Stallings 1
Lindsay Stallings
Ap Lang
Argument Essay
Mr. Walker
G. Nick Carraway (Argument)
Being a good person consists of a variety of character traits, some of the traits include honesty,
kindness, courage, and trust: Whether that's the ability to trust others or others ability to trust
you. Nick Carraway is a good person to the eye, but a closer look at him reveals that he has
shortcomings when it comes to being truly good. Nick consistently points out malicious physical
and verbal actions in the text, but fails to ever voice his opinion or point out other characters'
wrong doings out loud.
Nick Carraway comes off as a good person in the text based on the fact that people like and get
along well with him, he comes off as trustable.”I hate careless people. That's why I like you.” In
said scene Jordan and Nick are riding in the car together and Nick points out how careless she
is while driving, to which she responds that people will stay out of her way inferring that other
people aren’t as careless as her. Nick refutes that and asks what if the other driver isn’t careful
and she responds with the past quote. Another way we can see that Nick is considered to be
trustable is Gatsby's assurance that he can share his plans concerning daisy. “I’m going to
make a big request of you to-day.” In this chapter Gatsby is taking Nick to lunch and uses this
opportunity to pull Nick into his scheme. Gatsby knows that what he is doing is wrong, that's
why he has made such discreet moves and decisions. So it's obvious that Gatsby must trust
that Nick will not only help but keep his scheme a secret.
But ultimately a place where Nick comes short is his lack of action when it comes to others
questionable actions. Like his complacentness when setting up his married cousin Daisy with
his neighbor Gatsby. “He wants to know if you’ll invite Daisy to your house some afternoon and
then let him come over.” “I’m going to call up Daisy to-morrow and invite her over here to tea.” In
these past quotes Nick was asked by Jordan to help in setting Gatsby and Daisy up, and then
Nick goes to Gatsby and agrees to help, even negotiating what day and time to do so. Nick
knows that encouraging an affair is bad, but does it anyway. To know the situation is morally
wrong is not enough to make you a good person. Not only being a bystander but also immersing
yourself in the controversy is not something a good person would do.
Another area in which Nick fails to “be a good person” is his hypocriticalness throughout the
text. He makes it abundantly clear at the beginning of the text that he refrains from judging
others. “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one just remember that all the people in this world
haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” Such a quote came from his father and has stuck
