When I finished the first three chapters of this book, I decided that Nick Carraway was kind of a self-righteous being. This was firmly expressed when he ended the third chapter with the line “I am one of the few honest people I have ever known.” I believe him when he says this, and I don’t think it’s a bad thing that he is self-righteous. Nick believes he is morally above other characters in this book and he is right in thinking so. Compared to the people we see him with, he is a very respectable person: Tom is having an affair, Jordan is dishonest and careless, and the people at Gatsby’s party seem reckless and absurd. Nick does have higher values than all these people, but he is not perfect. He does get drunk on his outing with Tom and Myrtle, but there was probably no one else there that could say it was only their second time ever being drunk.
The other characters’ responses to him also add to his credibility. What struck me was when Jordan said to Nick, “I hate careless people. That’s why I like you.” Jordan has taken notice to Nick’s personality and knows he is different in a way. I might even go as far to say that Nick is an anchor and the only relatively normal person in this book in terms of values. His conscience speaks a little louder to him and he doesn’t fit into the common character mold of one living during the Roaring Twenties.
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