How does Nick Describe himself at the Beginning of the Book?

Introduction: Nick’s Ethical Self-Portrait

Nick Carraway, the narrator of The Great Gatsby, begins the story by describing himself and how he has learned to be lenient and fair while passing judgment on people, keeping in mind that not everyone has equal opportunity. Carraway mentions a man named Gatsby and says he holds this man outside of this standard entirely, briefly illustrating him as a victim of circumstance. He provides a concise backstory for himself, describing his time spent serving in the first world war.

The narrator also mentions how his pursuit of the bond business gave him cause to head East.

Carraway moves to a part of Long Island called “West Egg.” West Egg is home to many rich capitalists who reside in lavish mansions built on seemingly endless estates. Across the bay, East Egg has a similar amount of wealth, but its inhabitants tend to be more aristocratic and conservative, choosing to build more sophisticated homes than their West Egg counterparts. Out of place in such a wealthy neighborhood, the narrator’s home is modest and wildly overshadowed by Gatsby’s ridiculous mansion next door.

Encounter with Tom and Daisy Buchanan

The story begins as Nick Carraway attends a dinner party in East Egg hosted by his cousin, Daisy Buchanan, and her husband. Tom Buchanan greets Carraway on the front porch, and the two reminisce about their time together at Yale. The narrator mentally notes the condescending tone in which Tom speaks to him, and the two head inside to greet Daisy and the other guest, Miss Jordan Baker. Miss Baker catches Nick’s attention right away; her perfect stature and ability to seem constantly bored take up a large portion of the narrator’s description of the evening.

Daisy casually mentions a bruise she “accidentally” received from Tom, and the latter then leaves to take a phone call, followed by a concerned Daisy. While the couple is out of the room, Miss Baker insists that Tom is cheating on Daisy with another woman. The Buchanans rejoin the party, and after a much awkward dinner conversation, Miss Baker excuses herself and retires to her bedroom for the night. As Nick is heading home, Daisy asks about a rumor she heard that Nick was almost engaged. He denies having heard it even though, in reality, he is all too familiar with it.

Gatsby’s Enigmatic Introduction

Arriving back at his humble home in West Egg, Nick sits outside for a while and notices his neighbor doing the same. There stands Gatsby, with his arms stretched peculiarly towards the bay, trembling ever so slightly. The next morning, Tom and Nick board a train headed for the city. While sitting and staring into the bleak, lifeless Valley of Ashes, Carraway shares how other people are appalled by Tom Buchanan’s lack of effort to disguise his love affair in public. Even his own friends are baffled by how he gets away with bringing her to the most popular restaurants in town. This annoys the narrator, on top of the fact that Tom vexingly drags him off of the train in order to come and meet this woman.

Tom introduces Carraway to George Wilson, the owner of a car repair shop. Carraway again notes Tom’s haughty, ostentatious attitude. George’s wife, Myrtle, comes down briefly, and Tom covertly instructs her to meet him at the train station while George is out of the room. On the way to the train, Myrtle mentions how badly she wants a puppy. The three continue on into the city, sitting in different train cars so as not to arouse suspicion. After disembarkment, Tom takes Nick and his lover to the residence he rents, especially for his affair.

Myrtle calls up her sister Catherine and The Mcgees from downstairs and invites them over for a few drinks. The group gets excessively drunk, and they begin to gossip about Gatsby. Catherine insists that he is a descendant of Kaiser Wilhelm. Catherine also says that the reason Tom and Myrtle can’t be together is that Daisy is Catholic and wouldn’t agree to a divorce, but Carraway immediately recognizes this as a lie. Nick desperately wanted the party to end but felt the opportunity slip away each time he got the chance.

Conclusion

The more drinks she had, the more unbearable Myrtle became, according to Nick. Even after Tom surprises her with a dog, she begins shouting, “Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!” over and over again because Mr. Buchanan had asked her to stop bringing up his wife. The situation escalated; Myrtle ended up with a broken nose, Tom ended up with a bloody fist, and the party ended on an awkward note, but most of the guests were too drunk to care. Carraway and Mr. Mc Kee leave the party together, locate the train station, and take the 4 a.m. train home.

References

1. “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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