Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Characterization of Nick

"In consequence, I'm inclined to reserve all judgments, a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me and also made me the victim of not a few veteran bores." (pg 1)
I felt that the narrator, Nick, was especially hard to characterize. I think that he is a very lonesome person who is trying to discover his place in life. Having just recently moved to New York alone, Nick lives in a tiny unattractive home that sits across from Jay Gatsby's mansion. In a way, I think these two characters are somewhat similar because they are both fairly lonely. Nick mentions on pg 42 that at his first visit to Gatsby's party he feels as if he is floating around groups of strangers. He finally says that he "slunk off in the direction of the cocktail table- the only place in the garden where a single man could linger without looking purposeless and alone."
I also found Nick to be a bit hypocritical. On the first page Nick mentions that he reserves his judgments and does not criticize people. However, there is a scene where Nick is in the car with Gatsby and he find himself pondering whether or not the things Gatsby is saying are actually true or not. Nick seems to allow the perceptions other people have of Jay Gatsby affect his own opinion of him. I also found it strange that Nick considers himself an honest person and yet he suspects Gatsby and Jordan of being untruthful. "I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known."

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