The Great Gatsby - Nick's Attitude

The Great Gatsby- Nick's Attitude

Nick's attitude towards Gatsby may seem to be ambiguous because of varying tones he uses in his narration. But when one analyzes the speaker's implied tone through the use of specific and individual words, it is evident that Nick had a clear stance and view of Gatsby, both before and after his death. This paper will analyze words that Nick uses during his narration that express his attitude towards Jay Gatsby.

At first, Nick states, "I didn't want to hear it and I avoided him when I got off the train." (Page 181) This statement refers to a taxi driver who told numerous stories pertaining to Gatsby. This quotation implies that Nick is tired of hearing the same old stories about the great Gatsby. Many of which are false and most of which superficial in thought and have no basis. Nick wants to move on instead of brooding over the past and he wants to forget about Gatsby's existence.

The Great Gatsby (1926 film)

The Great Gatsby (1974 film)

poster

"I spent my Saturday nights in New York because those gleaming, dazzling parties of his were with me so vividly that I could still hear the music and the laughter, faint and incessant, from his garden, and the cars going up and down his drive." (Page 181) The use of certain words in this quotation suggests a sarcastic tone regarding Gatsby. Those gleaming...parties of his were with me so vividly that I could still hear the music...faint and incessant. The use of the darkened words suggests a sarcastic tone because it categorizes Gatsby's parties in a class of its own. They have a downbeat tone to them that makes the reader believe that Nick did not sympathize with Gatsby because he gave such extravagant parties. A similar tone is developed when the narrator states that...