How Is Nick Carraway Selfish

Morals can become unclear when clouded by love, desire, money, and alcohol. The Great Gatsby follows the chaos and heartbreak surrounding a group in the upper class in Long Island, New York in the 1920s. Nick Carraway is a man that moved to the east from Chicago in hopes of finding wealth as a bond salesman. Throughout the story, Nick is thrusted into the drama between his cousin’s relationships with her husband and Gatsby, Nick’s new neighbor. Many of the characters make bad decisions and can be considered morally gray or plain awful. However, due to the generous and tolerant nature of Nick Carraway, he is the most pure and admirable character in The Great Gatsby. Throughout the novel, Nick served as an honest and tolerant character that

Gatsby pursued a friendship with Nick for the sole purpose of getting to Daisy through him. Nick seems to be aware of this reality, but still helps him and has a friendship with him. An exchange between Nick and Gatsby was the first occurrence of Nick helping Gatsby, “‘I’m going to call up Daisy to-morrow and invite her over here to tea.” “Oh, that’s all right,” he said carelessly. “I don’t want to put you to any trouble.” “What day would suit you?’”(Fitzgerald, 63). It is clear that Gatsby isn’t being sincere with Nick, and trying to make the rendezvous seem like Nick’s idea, when really it’s Gatsby’s. At the climax of the novel, all of the lying and cheating in Daisy and Tom’s relationship is coming to the surface, and Gatsby is trying to get Daisy to tell Tom that she’s never loved him. After the major argument has subsided, Nick tells the other characters, “‘No … I just remembered that to-day’s my birthday.” I was thirty. Before me stretched the portentous, menacing road of a new decade.’” (Fitzgerald, 104). The tension and the chaos surrounding Daisy, Tom, and Gatsby caused Nick to put his 30th birthday on the back burner of his mind and forget. Nick was a character in The Great Gatsby that the other characters used and almost forgot about, he observed and assisted when he was

Nick knew the secrets of opposing men and let chaos ensue when it could have been stopped. However, Nick simply worked as an observer, doing anything that the people around him wanted. This is apparent when Nick was brought to the apartment of Tom’s mistress, “‘Hold on,” I said, “I have to leave you here.” “No, you don’t,” interposed Tom quickly. “Myrtle’ll be hurt if you don’t come up to the apartment. Won’t you, Myrtle?’” (Fitzgerald, 24). Nick is trying to leave, he feels uncomfortable and like he’s betraying Daisy by being around her husband and his mistress. Tom makes him stay and guilt-trips him, this shows that Nick isn’t trying to take part in the lies, but he’s being pressured into being there. The next iteration of Nick being involved, but because he feels he has to, is when he’s asked to host Gatsby and Daisy at his house. Nick states, “The modesty of the demand shook me. He had waited five years and bought a mansion where he dispensed starlight to casual moths — so that he could “come over.” some afternoon to a stranger’s garden.” Nick feels that the request is very small, perhaps making him feel like he has to comply and help his new friend. This showcases the way that although Nick was deeply involved in the events that took place in the novel, he was not the