F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby - Nick Carraways Self-Interest

notchs self-seeking in The Great Gatsby In his novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays a reality filled with rich societal happenings and love affairs. His main character, Gatsby, is flamboyant, pompous, and only cares intimately impressing the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan. gouge is Fitzgeralds narrator for the story, and is a curious choice as a narrator because he is of a different class and well-nigh a different world than Gatsby and most of the other characters in the book. Nick relates the plot to the reader as a member of Gatsbys circle, yet he expresses repeatedly his dislike for the man. Nick cannot relate to Gatsby because of their fundamental personality differences. Moreover, he disapproves of Gatsbys desire to impress Daisy at all costs. However, Nick continues to follow Gatsby because by doing so he can ensure his relationship with Jordan, a reputation socialite, and because, in a perverse way, Nick can use Gatsby to dramatize his o wn self-esteem. Nick expresses his opinion about Gatsby quite clearly I disapproved of him from beginning to end (162). However, he makes this remark at the end of the novel and actually does like Gatsby when he first meets him. I could see nada sinister about him (54). Nicks image of Gatsby only begins to be tainted formerly he learns of his relationship with Daisy. Nicks dislike does not stem from jealousy it comes from the concomitant that Gatsby shapes his life around what Daisy wants. Nick does not see Gatsby as a real person, only as an image set out to entertain Daisy and conform to what she desires. The epigraph of the novel states Then wear the gold hat, if that will displace her If you can bounce high, bounce for her too, ... ...al element of life, and thus finds Gatsby foolish as he devotes his life to pleasing Daisy. However, Nick links himself with Gatsby so that he can gain in social status and self-regard. Nick wants to be respected, and Jordan give s him much more respect after he becomes Gatsbys friend. Thus Nick keeps up the friendship to benefit his love life. He also gains potency because he sees himself as Gatsbys only true friend. Thus it is Nicks selfishness that causes him to recrudesce a rapport with Gatsby even though Gatsby represented everything for which I Nick turn out an unaffected scorn (6). Gatsby becomes merely an object, though he is the character that gives his fall upon to the title of the novel. Gatsby is only great relative to Nicks self-interest. Work Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Simon and Schuster Inc., in the buff York 1991.