Honesty In The Great Gatsby

If one is honest, they are to be free of deceit and untruthfulness; sincere. The quality of being honest is called honesty. Although characters in The Great Gatsby are quite sincere, they fall short in the possession of honesty. The Great Gatsby is a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which depicts how American life was during the Roaring Twenties. The narrator of the novel is Nick Carraway, a former soldier whom is now selling bonds in New York. This novel has become significant because it has given us a deeper outlook into human nature and what one will do to reach their American Dream. In this novel, James Gatz’s goal, aka Jay Gatsby, is to become rich, make something of himself and marry Daisy in order to improve his social status.

In the case of The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway is the unreliable narrator. His unreliableness is not due to insanity, but notwithstanding misrepresentation of the truth and because he is fooled by Gatsby’s charm. He cannot be a reliable narrator when he is not present in every part of the book, tells it out of order and lies to the readers about his own flaws. Nick is an alcoholic and a terrible partner himself as he cheats on Jordan Baker. He has an affair with a girl at his office and was writing to a girl back home. “...one of the few honest people I have ever known” (The Great Gatsby, 171). Nevertheless, if Nick is supposedly so honest, why does he feel the need to characterize himself as so? Actions speak louder than words. His actions should already be telling us whether or not he is truly honest. “My family have been prominent, well-to-do people in this Middle Western city for three generations.” (The Great Gatsby, 3). Right from the beginning, Nick is trying to prove himself as a reliable source. Similarly to Gatsby, Nick talks up his past, so he is not perceived him as just Middle Class. This, once again, leads the reader to be skeptical of his

Accordingly, he is their cousin, their old college buddy and their neighbor. This puts them in the position to trust Nick. Although on numerous occasions he has not been honest with them, especially Daisy and Gatsby. “‘Whenever you feel like criticizing any one, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” (The Great Gatsby, 1). Nick Carraway’s dad used to tell him this. Moreover, this could be why Nick doesn’t judge and his friends see him as trustworthy. “‘I suppose Daisy’ll call too.’ He looked at me anxiously, as if he hoped I’d corroborate this. ‘I suppose so.’” (The Great Gatsby, 154). Nick knows that Daisy will not call; she will not be leaving Tom to be with Gatsby. The dream of Gatsby marrying Daisy is dead, as she has chosen Tom. The night before he saw them make up and tries to get Gatsby to go home. Gatsby doesn’t leave because he is waiting for Daisy’s signal from her bedroom. Once again Nick is withholding information. He knows Daisy is not even in her room. This signal will never come and Nick did not tell Gatsby this. Nick Carraway is similar to the main character of Fitzgerald’s Winter Dreams because he tries to please people and is very polite. However, Dexter is more honest than Nick is. Overall, Nick does not possess the cardinal virtue of