Who Is Nick Carraway Selfish In The Great Gatsby

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Acknowledging Mr. Carraway “Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book was exempt from my reaction- Gatsby, who represented for which i have an unaffected scorn” (Fitzgerald 2). Initially, When Nick Carraway moves to New York he describes himself as very different from others and shares no feelings or affections towards anyone but Gatsby. With regards to this, Nick, being socially awkward, finds himself only relating to Gatsby because for the first time he has someone reaching out to him. Evidently, Nick Carraway's loneliness can lead the readers to reevaluate the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. and wonder if the protagonist of the novel, Jay Gatsby himself, is a character made-up by Nick who wants some excitement in his life. After attending Gatsby party for the first time, Nick opens up about his feelings towards his loneliness. While walking on the streets of Manhattan, …show more content…

In the exposition he describes that Gatsby had, “...one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across five or four times in life” (48). Nick created Gatsby as someone he can never be, someone who impresses women with just one glimpse. Nick wants to be dreamy and irresistible just like Gatsby seems to be. Other than his appearance and personality, Nick also envies Gatsby's wealth when he describes his parties with great detail, “ On week-ends his Rolls-Royce became an omnibus, bearing parties to and from the city…” (39). Nick is fascinated by Gatsby's wealth. He imagines Gatsby as what he wants himself to be- a wealthy, gregarious man who needs no other way to impress people because he is nearly famous. It is clearly understood that Nick has a desire to be a more socially active person which is why he invented Gatsby in the first