There are many advantages of using Nick Carraway as the narrator in the novel The Great Gatsby. At the very beginning, we learn that Nick had been taught by his father to reserve his judgement of others, especially those who weren't as privileged as he was:
“Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” (Chapter 1)
Nick...
There are many advantages of using Nick Carraway as the narrator in the novel The Great Gatsby. At the very beginning, we learn that Nick had been taught by his father to reserve his judgement of others, especially those who weren't as privileged as he was:
“Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” (Chapter 1)
Nick is the quintessential observer, the outsider who sees all that goes on around him and yet manages to remain objective, at least until he meets Jay Gatsby, for whom he develops an affection and a friendship. Nick is also true to himself and is not swayed by the wealthy crowd nor tempted to do things that would go against his proper Midwestern upbringing.
“Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope.” (Chapter 1)
"I am one of the few honest people I have ever known." (Chapter 3)
Nick is also much more reliable than the other characters in the novel. He is more grounded and represents a hard-working individual. While Gatsby and the Buchanans are self-indulgent and lead ostentatious life styles, Nick is a man of more modest means with a practical nature. The effect of having Nick be the narrator is that we, the readers, can identify with someone like him, the more "normal" character in the novel. For these reasons, Nick is a natural choice for narrator.
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