To what extent can Nick be considered a reliable narrator?
- Created by: NoahRobinson
- Created on: 24-09-20 09:39
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- To what extent can Nick be considered a reliable narrator?
- "In my younger and more vulnerable years...turning over in my mind...'...whenever you feel like criticizing someone...haven't had the advantages that you've had'"
- reported dialogue
- establish Nick as thoughtful, thorough, privileged and judgemental
- sets the tone for the first part of Chapter 1
- Nick encourages the reader to trust his judgement
- reliable source not judging
- Nick encourages the reader to trust his judgement
- sets the tone for the first part of Chapter 1
- adjective
- sets up the time difference between the narration and the events in the novel
- may be vulnerable to being hurt by others, influenced by bad surroundings or taking his father's advice at face value
- questioning
- may be vulnerable to being hurt by others, influenced by bad surroundings or taking his father's advice at face value
- one of Nick's major weaknesses is judging people without context or circumstances
- divide between the characters, Nick is part of old money rather than being relatable to the vast majority of people in the 1920s
- "the fundamental decencies is parcelled out unequally at birth"
- can be considered that he snobbishly implies that he is ethically superior or has a higher morally standing
- "I was privy to the secret griefs of wild, unknown men"
- comes from the Midwest, a place of morality and stability
- objective outsider
- ideal confidant as he reserves judgement on what he is hearing
- there are two competing descriptions of Nick
- "After boasting this way of my tolerance, I came to the admission that it has a limit"
- Nick comments that his tolerance and neutrality isn't infinite
- secretly judgemental critic
- the reader needs to work out what is Nick's opinions and what is fact
- "After boasting this way of my tolerance, I came to the admission that it has a limit"
- "After boasting this way of my tolerance, I came to the admission that it has a limit"
- Nick comments that his tolerance and neutrality isn't infinite
- secretly judgemental critic
- "I wanted no more riotous excursions...only Gatsby...was exempt from my reaction"
- Gatsby represents everything Nick hates yet he becomes close to Gatsby
- appears to ideaiise Gatsby
- Nick has an active role in the novel therefore has emotional connections and biases to the characters and action he is retelling to the reader
- "an extraordinary gift for hope"
- romanticised version of the past,
- Nick expressed an almost child-like innocence
- he seems to ignore the flaws and failures of Gatsby while disregarding the other experiences he has encountered
- cathartic experience
- "foul dust"
- we see the development of Gatsby and this highlights the potential message about the corruption of the American Dream
- Nick's judgemental nature can be considered an advantage in viewing and observing the action of the novel
- quite unremarkable character
- between a flat character and a round character
- "In my younger and more vulnerable years...turning over in my mind...'...whenever you feel like criticizing someone...haven't had the advantages that you've had'"
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