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The Great Gatsby Conscience Analysis

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In chapter two of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg play the role of a sort of conscience that looks over the characters in the book. When Nick is first describing the billboard, he says, “But above the gray land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg” (23). The first thing that stands out to Nick on this desolate horizon is Eckleburg’s billboard, and how it is watching the surroundings always. No matter what changes occur before it, it stays the same; always watching. This is much like a conscience in the fact that it is noticed, but not always addressed or heeded. Nick notices the billboard and feels he is being watched, but he does nothing to change his actions, just like one would when confronted with their conscience. …show more content…

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” (24). While people are stuck in this veritable wasteland, they are forced to pause for at least a minute, under the gaze of T. J. Eckleburg. Meeting Tom’s mistress is a difficult topic for Nick, because Daisy is Nick’s cousin and her husband is cheating on her—Nick “was curious to see her…[he] had no desire to meet her—but [he] did” (24). This involves a lot of issues with his conscience, as he could be questioning whether or not to tell the truth to Daisy. Because of the delay, under T. J. Eckleburg’s watchful gaze, Nick is forced to meet Tom’s mistress, an arguably dishonest action. Tom seems to not heed the watchful gaze at all, which parallels his lack of conscience in real

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Nick is caught in shock.

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"But above the gray land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleburg" (Fitzgerald 23). These eyes are more than what they appear to be. They are mounted on a billboard that watches over the Valley of Ashes, which stands between West Egg and New York City. This location is what makes Dr. T.J Eckleburg's eyes so significant and important to the book because the idea of watching over a grey and decayed society is how it relates to today. F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of the popular 1920’s novel, The Great Gatsby, only mentions the eyes twice throughout the entire story, which leaves an impression that is key to understanding the novel.

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2158 Words | 9 Pages

I think the most crucial part was when Dr. T.J. Eckleburg's eyes were gazing from their billboard. This part kept the readers wondering and I felt that it was part of something bigger. The first time Nick met Tom's mistress was when they were on their way to New York City. Tom and Nick took a stop at a garage that belonged to his mistress's husband.

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This is when Nick first learns about Tom’s affairs. ““Tom’s got some woman in New York.”” (Fitzgerald 19). Jordan informs Nick of Tom’s affair after Daisy shows signs of stress and leaves the dinner table to talk to Tom. The reader can infer that Daisy knows about Tom’s affairs and is very upset by them.

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1002 Words | 5 Pages

In the first chapter, Nick goes over to have dinner with Tom Buchanan, Daisy Buchanan, and Jordan baker. In the middle of dinner, there is a mention of Tom’s mistress calling: “I couldn’t guess what Daisy and Tom were thinking, but I doubt even Miss Baker, who seemed to have mastered a certain hardy skepticism, was able utterly to put this fifth guest’s shrill metallic urgency out of mind” (15-16). This event, and the sound of the phone ringing, causes everyone to go silent. It is implied that Daisy knows that Tom has a mistress, because she goes inside the house to speak with Tom. Even though Daisy appears to know about Tom’s side chick, Tom is still attempting to deceive Daisy of the truth nonetheless.

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This shows that already at the beginning of the story Tom is a big bully to Nick. He makes he come with him and never asks or sees if he wants to actually go meet this woman. It makes it the worst because Nick and Daisy have been cousins. Nick might be kind of loyal to Daisy, and Tom put him in the middle of the affair. It is not right to make others a part of bad things, and Tom should not force Nick to come.

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The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates a morally ambiguous character that can’t be defined as strictly good or evil. Moral ambiguity is the driving force towards Gatsby’s actions. The character Gatsby demonstrates morally ambiguous qualities that initiate plot throughout the whole novel. Morally ambiguous choices can be viewed towards Gatsby’s character throughout the novel. The first glimpse of Gatsby is introduced in the first chapter while Nick is “exempting him from his reaction” of a “uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever” already placing Gatsby in a position of moral ambiguity (Fitzgerald 2).

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1201 Words | 5 Pages

Nick had attempted to escape from this lifestyle but because he was unable to make a complete decision in the beginning, he kept living it through the Buchanans; they were Nick’s window to the past. He witnesses Tom’s affair being “insisted upon wherever he was known” (21) without shame, and Daisy “[turn] out the light” (117) in her relationship with Gatsby, as it it never happened. A quiet bystander, never interfering, he experiences their life of ignorance, one with no repercussions, the one he had. Unwilling to remove himself from them, he instead complies to their wants, their decisions that create a sense of accomplishment. Doing nothing to change and move on from his past, Nick makes his choice to move to the east pointless.

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468 Words | 2 Pages

Moreover, Nick suppresses judgment of Tom’s scandalous affair with Myrtle Wilson. When Tom forces Nick to meet Myrtle, he says, “I had no desire to meet her-but I did”(24). In spite of the fact that Nick did not want to make the acquaintance of Myrtle, he didn’t have anything rude to say about her to Tom and didn’t fight him on the fact that he didn’t want to see her. In conclusion, Nick withheld his judgment from a gambler, a rumored cheater, and an actual

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553 Words | 3 Pages

They share the same love for Daisy and try to win her heart by buying exotic gifts and providing her with a lavish lifestyle. One trait they both exercise quite often is the repetitive use of Nick. Tom uses him as a puppet to make it seem like he cares about Daisy’s family and also to hide the fact he is having an affair with

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822 Words | 4 Pages

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. “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.

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1042 Words | 5 Pages

As the story begins, Nick says, “...I’m inclined to reserve all judgments, a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me…” (Fitzgerald 1). Although Nick claims he has been taught to not judge others, he does quite frequently. Nick insults Daisy and Tom,

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1909 Words | 8 Pages

An important theme in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is the corruption of morals because of wealth. It doesn’t matter if one comes from old or new money, wealth will corrupt the morality of even the humblest. The first example of wealth corrupting morals is in the indifference to infidelity between the married Tom Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson. The next example of wealth corrupting morals is seen in Jordan Baker’s actions to keep her luxurious lifestyle. Third, Jim Gatsby’s pursuit of wealth lead to the corruption of his morals.

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925 Words | 4 Pages

The theme of The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald is that the upper class tend to participate in actions that are commonly seen as dishonest, unfaithful, or sketchy. Characters like Nick, Gatsby, Tom and George have twisted views on their own reality due to unfaithfulness and dishonesty. Nick was constantly lied to in the story, for example, Gatsby lied to him about where he got his money. Lies, similar to the one above, gave Nick some twisted views on the reality of his friendship. Gatsby had a twisted view on love due to Daisy marrying Tom right after he left for the war, rather than waiting for him.

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1193 Words | 5 Pages

From a young age, we have been taught what behavior is acceptable and deemed good, and what is immoral or bad. In the novel, “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, many of the characters require questioning regarding if they should be classified as truly moral people who exhibit goodness or correctness in their lifestyles. In their society, the goals shared by all are becoming rich and fitting in, and often in order to meet them, actions are taken which harm others but benefit themselves. The author conveys that morality has little value to the characters in Gatsby because they take any means necessary in order to achieve their dreams and fail to think about the consequences of their impulsive actions.

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