Monday, November 25, 2013

What other method does Fitzgerald use to persuade the reader that Nick is credible in The Great Gatsby?

While as narrator, Nick Carraway does declare that he "reserve(s) all judgments" and states, "I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known," he does not always refrain from giving opinions, especially near the end of his narrative as realizes that he is thirty and he, like Jordan, is also "a bad driver." Nevertheless, he is a fairly objective narrator.


One way in which he attains objectivity is in presenting the reactions and dialogues of others, reserving his own comments and allowing readers to form their own assessments from the characters' own credibility or lack of credibility as they are measured against other characters. For instance, in developing the biography of Jay Gatsby, Nick describes Gatsby's parties and the reactions of various guests; he records the observations about Gatsby of different characters, such as Owl Eyes who remarks on the genuineness of Gatsby's library, but also compliments Gatsby's deception, "It's a triumph. What thoroughness! What realism!"; further, the racketeer Meyer Wolfschiem states that Gatsby "went to Oggsford College in England." Later, Nick hears from Gatsby that he attended Oxford, but Gatsby's credibility is shaken by an inaccurate timeline.


Likewise, in the character development of Daisy, Nick first gives his impression, then records Daisy's behavior and words; later, Jordan relates the story of Daisy's youthful past and her marriage to Tom. For example, Daisy's carelessness at the end of the novel is indicated earlier as in Chapter Seven when she flirts openly with Gatsby, kissing him while Tom is in another room; when Jordan says, "What a low, vulgar girl!" Daisy exclaims, "I don't care!"  

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