Nick, Why I like Him

In his novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays the character of Nick Carroway as a truly genuine person. Nick stands out when being compared to the other characters in the story. It is Nick's honesty with himself and toward others, his morality, and his unbiased, slow to judge qualities that make him the novel's best character. We like him because he is decent and moral. He is sympathetic, loyal and true as well as non-materialistic.

The subject of honesty surfaces after Nick meets Jordan Baker at Gatsby's party. Nick learns about Jordan's cheating in a golf tournament, and realizes how dishonest Jordan really is. "She was incredibly dishonest." (58). Nick added, "Dishonesty in a woman is a thing that you can never blame deeply." (59). Jordan seemed to contrast her own dishonesty with Nick's honesty. Nick says of himself, "Every one suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine. I am one of the few honest people I have ever known." (60). As the narrator, he was honest with himself as well. He admitted to himself that Jordan was not only dishonest, but selfish and cynical. He loved her regardless, however.

Nick was the only character in the novel that was uncorrupted and non-materialistic. Every other character in the novel, including Gatsby himself, seemed to think that money could buy happiness. Gatsby was so materialistic that his morality was completely lost- he was led to break the law, gambling and bootlegging, in order to satisfy his materialism. Nick however, went unaffected by materialism. Nick was moral and had more values: he valued hard work. After all, the reason he moved to the East was in search of work as a bond salesman. When Gatsby asked Nick if he was interested in "side money'" which Nick believed was gained by illegal means, he refused because it would have been immoral. He did not feel he needed to impress other people with what he owned. Because he was not materialistic, he remained uncorrupted, and his morality was not lost in search of money and power.

Nick was unbiased and did not pass judgment right away, making him the most reasonable of the characters. His father once told him, "Whenever you feel like criticizing someone, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had all of the advantages you've had." (1). Nick says in response, "In consequence, I'm inclined to reserve all judgments; a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me, and also made me the victim of not a few veteran bores." (1) One example that supports this is when Nick heard rumors about Gatsby's past. Lucille, Jordan's friend said, "Somebody told me that they thought he killed a man once." (44) However, Nick was unaffected by what he had heard, instead he would rather learn the truth from Gatsby himself. The end result makes Nick an accurate narrator because he bases his opinions on facts that he has learned directly from his main source.

Nick was also a loyal friend to Gatsby. He helped to rekindle the spark between Gatsby and Daisy by helping Gatsby set up a surprise meeting between the two at his house. Nick says: “I’m going to call Daisy tomorrow and invite her over here to tea.” (82). After Daisy arrived; he allowed the two to be alone to revisit their past together. Whenever Gatsby would ask Nick to do something for him, Nick almost never refused. Their friendship grew as the novel progressed. Unfortunately, when the story climaxes, so too does his friendship with Jay. Nick took care of all of the funeral arrangements and even went as far as contacting Gatsby’s father and close friends.