A Class Blog exploring American literature and the American experience.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Nick?
Did anyone else notice Nick in chapter 7 doing nothing? When Gatsby and Tom were fighting in New York City, did anyone find it strange the way Nick was described in that scene?
I agree with you about the fact that Nick in this chapter,but not only in this one, doesn't do anything: he always tells us the story from the outside, as if he wasn't there. During the fight between Gatsby and Tom he has reactions but he never reveals them, remaining silent and doing nothing at the end: "I wanted to get up and slap him on the back"(129), "Angry as I was, as we all were, I was tempted to laugh whenever he opened his mouth"(130). At one point Nick wants to leave the room and stays there only because "Gatsby insisted": I think that leaving the room was his way of saying that he was different and he didn't have nothing in common with those people and with this moral decadence, but at the same time he stays and he remains silent. In this way also his behaviors are arguable and later in the book we can see that if he had done something maybe some facts wouldn't have happened.
I saw this too. It surprised me that Nick wouldn't cut in and try to stop their fighting. Instead he sits back and watches them argue. I think Nick does this because he is unsure who to like more and side with. He both likes and dislikes things about both of them. But in my opinion, Gatsby likes Tom slightly more because he is of Nick's class. Gatsby is not and has shown Nick reasons to not like him. I also think he doesn't cut in because he feels bad for Gatsby. He doesn't want Gatsby's dream of being with Daisy ruined. This scene obviously shows his ambivalence because he cannot decide what to do. This is why I think he doesn't do anything during this scene to stop them.
"The incident" in chapter 7 was the perfect way, I think, for Nick to avoid giving his true thoughts on any matter that was going on. Nick just kinda stands there and observes the fight between Gatsby and Tom, giving his mere observations. He rarely shares one of his own thought in these scenes because he is afraid for both people. To me, Nick doesn't want to comment on the situation in general because he feels like Tom has kind of already won the argument; however, at the same time, Nick doesn't want Gatsby's dream of being with daisy to be over for good like Ryan said above. Nick is lost in this entire series of events and just doesn't know what to do or say or how to act, so he does what he does best and just sits back and watches everything unfold.
I think how Nick being portrayed during this scene really illustrates his description of himself in the first chapter of the book. He thinks of himself of a non-judgemental person who people come to talk to about their problems. In this scene Nick is just sitting there listening to Daisy, Tom, and Gatsby's problem. He doesn't try to interject or defend Daisy or Gatsby, he just sits there while this whole scene unfolds. He provides the reader with a inside view into the situation. This scene really embodies Nicks helpless nature.
I agree with you about the fact that Nick in this chapter,but not only in this one, doesn't do anything: he always tells us the story from the outside, as if he wasn't there. During the fight between Gatsby and Tom he has reactions but he never reveals them, remaining silent and doing nothing at the end: "I wanted to get up and slap him on the back"(129), "Angry as I was, as we all were, I was tempted to laugh whenever he opened his mouth"(130). At one point Nick wants to leave the room and stays there only because "Gatsby insisted": I think that leaving the room was his way of saying that he was different and he didn't have nothing in common with those people and with this moral decadence, but at the same time he stays and he remains silent. In this way also his behaviors are arguable and later in the book we can see that if he had done something maybe some facts wouldn't have happened.
ReplyDeleteI saw this too. It surprised me that Nick wouldn't cut in and try to stop their fighting. Instead he sits back and watches them argue. I think Nick does this because he is unsure who to like more and side with. He both likes and dislikes things about both of them. But in my opinion, Gatsby likes Tom slightly more because he is of Nick's class. Gatsby is not and has shown Nick reasons to not like him. I also think he doesn't cut in because he feels bad for Gatsby. He doesn't want Gatsby's dream of being with Daisy ruined. This scene obviously shows his ambivalence because he cannot decide what to do. This is why I think he doesn't do anything during this scene to stop them.
ReplyDelete"The incident" in chapter 7 was the perfect way, I think, for Nick to avoid giving his true thoughts on any matter that was going on. Nick just kinda stands there and observes the fight between Gatsby and Tom, giving his mere observations. He rarely shares one of his own thought in these scenes because he is afraid for both people. To me, Nick doesn't want to comment on the situation in general because he feels like Tom has kind of already won the argument; however, at the same time, Nick doesn't want Gatsby's dream of being with daisy to be over for good like Ryan said above. Nick is lost in this entire series of events and just doesn't know what to do or say or how to act, so he does what he does best and just sits back and watches everything unfold.
ReplyDeleteI think how Nick being portrayed during this scene really illustrates his description of himself in the first chapter of the book. He thinks of himself of a non-judgemental person who people come to talk to about their problems. In this scene Nick is just sitting there listening to Daisy, Tom, and Gatsby's problem. He doesn't try to interject or defend Daisy or Gatsby, he just sits there while this whole scene unfolds. He provides the reader with a inside view into the situation. This scene really embodies Nicks helpless nature.
ReplyDelete