How is the great gatsby a set of contradictions?

In 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote the novel, The Great Gatsby, that is now known as a classic. The Great Gatsby describes the society of the 1920s and tells a timeless story that transports readers into a different era. The story takes place in New York City which, during the Jazz Age, was dripping with outlawed alcohol. It concentrates on a specific love affair of Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. Fitzgerald incorporates issues of the time period such as race, women’s roles, the makeup of a family, and even homosexuality. Despite the immense popularity and recognition of the film today, during Fitzgerald’s life, he sold less than twenty-five thousand copies (Donahue). Nick Carraway serves as the narrator of the story and establishes himself…show more content…
One profound moment in the book occurs in a single statement. After Nick tells Gatsby that he is worth more than all the shallow people like the Buchanans, Carraway says “I’ve always been glad I said that. It was the only compliment I ever gave him, because I disapproved of him from beginning to end”(Fitzgerald 154). Its contradictions reflect the complexity of their friendship. It also reveals the goodness of Carraway’s character. Nick is a man who looks for the good in others, but he is not blind to the flaws people possess. Though Nick never approved of Gatsby, he went to great lengths to have Gatsby be honored after he died. He felt as though this was his responsibility; Nick was the only person in New York who…show more content…
Nick said that this part of his life made him realize how much of a push-over he truly was. He said he just went along with whatever happened, but if he would have spoke up or done something, a lot of sorrow would have been saved. The one action that he wishes he would have done was speak with Daisy alone. She was the center of the conflict, and she trusted him. He said that he knows that if he would have talked to Daisy, he would have been able to help her make up her mind on what she was going to do. Gatsby and Tom were polar opposites, so Nick, being a level-headed person, would have helped her decipher the pros and cons of each relationship. He could have had her make a decision while she was thinking clearly, therefore preventing the situation in the hotel. As we finished our conversation, it looked as though Nick was retreating into himself. The more questions we asked, the more he realized that his decisions affected the lives of many

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What are the contradictions in The Great Gatsby?

The rich themselves believe that money can buy them everything, including, as in Daisy's case, a guilt-free conscience. An underlying contradiction of the novel is that Gatsby's rich guests all thought that happiness rested in money, but the truth was that it does not, and never will.

What are the contradictory feelings Nick has towards Gatsby?

Tone Nick's attitudes toward Gatsby and Gatsby's story are ambivalent and contradictory. At times he seems to disapprove of Gatsby's excesses and breaches of manners and ethics, but he also romanticizes and admires Gatsby, describing the events of the novel in a nostalgic and elegiac tone.

Why is The Great Gatsby considered controversial?

Controversial Content The Great Gatsby was controversial due to the sex, violence, and language it contains. The extramarital affair between Jay Gatsby, the mysterious millionaire in the novel, and his elusive love interest, Daisy Buchanan, is alluded to but never described in intimate detail.

How does Nick contradict himself?

Nick Carraway as a narrator in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald contradicts himself by falsely portraying certain aspects of the novel which might distract from the real truth, by only having one perspective throughout the whole novel. Nick only portrays certain characters by his likeness.