Week One, Part Two

Our first piece to tackle in Dr. Sublette’s course is The Great Gatsby. Although I’ve read it many times before there are things, as always, that I didn’t pick up the last time I visited the novel. To round out the rest of this first week’s blog, I would like to discuss Nick. I’m not sure about this guy. I think he wants to be a person who doesn’t pass judgment on people because he thinks it sounds good, but I don’t honestly believe he is 100% whole wheat in regard to his composition. Perhaps his father meant well in instilling core values in his son, but is it possible that even if one is not spoilt, it is impossible to be honest and genuine when one has not personally endured hardship? Within the first few pages he is already using terms that hint to his real state-of-mind. He name drops the town in which he attended a prestigious university as if blaze about accidentally touting his own horn. Throughout the novel Nick acts like an invisible bystander whose only purpose is to record the happenings of the elite pool in which he is swimming. However, just like an ice cream taste tester, it is hard for me to believe that he is unbiased and separated from the situation and is only there to do work, not enjoy himself.