Characteristics Of Nick Carraway In The Great Gatsby

In “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nick Carraway, the narrator, is a young man who moved to New York from the Midwest. Nick was educated at Yale and fought during World War I. Nick Carraway is the new guy who does not really know anyone. He has traits of adaptability, generosity and spontaneity. Nick’s character starts out alone, without any friends and eventually meets the socialites in his neighborhood. Although Nick comes from a wealthy family, he works hard at his job as a bonds salesman.

Early in the book, we learn how adaptable Nick Carraway is. “The practical thing was to find rooms in the city, but it was a warm season, and I had just left a country of wide lawns and friendly trees, so when a young man from the office suggested we take a house together in a commuting town, it sounded like a great idea” (1.3). By taking the suggestion of his coworker to live somewhere other than what he had planned, Nick shows adaptability. Throughout the book, Nick changes his plans. For example, he goes on a

Toward the end of the book, Gatsby is murdered. Although Gatsby seemed popular and had wild parties with many guests, none of them were true friends to Gatsby. Nick was the one person in the book who, in the end, was a true and generous friend to Gatsby. “I wanted to get somebody for him. I wanted to go into the room where he lay and reassure him: ‘I’ll get somebody for you, Gatsby. Don’t worry. Just trust me and I will get someone for you’ “ (9.164). Although Gatsby’s father was present at the funeral, Nick still generously gave of his time and handled everything himself. None of the guests who attended Gatsby’s extravagant parties attended the funeral although Nick tried to contact them to let them know about the funeral arrangements. Nick also tried to help Gatsby see Daisy by having Daisy come to his house and allowing Gatsby to visit her. He tried hard to be a good friend to