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Aaron Burr In The Great Gatsby

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Born on February 6, 1756, Aaron Burr was the most controversial vice president in U.S. history. He is most infamously known for being the man who killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel, but before all of that went down, Burr was a friend and compatriot who fought alongside Hamilton in the Revolutionary War. Burr was beside Hamilton through many significant events, such as being Washington’s secretary of the treasury, his marriage to Elizabeth Schuyler, and the death of his son, Philip. Above all, Burr was a witness to Hamilton’s immense love for his country, and his climb to the top where he fought for the approval of all. Much like Hamilton, Jay Gatsby is a climber, but with a companion who only witnesses select events in one period of his life. …show more content…

Nick Carraway had the honor of actually being one of his few actual friends. Before they befriended on another, Nick was much like everyone else; he knew and heard rumors of Gatsby, but that was all. One night, Nick witnessed an almost intimate moment of Gatsby’s yearning for something, though it was unclear what: “I didn’t call to him, for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone - he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way...I glanced seaward - and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that may have been the end of a dock” (20,21). Nick saw this odd occurrence, but thought little of it. He saw this man of conjecture and asked no questions about this clearly purposeful action of his. Shortly thereafter, Nick was invited to one of Gatsby’s famous parties, where he was given the opportunity to inspect the man behind the rumors. He noted, “no one swooned backward on Gatsby, and no French bob touched Gatsby’s shoulder, and no singing quartets were formed with Gatsby’s head for one link” (50). In Nick’s eyes, Gatsby seemed untouchable, but, when Nick got to know the man better, he conceded that “my first impression, that he was a person of some undefined consequence, had gradually faded and he had become simply the proprietor of an elaborate road-house next door” (64). Ultimately, Nick established that

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