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Nick Carraway Is To Deepl Involved With Events And Relationships To Be A Reliable Narrator How Far Do You Agree With This Viewpoint?

“Nick Carraway is too deeply involved with events and relationships to be a reliable narrator” How far do you agree with this statement?

In the Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald analyses the disillusionment of the American Dream by contrasting the corruption of those who adapt a superficial lifestyle with the honesty of Nick Carraway. As Carraway familiarizes himself with the lives of Tom and Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker and Jay Gatsby, he realizes the false seductiveness of the New York lifestyle and regains respect for the Midwest he left behind. This is why Fitzgerald needs an objective Narrator to convey and prove this criticism, and uses Nick not only as the point of view character, but also as a counter example to the immorality and dishonesty that he finds from New York. In my opinion Fitzgerald must construct this narrator as reliable, due to the nature of the Great Gatsby as a Novel; the reader would not believe the story if it were told from the perspective of any other character, as Fitzgerald cannot expect the reader to believe what the immoral and careless characters have to say. Whereas Nick is a man who is involved with all characters in the book, as a relative, friend, lover and next door neighbour, where he can see all aspects of the characters lives, even if it does include the dishonesty and tearing apart of families. Some may say that the involvement Nick has with the other characters portrays him as an unreliable narrator.         Nick Carraway is not just a character among several; it is through his eyes and ears that the story takes place. Fitzgerald has gone to some lengths to establish credibility, and indeed Nick’s moral integrity, in telling the story about this ‘great’ man Jay Gatsby. The readers opening pages are ones where Nick begins with a reflection of his own upbringing, quoting his fathers words about his “advantages”, which we could assume were material but, he soon makes clear, were spiritual or moral advantages. Nick wants his...

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