We all know Tom is a racist (not Tom Harrington), but is Nick a racist? Look at chapter 4. Nick mocks Meyer's appearances and accents; he mocks at the black guys when driving over the bridge. Do you think its evident enough to determine Nick as a racist?
In my opinion there aren't clear evidences in the book that Nick is a racist. He defines himself as nonjudgmental, therefore I don't think he would never tell us in a direct way if he is or not a racist.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Vale..although there may be some subtle hints towards Nick being racist, I do not think that he is. Nick is more of a stand-by person in my point of view. He sits back and just watches people like the nonjudgmental person he is. When he makes comments like the ones you pointed out, I think it is merely to paint a picture of the scene for us, as readers, that we can relate to, and this makes it more realistic and in depth for us.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lindsay and Vale. There is not clear evidence that says Nick is a racist. Like Vale said, he is defined as being nonjudgmental, meaning he wouldn't call someone something because of the way they looked. I agree with the point that Lindsay made saying that it is just a detailed description of the scene to help the reader paint a picture. So no, Nick is not a racist.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think racism is just a characteristic of this time. I dont think that the characters are particular racists but that most rich people are. It seems that rich people use racism to further explain their superiority. We already see that that Daisy and Tom are elitists but maybe the racism is just a way lower class white people can feel superior too. In this age of American history it seems that society is built upon ladders and that is very important to its people.
ReplyDelete