Examples Of Judgement In The Great Gatsby

Poor judgement is the stem of many issues, especially in the context of social situations. The blurred lines between right and wrong lead to poor choices and major complications, sometimes going as far as death. F. Scott Fitzgerald 's The Great Gatsby emphasises the idea that poor choices can lead to disastrous events. Nick Carraway is a close acquaintance of Jay Gatsby, who ends up interfering in Gatsby 's fate and fates of others. Ironically he does so by doing nothing. Nick Carraway’s passive nature leads to the many mishaps in the novel, which stresses the idea that not being evil does not necessarily make someone a good person. Had Carraway been less apathetic, the death of Gatsby and of Myrtle could have been prevented. The issues in the novel are rooted in Carraway’s passive tendencies towards the actions of the people around him. “I’m inclined to reserve all judgements” (1) Nick states at the beginning of the novel, which instantly sets up his passivity. His passiveness sparks complications early on, such as when Tom takes Nick to meet Myrtle in secret. Nick tags along because he “had nothing better to do” (24) and seems to have little qualms about the fact that Tom is cheating on Daisy openly. As Daisy’s cousin, it is expected that he stands against Tom’s infidelity.

This gives him a “bystander complex” which is a social psychological phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when there are people around. Nick’s “bystander complex” is further cemented when he sneaks out of the party amongst the chaos and spends the rest of it with McKee rather than helping Myrtle. Socially, Nick wasn’t in any position that would hinder him from offering to help Myrtle or even to stop Tom from abusing her. He was after all closest to Tom in relation. However, he doesn’t make an effort to stand up against Tom. Instead Leaving Myrtle to the hands of the other