Examples Of Nick's Unreliable Narrative In The Great Gatsby
John Yoon
Mrs. Krapels
English II Honors
Feb 24, 2017
Fitzgerald uses Nick’s unreliable narrative to showcase Gatsby’s pointless struggle, which in turn depicts Fitzgerald's perspective of the elusive nature of the American Dream. The American Dream, defined by James Adams, is that "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement". Fitzgerald disagrees with James Adam’s definition and the concept of the American Dream as a whole. This was mainly influenced by Fitzgerald’s heritage and personal experience. Fitzgerald’s father was part of the old money class, while his mother was part of the new money class. Fitzgerald was part of the old money class with immigrant money which caused him to feel like a fraud. He had a foot in both worlds but not didn’t feel part of either. Later on, Zelda would refuse his hand in marriage because she wasn’t completely sure if Fitzgerald would be able to support her. Fitzgerald viewed Zelda
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Despite Fitzgerald’s efforts and achievements, he wasn’t able to make his life fuller, drowning himself in alcohol to compensate until his untimely demise. Nick’s unreliable narration has a constant presence within The Great Gatsby. Nick’s unreliable narration takes two forms, through his guardedness and his biased narration. “At times, Nick's guardedness makes him what critic Wayne Booth termed "an unreliable narrator." Because, he himself is so closely involved with the story he tells, Nick has an interest in leaving gaps between his narrative discourse and the "real" story.” (Bolton 193) Nick purposely leaves out parts of his life, trying to exclude himself from the picture, until other characters ask about him. One example would be how Nick
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