I think this shows a very different side of the Nick we know so far in reading this novel. When Nick first meets Gatsby he is impressed by the way he presents himself, his proper way of speech and his charming smile. But when Nick and Gatsby meet for lunch, Nick has a whole new perception. At lunch, Gatsby introduces Nick to Meyer Wolfshiem, a man who seems to be a shady character. Nick gets the impression that Gatsby’s wealth might be unsavory, and that Gatsby may even have ties to the sort of organized crime associated with Wolfshiem. I think the more Nick gets to know Gatsby and his past, the less he will like him.
I agree with Ryan, however rather than revealing a lot about Nick's character in this chapter, I think it reveals more about the setting of the novel. America in the 1920's was almost dangerous, in a way. Especially because of the increasingly successful stock market, most of the time people with new money were associated with organized crime because of their vast and most certainly sudden increase in wealth. Gatsby is sketchy, Nick, or no one for that matter, knows anything about him, he's very secretive, he throws huge, lavish parties every single weekend which, by the looks of it, are VERY expensive. So therefore, it makes sense that Nick would be skeptical of Gatsby, especially after meeting Meyer Wolfsheim. This reveals, to me, more about the plot and setting of the book rather than Nick's character.
Well as Lindasy says, we must keep in mind the time period of the story. This is the roaring twenties and during this time many people gained their wealth through not legal ways. Gatsby's mysterious nature especially in the first few chapters where we dont really know anything about him seem to point towards his sketchy-ness. Because every body who Nick finds information about Gatsby from believes that Gatsby is associated with some bad things. I believe it is safe to say that Gatsby had been living a very different life than what Nick has. But until we know more about Gatsby's past we cannot say anything for certain.
I think this shows a very different side of the Nick we know so far in reading this novel. When Nick first meets Gatsby he is impressed by the way he presents himself, his proper way of speech and his charming smile. But when Nick and Gatsby meet for lunch, Nick has a whole new perception. At lunch, Gatsby introduces Nick to Meyer Wolfshiem, a man who seems to be a shady character. Nick gets the impression that Gatsby’s wealth might be unsavory, and that Gatsby may even have ties to the sort of organized crime associated with Wolfshiem. I think the more Nick gets to know Gatsby and his past, the less he will like him.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ryan, however rather than revealing a lot about Nick's character in this chapter, I think it reveals more about the setting of the novel. America in the 1920's was almost dangerous, in a way. Especially because of the increasingly successful stock market, most of the time people with new money were associated with organized crime because of their vast and most certainly sudden increase in wealth. Gatsby is sketchy, Nick, or no one for that matter, knows anything about him, he's very secretive, he throws huge, lavish parties every single weekend which, by the looks of it, are VERY expensive. So therefore, it makes sense that Nick would be skeptical of Gatsby, especially after meeting Meyer Wolfsheim. This reveals, to me, more about the plot and setting of the book rather than Nick's character.
ReplyDeleteWell as Lindasy says, we must keep in mind the time period of the story. This is the roaring twenties and during this time many people gained their wealth through not legal ways. Gatsby's mysterious nature especially in the first few chapters where we dont really know anything about him seem to point towards his sketchy-ness. Because every body who Nick finds information about Gatsby from believes that Gatsby is associated with some bad things. I believe it is safe to say that Gatsby had been living a very different life than what Nick has. But until we know more about Gatsby's past we cannot say anything for certain.
ReplyDelete