Inside The Story: An Interview with Nick Carrwway
Was your opinion of Gatsby as a person any more magnanimous after he was gunned down?
Nick: I certainly felt sympathy for Gatsby at the time of his death, but I didn’t forget how he got into such a situation at first. Love is a complicated thing and Gatsby didn’t take into account how other people would react to his feelings. Gatsby’s fake creation of self-superiority blinded him from the truth and cost him his own life, as well as the lives of others. Overall, his actions do not deserve death, but they also do not deserve any compassion or forgiveness.
Did you have any suspicions about Gatsby’s “double life”?
Nick: Personally, I had very little suspicion as to Gatsby’s grandiose lie. His high class demeanor and widespread public acclaim pushed any thoughts I had of him as a liar. Gatsby truly lived and acted like a king. Even so, I still didn’t want to involve myself in his line of work as I witnessed the underground nature of his income. Other than Tom Buchanan, I don’t think anyone foresaw his unfortunate downfall.
Nick Carraway, the man living in the shadow of Jay Gatsby’s humongous mansion, is no ordinary character. One of Gatsby’s closest friends, Nick spurns the role of the common man, bringing a sense of morality and justice into a corrupt social world. Everywhere Nick looks, some wrongdoing, whether it is adultery, alcohol smuggling, or even lying, is taking place. However, Nick continues to demonstrate his separation from the ubiquitous obsession with living large. Though he finds himself drawn in by Gatsby’s glamor, he remains an independent individual by the end of the story.