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Explain Why Nick Makes The Great Gatsby Great

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Question 1
Explain why Nick thinks Gatsby is “great”.

Through the duration of The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway is the unreliable, and at times judgemental narrator. He characterizes the people surrounding him with quick judgements and fragments of details that he knows about their lives, with very little context as to how he learned this, or what the significance is. He speaks a biased truth through his own eyes, and leaves little room for counterargument. This often leaves the reader wonder what the truth about certain encounters really is, and whether or not Nick was actually being truthful. The most prominent example of this embellishment of the truth is in Carraway’s descriptions of Jay Gatsby,the mysterious millionaire and subject of the novel. Nick admires Gatsby, and holds him on a pedestal above all others. In his mind, Gatsby can do no wrong,and even if he does, it is not nearly as “bad” as when someone like Tom, Daisy, or Jordan does it. Nick thinks that Gatsby is “great” because his life is much more interesting and fulfilling than Nick’s, acts completely different to other types of wealthy people he knows, and has the hope to continue following his dreams. Nick is infatuated with Gatsby partially because of his adventurous, hustling life and morals, which is foreign to Nick. For example, when he and Gatsby first meet at one of his lavish parties, Nick states that this type of event is unusual for him, and, had Gatsby not invited him, he
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