The Great Gatsby

I believe that Nick’s story in The Great Gatsby is resolved in a positive manner, even with so many sad and negative events looming over the end of the novel. Nick never seemed quite like he thought he was a part of the events involving him and his acquaintances. While he was fond of his friends, he was not as devastated by the separation as Tom, Gatsby, Daisy, or even Jordan. He was conveniently an outsider and was able to cope with all of the loss. Instead of the grief Gatsby was stricken with at the end, Nick was enamored with a longing remembrance of the good fun he had at Gatsby’s parties. Those “gleaming, dazzling parties...were with me so vividly that I could still hear the music.”

After Daisy ran over Myrtle, Nick, speaking of Daisy and Tom, said to Gatsby, “They’re a rotten crowd. You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together.” Nick narrated, “It was the only compliment I ever gave him.” He saw that Gatsby, though he had great wealth, had character of more worth than all of his other close acquaintances combined. Daisy, Jordan, and Tom were all caught up in the “careless” lifestyle that comes with money, the manner of thought that allows you to believe that you are the most important person; and any mess you might make will be cleaned up by another. Gatsby certainly had flaws. Nick said, “I disapproved of him from beginning to end.” But, he was still able to give him a solitary compliment, whether he meant it or not. It shows that Nick was able to honestly survey his friends’ moral fibers and personalities and determine whose was best. He seemed to be taking Gatsby’s side, rather than Daisy’s or Tom’s. This was partially due to the fact that Daisy and Tom fled town after Gatsby was killed. I believe Nick was disgusted by that fact. He described them as being excessively careless, ruining the lives of others. Gatsby, in turn, stayed behind and was punished; Wilson shot and killed him. I think that was part of the reason Nick stayed with Gatsby so loyally in the end. He was aware that his carelessness was markedly less than the others. All of this interpretation of Gatsby’s character by Nick was still coming from an honest and sensible man. He had held on to his foundation and had grown into a wiser individual. For example, Jordan said, “I thought you were rather an honest, straightforward person. I thought it was your secret source of pride.” Nick responded, “I’m thirty. I’m five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor.

Nick Carraway definitely turned out all right in the end. He did so because he was able to associate with upper class individuals with loose morals and loose wallets, like Daisy and Tom, and come out with a better understanding of life, rather than being caught up in the mess. While his dreams may elude him now, “tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther…And one fine morning,” everything will be alright.