Character Analysis of Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway
Character Analysis of Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway
A man is tested against nature and then tested again by how well he behaves in relation to other men,” (46) Richard Lehan stated in The Great Gatsby: The Limits of Wonder. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald tested each of his characters by giving him or her a place in society and seeing how each one would react to his or her surroundings. East Egg and West Egg are the areas where the main characters in this novel lived and through stereotypes of Tom, Daisy, Gatsby and Nick, it is clear what East and West Egg represent.
Because of East Eggers’ old, exclusive money, they seemed to think that they were superior and if any obstacle appeared in their path, they were secure with their money behind them. In Modern Critical Views: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Harold Bloom states that “In Gatsby we see that the charming irresponsibility of the flapper has developed into the criminal amorality of Daisy Buchanan, and that the smug conceit of the Rich Boy has hardened into Tom Buchanan’s arrogant cruelty,” (74). When Daisy ran over Myrtle Wilson, she and Tom simply disappeared and left Gatsby to deal with the punishment of a crime that he never committed. Tom’s affair also represented their ideas on morality – that as long as he had old money, he could do whatever he wanted. “Surrounded from childhood by the artificial security of wealth, accustomed to owning rather than wanting, they lack anxiety or illusion, frustration or fulfillment,” (75).
West Egg represents western values such as romanticism and capitalism. Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby are typical possessors of “new money,” who achieved wealth but still are not accepted into the exclusive society of East Egg. Gatsby was much more of a romantist that Nick was, for he did everything – attain massive amounts of wealth, throw huge parties, involve himself in illegal business affairs, and even embark upon an affair – in order to win back Daisy. “In creating himself, Gatsby had no social or moral context to give his intensity direction,” (Lehan 31). With no other life goal than Daisy, Gatsby ended up engaging in immoral activities.
Both East Eggers and West Eggers were wealthy, but because of one major difference in their lives, they would not and...