I think F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote Nick Carraway as a developing character. Nick learns and explores the story line as the reader might. He is primarily suspicious of Gatsby, because of his shady past, but becomes fonder of him once he learns his real intentions. While Nick doesn't provide much insight for the reader, he acts as a guide so the reader can view the plot through a neutral eye. At times he seemed as clueless as a person reading the book for the first time, perhaps because of his aversion to judging others, however, this quality allowed me as the reader to make my own conclusions and discoveries about the Great Gatsby. -Sofia Panarella
I believe FItzgerald chose Carraway to be the narrator because Carraway is the only character in the novel that is at the center of the action yet completely in the background. This is because Carraway is only interested in the truth that he can see in people, which allows the audience to have a sort of first hand view to the characters in their purest forms, as they see all aspects of their personalities being shown.This being the main reason Carraway makes a good narrator, their is another quality he possesses that makes the audience hang on until the end of the story: Carraway's insistent outlook that everyone will turn out to be good in the end. While it may seem a little naive to think so, this quality transfers to the audience, which makes its so that they cannot form their full opinion until the very end of the story, which I think is crucial quality of a good narrator.
At the beginning of the novel, Nick wants wealth and he sees the respect, power, and 'happiness' that it can give a person. This idea is reinforced in Nick by Gatsby who is living a very luxurious life and has everything he ever thought he wanted. But as the novel progresses, Nick begins to see what money cannot get a person because of Gatsby's relationship with Daisy. Nick sees that money never gave Gatsby love or true happiness and his money actually made him obsess and craze over his relationship eventually leading to his death. Then Nick realizes the true worth of money and how insignificant it is.
I also wanted to expand on what some other people said during the seminar about Nick being 'drunk'. Throughout the novel until the end, it seemed as if to Nick that everything was speeding by emotionally. It would be easy to compare it to a short vacation or a roller coaster ride. The experience goes by really fast and only at the end can you look back and feel the emotion of the experience. It seemed as if Nick was immune to his emotions until the end and at the end of the novel (the last four pages or so) Nick begins to feel many, different emotions; regret, remorse, happiness, and so on.
Many people in the seminar commented on how unbiased and nonjudgmental Nick is. However, the feeling I got from Nick much of the time was that he was extremely judgmental, but he just didn't show it. On the first page of chapter 1, Nick says he is "inclined to RESERVE all judgements." What that means to me is that Nick is not a nonjudgmental free person by choice, but by habit. In fact, he calls it a habit on the first page. It makes sense that Nick would be judgmental; since Nick is a watcher, he probably has this whole bank of knowledge about social cues and what it means by the way people act just from what he has sat back and watched over the years. With all of that information about why people act the way they do, it would be easy to quickly judge a person.
In the first chapter Nick says "Reserving judgements is a matter of infinite hope", and I believe this is explaining the way people will act and say how they feel. Throughout the book Nick gains an understanding of the different ways people are effected by problems in there lives.
Today, I found it interesting that we were talking about Nick and the if he changed throughout the novel. I would like to say yes, someone said in sixth period on Friday that Nick is like a sponge who absorbs the other characters personalities and emotions, and embodying those character in the way of narration and understanding, thus making him go through changes. I would also like to highlight another idea someone else said about Nick creating the "domino effect". Before Nick got there everything seemed to be at a stand still, but once he got into the story and began to absorb the characters and really tell their story, events began to happen, the story moved forward in pace and plot, which I believe is something all narrators should be able to do. Fitzgerald just had Nick do it in a way that us as readers aren't familiar with, making Nick Carraway a perfect choice for the narrator.
My class was overwhelmingly positive about the character Nick Carraway. However, I wanted to make a point about Nick and some of his faults. As a narrator I understand why he was written how he was. Fitzgerald may not have wanted a flashy or opinionated voice to tell his story, but as a character I think Nick falls short. Throughout the novel I couldn't help feel like Nick was out of place. Not in a "Westerner gone East" kind of way, but like he wasn't helping the story and he was merely tagging along in a life that wasn't designed for him. It bothered me that he wasn't more helpful towards Gatsby, as a friend, and the way he acts so shocked when no one shows up for Gatsby's funeral shows how naive and unobservant he is. In my other comment I spoke about his good qualities as a narrator, and I stick to those thoughts, but a quality narrator doesn't always make for a beneficial or necessary character.
Today we discussed if Nick had changed from the beginning to the end of the novel. We also discussed the state of him in the beginning of the novel. We discussed how the war may have affected him and how he didn't discuss it throughout the book. But after reading All Quiet on the Western Front, many of the men came back shell shocked and with emotional caios which I believe that Nick had in the beginning. I think that Nick was somewhat emotionless and just looking for a thrill and that is why he went to New York. There is a quote on page 5 or so that he states "I had the familiar conviction that life was beginning over with the summer." Which brings me back to the last comment and I think that when he went to war life did begin over again and when he came back he was a changed man and then he went to NYC to start a new life. I found it fascinating that from the beginning of the book Nick has the sense the life was starting over again and by the end he is a new changed man because he did live a life over summer and he was able to life and change.
I also find that quote to be one of the most fascinating in the novel. Nick is a person who seems to actively and consciously seek change and new challenges in his life. This quote reveals this quality to readers from the very beginning. In the end though, Nick returns to his home, perhaps giving up his need for change after his experiences with Gatsby, or perhaps only waiting for his next new experience to come along.
I find it interesting that Fitzgerald focuses more on the character Nick Carraway rather then the 'main' character Gatsby. I feel that Nick like we discussed in my class is there though for the purpose to symbolize the audience. For me, every time Nick felt something I felt the same thing, when he was made at anyone I tended to be as well. I wasn't exactly sure why at the moment, but now I realize that the reason I shared similar emotions with Nick was because I 'became' Nick I guess you could say. I feel that this is Nick's only purpose in the story there's no below the surface meaning for Nick except he is the audience, which is what causes the story to seem as if its revolving around the reader.
I liked the idea today that was brought up in another groups poster about Daisy and how her life resembles an egg. I wanted to expand that to her life resembles an Easter Egg. On the outside of her is this beautiful, pretty, and detailed shell. She, for the most part, acts sophisticated and she is very pretty putting up a front that she must be sophisticated and beautiful on the inside too, like candy. But,as was already mentioned, there is nothing on the inside of her except for secrets and foolishness. She was cheating on Tom, she is depressed, and she wishes for her child to be a fool as well. In reality, there is absolutely nothing worth a person's time on the inside of the beautiful egg.
I think F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote Nick Carraway as a developing character. Nick learns and explores the story line as the reader might. He is primarily suspicious of Gatsby, because of his shady past, but becomes fonder of him once he learns his real intentions. While Nick doesn't provide much insight for the reader, he acts as a guide so the reader can view the plot through a neutral eye. At times he seemed as clueless as a person reading the book for the first time, perhaps because of his aversion to judging others, however, this quality allowed me as the reader to make my own conclusions and discoveries about the Great Gatsby.
ReplyDelete-Sofia Panarella
I believe FItzgerald chose Carraway to be the narrator because Carraway is the only character in the novel that is at the center of the action yet completely in the background. This is because Carraway is only interested in the truth that he can see in people, which allows the audience to have a sort of first hand view to the characters in their purest forms, as they see all aspects of their personalities being shown.This being the main reason Carraway makes a good narrator, their is another quality he possesses that makes the audience hang on until the end of the story: Carraway's insistent outlook that everyone will turn out to be good in the end. While it may seem a little naive to think so, this quality transfers to the audience, which makes its so that they cannot form their full opinion until the very end of the story, which I think is crucial quality of a good narrator.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the novel, Nick wants wealth and he sees the respect, power, and 'happiness' that it can give a person. This idea is reinforced in Nick by Gatsby who is living a very luxurious life and has everything he ever thought he wanted. But as the novel progresses, Nick begins to see what money cannot get a person because of Gatsby's relationship with Daisy. Nick sees that money never gave Gatsby love or true happiness and his money actually made him obsess and craze over his relationship eventually leading to his death. Then Nick realizes the true worth of money and how insignificant it is.
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to expand on what some other people said during the seminar about Nick being 'drunk'. Throughout the novel until the end, it seemed as if to Nick that everything was speeding by emotionally. It would be easy to compare it to a short vacation or a roller coaster ride. The experience goes by really fast and only at the end can you look back and feel the emotion of the experience. It seemed as if Nick was immune to his emotions until the end and at the end of the novel (the last four pages or so) Nick begins to feel many, different emotions; regret, remorse, happiness, and so on.
ReplyDeleteMany people in the seminar commented on how unbiased and nonjudgmental Nick is. However, the feeling I got from Nick much of the time was that he was extremely judgmental, but he just didn't show it. On the first page of chapter 1, Nick says he is "inclined to RESERVE all judgements." What that means to me is that Nick is not a nonjudgmental free person by choice, but by habit. In fact, he calls it a habit on the first page. It makes sense that Nick would be judgmental; since Nick is a watcher, he probably has this whole bank of knowledge about social cues and what it means by the way people act just from what he has sat back and watched over the years. With all of that information about why people act the way they do, it would be easy to quickly judge a person.
ReplyDeleteIn the first chapter Nick says "Reserving judgements is a matter of infinite hope", and I believe this is explaining the way people will act and say how they feel. Throughout the book Nick gains an understanding of the different ways people are effected by problems in there lives.
ReplyDeleteToday, I found it interesting that we were talking about Nick and the if he changed throughout the novel. I would like to say yes, someone said in sixth period on Friday that Nick is like a sponge who absorbs the other characters personalities and emotions, and embodying those character in the way of narration and understanding, thus making him go through changes.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to highlight another idea someone else said about Nick creating the "domino effect". Before Nick got there everything seemed to be at a stand still, but once he got into the story and began to absorb the characters and really tell their story, events began to happen, the story moved forward in pace and plot, which I believe is something all narrators should be able to do. Fitzgerald just had Nick do it in a way that us as readers aren't familiar with, making Nick Carraway a perfect choice for the narrator.
My class was overwhelmingly positive about the character Nick Carraway. However, I wanted to make a point about Nick and some of his faults. As a narrator I understand why he was written how he was. Fitzgerald may not have wanted a flashy or opinionated voice to tell his story, but as a character I think Nick falls short. Throughout the novel I couldn't help feel like Nick was out of place. Not in a "Westerner gone East" kind of way, but like he wasn't helping the story and he was merely tagging along in a life that wasn't designed for him. It bothered me that he wasn't more helpful towards Gatsby, as a friend, and the way he acts so shocked when no one shows up for Gatsby's funeral shows how naive and unobservant he is. In my other comment I spoke about his good qualities as a narrator, and I stick to those thoughts, but a quality narrator doesn't always make for a beneficial or necessary character.
ReplyDeleteToday we discussed if Nick had changed from the beginning to the end of the novel. We also discussed the state of him in the beginning of the novel. We discussed how the war may have affected him and how he didn't discuss it throughout the book. But after reading All Quiet on the Western Front, many of the men came back shell shocked and with emotional caios which I believe that Nick had in the beginning. I think that Nick was somewhat emotionless and just looking for a thrill and that is why he went to New York. There is a quote on page 5 or so that he states "I had the familiar conviction that life was beginning over with the summer." Which brings me back to the last comment and I think that when he went to war life did begin over again and when he came back he was a changed man and then he went to NYC to start a new life. I found it fascinating that from the beginning of the book Nick has the sense the life was starting over again and by the end he is a new changed man because he did live a life over summer and he was able to life and change.
ReplyDeleteI also find that quote to be one of the most fascinating in the novel. Nick is a person who seems to actively and consciously seek change and new challenges in his life. This quote reveals this quality to readers from the very beginning. In the end though, Nick returns to his home, perhaps giving up his need for change after his experiences with Gatsby, or perhaps only waiting for his next new experience to come along.
DeleteI find it interesting that Fitzgerald focuses more on the character Nick Carraway rather then the 'main' character Gatsby. I feel that Nick like we discussed in my class is there though for the purpose to symbolize the audience. For me, every time Nick felt something I felt the same thing, when he was made at anyone I tended to be as well. I wasn't exactly sure why at the moment, but now I realize that the reason I shared similar emotions with Nick was because I 'became' Nick I guess you could say. I feel that this is Nick's only purpose in the story there's no below the surface meaning for Nick except he is the audience, which is what causes the story to seem as if its revolving around the reader.
ReplyDeleteI liked the idea today that was brought up in another groups poster about Daisy and how her life resembles an egg. I wanted to expand that to her life resembles an Easter Egg. On the outside of her is this beautiful, pretty, and detailed shell. She, for the most part, acts sophisticated and she is very pretty putting up a front that she must be sophisticated and beautiful on the inside too, like candy. But,as was already mentioned, there is nothing on the inside of her except for secrets and foolishness. She was cheating on Tom, she is depressed, and she wishes for her child to be a fool as well. In reality, there is absolutely nothing worth a person's time on the inside of the beautiful egg.
ReplyDelete