 This appeal is on a level of trust to the reader building character in Carraway and an understanding of weaknesses translate to a world that is vast in the eyes of Carraway but also full of opportunity to his relationships with rich and successful people like Gatsby who also can make mistakes we see and that Carraway very prudently can learn from When a narrator is also a character with all that this implies of personality and responsibility we readers are forced to be more alert Readings p 68 Nick s personality supports and honest account he is tolerant open minded quiet and a good listener and as a result others tend to talk to him and tell him their secrets Sparknotes Major Characters par 8 Virtues often co exist with vices Because of this Nick sometimes comes off as an unreliable narrator He tends to judge people on their physical appearance Gatsby s smile is talked about a considerable amount of time while Tom s appearance was summed up in a couple of sentences prezi Maybe Nick believes a person s appearance affect and suggest a certain personality Yet many things are implied Nick as a foil does not shake hands with Tom in his revelation of the truth Tom asks What s the matter Nick Do you object to shaking hands with me And Nick replies Yes You knew what I think of you p 178 Further evidence of honestly is shown in Nick s puritan like relationships and his conflict with his relationship with Jordan Baker Nick is attracted to the fun fast paced fun driven lifestyle of New York yet he finds the lifestyle grotesque and damaging Sparknotes Major Characters par 9 This inner conflict is symbolized throughout the book by Nick s romantic affair with Jordan Baker He is attracted to her vivacity and her sophistication yet her dishonesty and her lack of consideration for other people Sparknotes Major Characters par 9 pangs him His character attraction to others shows his desire for honesty and suggest there he would seek the same qualities in himself 6 The smooth veneer of Carraway s public written narrative Readings p 69 attests of events which is proven viable reliable and honest because of many factors his character and history shines a light his honesty Nick shows how a good upbringing can help a person greatly in their adult life He also shows how valuable honesty is As an admirable virtue it can add in life such as with Gatsby and Daisy or with learning the character of Jordan Baker Nick Carraway s honesty in T he Great Gatsby proves a foil is only as good as those around him and rising above requires a patient temperament combined with honesty and a love for life 7 Works Cited Primary Fitzgerald F Scott The Great Gatsby Scribner New York 1925 TRU OL Units 1 7 ENGL 4351 Modern American Literature Open Learning Agency Thompson Rivers 1997 TRU OL Readings From the Critics ENGL 442 Modern American Fiction Open Learning Agency Thompson Rivers 1997 Secondary THE GREAT GATSBY Analysis of Major Characters SparkNotes SparkNotes 2016 Web 17 Sept 2016 THE GREAT GATSBY Character List SparkNotes SparkNotes 2016 Web 17 Sept 2016 Popova Alina The Great Gatsby Is Nick A Reliable Narrator Prezi com N p 2014 Web 06 Oct 2016 Reprinted from Critiscism 8 Winter 1966 by Gary Scrimgeor by permission of the Wayne State University Press Copyright 1966 Wayne State University Press