Jonathan, unlike Nick, is able to benefit and get a house without any work because of who his friends are. These friendships don’t push him to work harder to get a better life for himself. Ray doesn’t keep any real tabs on Jonathan and lets him do whatever he wants because according to Emily, Ray “got a kick out of his hijinks”(150). It seems as if Ray keeps Jonathan around as a form of amusement, and doesn’t have a good, healthy relationship with him. Hijinks are often considered as silly and boisterous, but not particularly useful in any way.
Earnest talks about how he fires three shots from the rifle given to him by his uncle and dad. Before they would head out, they’d tell Nick to let off tree shots incase of any emergency. Unfortunately, he was just letting them off because he became very terrified at curtained moments when he was lonely inside the woods. The story seemed to indicate that nothing really ever happened to Nick, he was just really scared being of being by himself in the woods. Letting off the three shots just made him feel a little more comfortable knowing that his guardians were going to stop whatever they were doing to come and make sure he was
He also tells Nick his true story, he confides in him with every secret he has ever held in. He can be a true friend, but it is clear that he did not tell anyone else or trust anyone like he did Nick. He dies with one person in the world that truly cares for him. He loses Daisy to Tom, but Nick stays with him until the
His constant attempt to find fulfillment through others reveals a bitter truth about him: he will never be fulfilled. Due to his indecisiveness, Nick’s life is constantly at an impasse. Originally from a “well-to-do” (6) family, his life would have been comfortable, a clear path set before
He is crisp, and the red and yellow leaves on the ground recommend fall—Neddy feels a "curious pity," the first occasion when he feels something besides bliss. Climate and season are not kind to Neddy from this minute on. He gets colder, sees more indications of fall, and transforms from a strong voyager into a despicable figure by the interstate. Harvest time touches base in full as Neddy completes his excursion, and the last pool he swims in has freezing icy water. As Neddy's upbeat life has found some conclusion, the cycle of seasons has been finished too, and it is clear before the end of the story that Neddy is entering the winter of his
He is not capable of understanding how can one be so close to death and not want help. This is when David learns that he cannot help Nic unless Nic wants help. David was physically hurt , and emotionally confused. He explains how physically hurt he was because of the late night worry parties he had to endure because of Nic not coming home. Emotionally he was confused because he did not know if he should feel angry, sad, or hopeful.
In the beginning of the book, Nick introduces his house as in between two mansions. “Squeezed between two huge places that rented for twelve or fifteen thousand a season” (5). The problem is that average middle class citizens are living right next to millionaires and their mansions. This basically puts Nick in his place and rubs it in his face that he is not wealthy. Then, Nick himself goes on about his house, referring to it as an “eyesore.” He seems embarrassed to live there.
Ned is stubborn to the point of stupidity; when told “The next visitor who calls on you could bring you bread and cheese and the milk of the poppy for your pain … or he could bring you Sansa’s head.” (Martin 637) Ned chose to nobly stand for his beliefs which resulted not only in great suffering to his family but also his untimely death. Although having a relatable character is useful, having a character with unique traits is essential. Archetypes are useful tools but they are just that, tools, they are not meant to provide the entirety of the character. Martin utilizes this idea to create a uniqueness to his characters with
We know from the text that Nick rarely got drunk before this night, this being evident when he (the narrator) says, “I have been drunk just twice in my life and the second time was that afternoon. . .” (Fitzgerald 29) So, one might assume that he is changing to fit in and feel less out of place or he doesn’t particularly like the company he is with, so he could be drinking to numb his senses or even feel less bored, or he might have lost track of how much he had drunk because he actually had an okay time. Whatever the reason, the fact that he did get drunk seems out of his
There was one major change in Nick—his goal. Nick's initial goal and his changed goal both appear in the same chapter. He said that the Midwest wasn't enough for him anymore. It wasn't the center of the world for him any longer; he wanted more, he wanted excitement, but after spending only three months in New York, he realized that excitement wasn't really what he wanted. In chapter one he stated that after being amongst such immoral people he "wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; [he] wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart."