How reliable a narrator do you think Nick is based on what you have read in chapters 1 and 2 Throughout the opening of the book we meet Nick Carroway and he exposes many strengths

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How reliable a narrator do you think Nick is based on what you have read in chapters 1 and 2

Throughout the opening of the book we meet Nick Carroway and he exposes many strengths and weaknesses as the narrator of the book "Great Gatsby". In this essay I will explore what contributes to him being reliable as well as his drawbacks as the narrator.

Nick is never directly involved in any of the events. He only ever observes what is going on and this leads to a very unbiased outlook on the events. If Nick was more involved he may not give the reader such a clear outlook on the story line. This also suggests Nick is possibly not used to being in social situations, like at Gatsby's house party, and this could hinder his interpretations of the events.

Nick continues to contradict himself throughout the first two chapters. He ironically claims 'I'm inclined to reserve all judgements,' yet makes judgements on character and situations continually. This is evident when he first introduced Tom as having 'two shining arrogant eyes.' These judgements, particularly surrounding Tom root back to as far as college where he claimed Tom