Contradictions In The Great Gatsby

In 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote the novel, The Great Gatsby, that is now known as a classic. The Great Gatsby describes the society of the 1920s and tells a timeless story that transports readers into a different era. The story takes place in New York City which, during the Jazz Age, was dripping with outlawed alcohol. It concentrates on a specific love affair of Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. Fitzgerald incorporates issues of the time period such as race, women’s roles, the makeup of a family, and even homosexuality. Despite the immense popularity and recognition of the film today, during Fitzgerald’s life, he sold less than twenty-five thousand copies (Donahue). Nick Carraway serves as the narrator of the story and establishes himself

One profound moment in the book occurs in a single statement. After Nick tells Gatsby that he is worth more than all the shallow people like the Buchanans, Carraway says “I’ve always been glad I said that. It was the only compliment I ever gave him, because I disapproved of him from beginning to end”(Fitzgerald 154). Its contradictions reflect the complexity of their friendship. It also reveals the goodness of Carraway’s character. Nick is a man who looks for the good in others, but he is not blind to the flaws people possess. Though Nick never approved of Gatsby, he went to great lengths to have Gatsby be honored after he died. He felt as though this was his responsibility; Nick was the only person in New York who

Nick said that this part of his life made him realize how much of a push-over he truly was. He said he just went along with whatever happened, but if he would have spoke up or done something, a lot of sorrow would have been saved. The one action that he wishes he would have done was speak with Daisy alone. She was the center of the conflict, and she trusted him. He said that he knows that if he would have talked to Daisy, he would have been able to help her make up her mind on what she was going to do. Gatsby and Tom were polar opposites, so Nick, being a level-headed person, would have helped her decipher the pros and cons of each relationship. He could have had her make a decision while she was thinking clearly, therefore preventing the situation in the hotel. As we finished our conversation, it looked as though Nick was retreating into himself. The more questions we asked, the more he realized that his decisions affected the lives of many