As the novel progresses we learn more about his character, soon discovering that Nick Carraway is an intelligent young man from the Mid West, introducing himself as a ‘graduate from Yale’ and a veteran of World War One. He goes on to describe a little about his background and the reasoning behind his move to New York. On his return from Europe he had found that the Midwest, which was once ‘the warm centre of the world’, now seemed ‘the ragged edge of the universe.’
Moving to Long Island, New York, in 1922, Nick establishes himself in West Egg, a suburban ‘village’. He finds himself living in a close ‘proximity of millionaires’, including his neighbour Jay Gatsby who lives in an impressive ‘hotel de Ville’ mansion right next door. The description of houses and locations in chapter one is hugely influential on the ideals that Fitzgerald has implemented in the story. Nick and Gatsby both reside in West Egg, a less fashionable suburb than nearby East Egg. West egg connotes the westward movement of followers of the American Dream. It symbolises new wealth, hope and prosperity. Whereas East Egg represents old America with its greed, arrogance and established riches. Although they are both located on the East Coast, Fitzgerald could still be hinting at the similar divide that exists between the west and east coasts of America.
After jumping through different periods of history, ‘Civil War… Columbus Story’, the chapter gradually focuses more and more until eventually we meet more characters such as Tom and Daisy Buchanan. Tom and Daisy embody everything about east egg. They are extremely rich (inherited wealth) but it’s implied they want more; ‘I’ve got a nice place here.’ Tom is dominant and powerful, ‘he turned me around again’, and clearly capable of pulling strings in his house as well as society. This is emphasised through the dialogue employed by Fitzgerald as Tom regularly interrupts conversations, ‘she’s -‘, changing the subject to whatever he desires. Usually a serious matter, for instance his racist views on a recently published book, ‘the rise of the coloured empires.’
The ringing of a telephone in the middle of one of their conversations serves as a reminder to the audience of the American Dream. It is an indicator of the innovative technological environment the characters found themselves in, a new world of cinema, cars and radios. The telephone call also suggests that consumer culture will play a key role in the story.
By the end of Chapter One, readers get the impression that Nick is an unreliable narrator with false credentials. He had earlier claimed to be non-judgemental, yet on numerous occasions he is scornful and condemning ‘hard mouth and a supercilious manner.’ This feeling amongst readers is developed further as it becomes evident that Nick is selective in what he says. For example, no real details are revealed to the reader regarding Gatsby or the affair with the girl in the west. It’s almost as if Fitzgerald is tantalising the reader and drawing us in by deliberately holding back information.
To conclude, Fitzgerald draws upon a number of techniques in order to set the scene and tell the story in chapter one. Analysis, symbols, descriptions and Dialogue effectively combine together to introduce the plot and entice readers in. However every one of these techniques revolves around Nick, who is fundamental to the novel. As I mentioned earlier, Nick acts as the narrative mouthpiece for Fitzgerald and without him, The Great Gatsby would not be a great read.
