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How Is Nick Carraway Selfish

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Everyone has reactions to the people or situations around them, however it is important to keep in mind that reactions and actions are two completely different things. One may think of a certain situation as bad but that doesn't mean they'll do something about it. This may be an effect of one's moral compass. In the novel “The Great Gatsby '' by F. Scott Fitzgerald set in the Roaring 20s in New York, the narrator, NIck Carraway is faced with the society around him whilst getting into the bond business. As you can imagine society was far from boring and getting involved with more people meant learning more about their lives. As Nick continues to tell the story we see that he has a set of different thoughts and feelings. Nick is morally ambiguous …show more content…

The other characters in the novel usually confide in Nick and feel comfortable in doing so. One example of this is when Gatsby trusted Nick enough to introduce him to a “friend”, “In a well-fanned Forty-second street cellar I met Gatsby for lunch…Mr.Carraway, this is my friend Mr. Wolfsheim.” (page 69). When Gatsby introduces Nick to Meyer Wolfsheim they're actually in a speakeasy and Wolfsheim is one of Gatsby's Shady business partners. Not only does Gatsby trust Nick enough to take him to an illegal business place but he’s also introducing him to someone who partakes in his illegal business. This is also when Nick realizes that maybe Gatsby's money isn’t obtained through legal means, though he doesn’t think much of it or ask questions. Additionally when Nick is pulled into Joining Tom through the Valley of Ashes “I want you to meet my girl… I had nothing better to do'' (page 24). Here Tom is telling Nick to come and meet his mistress myrtle. Keep in mind that Tom is married to Nick's cousin Daisy. Tom is trusting that Nick will keep quiet and he doesn't say anything to his cousin about this encounter with Myrtle and he doesn't say anything to Myrtle's husband Mr. Wilson. This shows that Nick is trustworthy and superficially loyal because he doesn’t say anything about other characters' personal affairs and keeps them in between himself and them. Does this necessarily make Nick an Amazing

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He is always thinking of how he can help those closest to him, and of how he can stay true to himself. At one point Gatsby offered Nick a position on a lucrative side job that Gatsby was working on. Gatsby was trying to help Nick earn some extra money. Nick was highly offended that Gatsby wanted him to join in his illegal business and declined his offer ‘”I’ve got my hands full,” I said, “I’m much obliged but I couldn’t take on any more work”’ ( Fitzgerald 88). In this example Nick is showing how loyal he is to his own personal beliefs which are that one should be honest, and a lucrative and illegal side business is no way to hold up that belief.

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Nick is not going to be a good person for helping Gatsby have an affair with Tom’s wife Daisy. Tom doesn’t know that Nick is helping Gatsby so what he is doing is going unnoticed, but in general, the kind of favors Nick is doing for Gatsby does not make him a good person. Nick might think as a person he is just an innocent bystander but he is the whole reason everything happened the way it did, like the reunion of Gatsby and Daisy, the death of Gatsby, etc. Tom might not know Nick is all behind this meeting but to Tom, Nick is a reliable person an example of this is when Tom is having an affair with Myrtle, Nick is tagging along because Tom just assumes Nick is reliable proven in the quote on page 28, “There is always a halt there of at least a minute, and it was because of this that I first met Tom Buchanan’s mistress.” At this point Tom knows Nick won’t tell otherwise this wouldn’t have

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He knows that Daisy is married and is aware that Gatsby does not have a chance with her. Yes, he is trying to help him out in the spur of the moment, but his decisions are hurting Gatsby long term. Even after Gatsby's death Nick finds a way to make him look innocent and like a good friend. Nick says, “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy” (Fitzgerald 137). Although Tom and Daisy are partially responsible as well, Nick points the blame right to them.

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Although he might not feel he is doing anything wrong, he is helping them cheat. He helps Daisy and Gatsby unite at his house, overlooking the immorality of it all. He does not even care that Gatsby is trying to take Daisy away for Tom. Nick is very disloyal because he has known Tom longer; he should be more loyal to him than to Gatsby, the guy he just met. Nick is willing to jeopardize Tom’s and Daisy’s marriage to please Gatsby.

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