Nick Carraway

Nick Carraway is the narrator of the novel, The Great Gatsby. He is a young man from Minnesota who goes to New York hoping to go into the bond business. He is Gatsby's neighbor on West Egg in Long Island. Nick however, does not possess similar qualities to Gatsby. He is quiet and modest. He tells the reader that he is known for being a good listener, tolerant, open minded, and a good listener, making him a good narrator. His kind demeanor causes others, such as Gatsby, to open up to him. Nick is drawn into the secrets of Gatsby almost immediately after their first meeting at one of Gatsby's parties. Nick is told of Gatsby's devote love for Daisy Buchanan, whom Nick is good friends with. Nick stood out to me among the rest of the upper class New Yorkers living in Long Island who attend Gatsby's parties. Although Carraway does interact with these other people quite smoothly, he is more at ease and less  materialistic than they are. The first half of the novel introduces a budding relationship between Nick and Jordan Baker, who is a friend of the Buchanan's. I predict that this relationship will continue to develop and have a larger significance in the rest of the novel.

It is believed that Gatsby and Carraway represent two very different parts of F. Scott Fitzgerald's personality. One is a flashy wealthy celebrity who uses his wealth to win people over, and the other is a quiet, kind, and honest man. Both however, are drawn to each other prior to their meeting, weather out of curiosity, like Nick, or self interest, like Gatsby.