Nick Carraway

Nick is the narrator of the story which means the whole story is only based on his point of view and what he knows. He is from Minnesota and was educated at Yale. He also served in WWI and afterwards went to New York to learn the bond business. Nick believes that he doesn’t judge people and often finds himself hearing about their lives or problems they have which he has no interest in.sells shares of compNIES

“I am inclined to reserve all judgements, a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me and made me the victim of not a few veteran bores.”– Chapter One

This tells us that Nick believes that he isn’t the type of person to judge people and when talking to people he doesn’t say anything bad but because of this he sometimes gets put in situations where he has to listen to people telling him stories or things that he has no interest in and finds very boring. However throughout the story Nick judges people very often despite saying he’s not the type of person to do that.

“When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart.“ – Chapter One

Nick wants the world to be the same with their morals and for everyone to follow and obey the morals they have. He also doesn’t really like change. Nick is sick of people talking to him about themselves and things he isn’t interested in anymore.

“…wedging his tense arm imperatively under mine, Tom Buchanan compelled me from the room as though he were moving a checker to another square.”– Chapter One

Nick is easily manipulated and does what people tell him or want him to do very easily. He lets Tom and others push him around and doesn’t say anything about it. This is probably because he says he doesn’t like to judge people and therefore seems like he will do what is asked of him all the time.

I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.” – Chapter Two

Nick is friends with people like Daisy and Tom and he fits in with them but he doesn’t really feel like he belongs. He’s interested in their lives and what is going on in them but he doesn’t really approve of it. Nick spends more time observing what goes on rather than taking part.

Most of the time I worked…I knew the other clerks and young bond salesmen by their first names…I even had a short affair with a girl who lived in Jersey City and worked in the accounting department, but her brother began throwing mean looks in my direction…” – Chapter Three

Nick cares about the people he works with and takes the time to learn their names. He takes his career quite seriously and works hard to earn his money. He also cares what other people think of him and doesn’t like to cause trouble as he ended his relationship with the girl when her brother gave him mean looks.

“I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known.”– Chapter Three

Nick isn’t very modest and is quite full of himself. He thinks most other people are just liars other than a few. He also thinks quite highly of himself and that he is a good person.

They’re a rotten crowd…You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together!’ I’ve always been glad I said that. It was the only compliment I ever gave him because I disapproved of him from beginning to end.”– Chapter Eight

Gatsby was a little bit better than Daisy and Tom but still did and made some very bad decisions. He was obsessed with Daisy and didn’t care about anyone else. When Daisy hit Myrtle in the car Gatsby still went to the effort of covering it up. Nick said he doesn’t judge people but he judged Gatsby in this quote by saying he disapproved of him.

“I shook hands with him. It seemed silly not to for I felt suddenly as though I was talking to a child.”– Chapter Nine

Nick moves on and doesn’t say anything or give Tom his opinion so that there is no conflict between them. Nick thinks that Tom is like a child and because Tom didn’t know the truth and was oblivious to the situation he doesn’t tell him about it because he thinks Tom won’t know how to deal with it.

“I sat there brooding on the old unknown world…” –Chapter Nine


Nick is quite thoughtful and takes the time to think about things throughout the entire story.

By the end of the story, Nick hasn’t changed a lot. However, he judges people often despite saying at the start of the story that he does not. He ends up not liking many of the people around him. This is mainly because he has seen all the bad decisions the other characters made throughout the story and now doesn’t think very highly of them. He becomes slightly more opinionated towards the end and stands up for himself more. The time he spent with the people like Daisy and Tom has had an impact on him and he realizes that he doesn’t really want to be around them and the problems they cause.