Nick!

One crucial character that isn’t really discussed much in Nick Carraway. Nick moved from the Midwest to the East in order to take part in the thrilling adventures of New York and to make money. Nick wanted to make it selling bonds. He ends up moving into the house next to Jay Gatsby. Nick’s relationships with the other characters in the novel are very important to plot of the story and the point view through which the story is told. Nick is Daisy’s cousin so Gatsby uses this relationship to his advantage. I agree with Mary’s statement that Gatsby used people throughout the novel but I think it was more than that. I think a lot of people used Nick in the novel as well. The reason Gatsby wanted to become close to Nick was so that he could, by chance, come into contact with Daisy. Gatsby invited Nick to the party as a way to make his acquaintance. Later, he prompted Nick to have a tea party and invite Daisy so that they could meet again. Nick, of course, obliged, but for nearly the duration of the party he waited outside so that they could talk. After Daisy and Gatsby became reacquainted, she began using him as a way to see Gatsby. Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure she enjoyed seeing Nick but she really wanted to spend time with Gatsby without her husband suspecting anything.
Now this may be a stretch but I think that Tom used Nick as a way to make himself feel less guilty about cheating on Daisy. Tom trusted Nick and so he brought him to the apartment he shared with Myrtle. I think that Tom thought by exposing his relationship with Myrtle to someone other than a neutral party that it might rationalize it in some way and make it seem less appalling. Nick was sort of used by everyone in this way. To everyone, Nick was like the ice breaker. When Daisy, Tom, and Jay were all together Nick was what kept the peace and kept everything formal. None of the three imagined that Nick had a confidence with all three of them. This is why Nick is such a good narrator for this novel. He sees and finds out about everything because everyone trusts him.
Eventually, Nick gets fed up with living in the east. He knows he isn’t suited for the way of life there. He is honest and respectable. He doesn’t play any angles. Nick’s relationship with Jordan helps convince him that he doesn’t belong there. Nick likes her free spirit and her vivacity but he shocked by her dishonesty. She is not considerate of other people and this completely contrasts Nick because Nick has been caring for other people the entire novel. I am glad that Nick ended up moving back to the Midwest. Nick seemed to be the only character who understood the purpose of life. He realized that selling bonds in the East was not his dream. It was other men’s dreams and he knew that he needed to start over and actually do something that he wanted to do. I think that he was too good for the East and he was definitely my favorite character in the novel!