Summary Of The Great Gatsby – English Essay
To Jay Gatsby, he only had one person he could truly confide in and tell his stories and problems to, and that person was Nick Carraway. Nick was Gatsby’s confidant, and throughout the novel exhibited ways he functioned as
that confidant. Also, if Nick wasn’t in the novel, the novel would have holes and missing information that only Nick was privy to, and the story wouldn’t unfold without him.
In class we discussed how Nick is the observer, basically being brought into all of the happenings in the novel between Daisy, Tom, Jordan, and Gatsby. He always seems to be dragged along, and instead of protesting he goes along with it, sometimes letting a wise crack or opinion come out of his mouth. But, throughout these happenings, he’s always been a friend to Gatsby. There are times that Nick questions whether or not Gatsby is telling the truth, or lying, but through the book Nick stays faithful to Gatsby.
Since Nick stays so faithful, he witnesses events that the other characters have not witnessed. For example, you can remember back to when he’s with Tom in New York meeting Myrtle. He witnesses their relationship first hand, unlike the rest of the characters. If Nick hadn’t have been with Tom, the reader would be oblivious to how Myrtle is as a character, and as Tom’s lover. You’d also miss out on the dog Tom purchased for Myrtle, and how it connects with the death of Myrtle.
Though Gatsby and Nick have a funny relationship in the novel, they still get along nicely. Nick always is questioning whether or not Gatsby is telling the truth, and Gatsby is always making sure Nick keeps his lawn trimmed to perfection. Gatsby reveals to Nick his dreams with Daisy and Gatsby never seem to let go of those dreams. Nick accepts the fact that Gatsby is hopelessly in love with a person he’ll never get back, but without him being told Gatsby’s dream, the readers wouldn’t realize how deeply infatuated Gatsby is with Daisy. The hopelessness of the romance is comical in a sense, because Nick realizes his dream will never come true because time can’t turn back.
Nick seems to pop up in certain places throughout the novel, at the right time. Nick ends up at Daisy and Tom’s house after the extravaganza at the hotel in New York, and sees Gatsby watching over Daisy. While Nick is watching, he notices Tom and Daisy sitting discussing what they should do about what happened. Without Nick being present with Gatsby, the reader wouldn’t realize that Tom and Daisy were preparing to take a long trip to a far away place, deserting the problems that arose in West Egg.
Last, Gatsby confides in Nick his history and his family. Nick learns how Gatsby is involved in the bond business, and how his family is “dead”. Nick also gets to see Gatsby’s father swell up with pride on his son’s achievements, when everyone else thought he was dead. Nick gets more information then any other character in the book, and he gets the same amount of information from every character. He is the only one that knows 110% about Tom, Daisy, Jordan, and Gatsby. Without Nick, there wouldn’t be a novel.
Too much would be left out of the novel if Nick wasn’t there. He seals up all the cracks and holes of information and acts as a true friend to Gatsby until the end unlike any other characters in the novel.