To what extent can Nick be considered a reliable narrator?

?
View mindmap
  • 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
      • 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
      • 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"
      • 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

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar English Literature resources:

See all English Literature resources »See all The Great Gatsby resources »