A Moral Growth Essay, Research Paper
A Moral Growth
Throughout his life, Nick Carraway, one of the main characters of The Great Gastby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, always remembers his father?s words about criticize: ?just remember that all the people in this world haven?t had the advantages that you?ve had? (p.5). Nick always tried to follow this advice by tolerating people?s actions. Moreover as the story continues, he experiences a moral growth by making constructive judgements, that instead of hurting people, helps him to realize the world that he is living in.
Human beings are always tend to criticize people about their actions without really knowing what is going on trough the life of a person. Which is the reason why Nick never likes to judge anyone. Nick goes with Tom to New York, but before this both of them go to the village of ashes where Tom says: ?I want you to meet my girl? (p.28) referring to Myrtle Wilson, his lover. Nick never objects or agrees with his cousin?s husband having an affair with Myrtle. It doesn?t mean that Daisy wasn?t important to him, but his habit of not criticizing leads him to tolerate this situation. Moreover, the conceal personality of Nick, guides him to keep quite. When Nick, Tom, and Daisy arrived to New York, Nick is invited by them to a small party in which at the end the constant repetition of f Daisy?s name by Myrtle leads to: ?Making a short deft movement Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand? (p.41). Even though this was a bad action, a show off, again, Nick keeps quite without saying any word. The corruption of the American dream is increasing constantly, which is ignored by Nick since he?s not able to think beyond of what he sees. The abstinence of discuss about anything makes Nick a coward and carelessness person since he doesn?t want to confront the reality.
The environment around Nick in East Egg helps him to become a full responsible person. Because of his attitude of wanting: ?the world to be uniform and a sort of moral attention forever? (p.6), Nick is introduced as an anti-social person. He doesn?t talk with his neighbor, Gatsby, go out with some friends, or visit constantly his cousin, he wants to be just by himself. It also help him to avoid misunderstanding with others, and the farther apart he is from a person, the better opportunity for him to accomplish this goal. As Nick starts to interact with the society that he is living in, he?s developing full responsibility. When Nick goes by the second time to Gatsby?s party, he suddenly realized that: ? There were the same people, or at least the same sort of people, the same profusion champagne, the same many-colored, many-keyed commotion? (p.110). Nick is now paying more attention to people. He?s now realizing that all those person that attends Gatsby?s parties have just one objective, to have fun by drinking and eating, nothing else matters. Nick understands that his conceptions about people are wrong. Is just the beginning of his moral growing.
Little by little Nick starts to understand that is impossible to make everything uniform, that not all the people had the same moral values as him, actually they are completely rotted. When Gatsby dies, no one shows up to help or say sorry. The only person that calls is Klipspringer asking if Nick could send him a pair of shows that he left, Nick couldn?t stand that hanging up the phone. Now Nick begins to feel shame for Gatsby because he was used. Everyone went to his house because of the parties, food, and alcohol that was the only thing that really matters for them. On the other hand, feelings are more important to Nick than anything else. Owl-eyed is the only one that attends the funeral, he and the other people couldn?t get to the house, at which Nick replies: ?Why, my God! They used to go there by the hundreds? (p.183). Nick finally understands that the persons that surround him are materialist, cruel, and selfish, they just care about their comfort. Definitely, East Egg wasn?t what he had hoped. It was just a place full of corruption and carelessness. His believes were now fading away, the American dream was now vanishing.
Indeed, the completely moral growth of Nick Carraway is perceived at the end of the book in several situations. After Nick realized that no one was worried about Gatsby?s funeral, he deiced to go and look for Mr. Wolfsheim to tell him that he as Gatsby?s best friend should go to the funeral. Finally Nick is taking actions; he has now the courage to express out loud what he thinks, he is now criticizing things but in a good way. It is just the beginning of his new life, Nick is just starting to confront the reality. Another great example of Nick new attitude is when he sees Tom, he tries to evade him, but finally they started to talk about what has happened to Gatsby in which Nick concludes: ?They were careless people, Tom and Daisy?they smashed up things and creatures and then returned back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made? (p.188). This is one of his most important critiques, he is finally understanding, who he is, and where he is, is a transition from the past, ?his own world,? to the present, the reality. Now Nick wasn?t just a moving object, he is able to analyze situation, as well making conclusions about it that will help him throughout his life in order to become a better person.
All these obstacles and influences never changed Nick?s honesty. He always kept secure and happy about his personality. Even tough he didn?t have a lot of money or luxuries, he was happy and never wanted to go beyond of what he could. His life in New York was what influenced him to change from a tolerant person into a full responsible one. A person that criticized in a constructive form and now in a way that could hurt the others.
Bibliography
The Great Gatsby
Scott Fitzgerald