Nick Carraway is a man from New York born into financial privilege. Despite being born with a 'silver spoon in his mouth' Carraway is unlike many of his peers, due to what his father told him when he was young: "Remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had" (Fitzgerald 3). Rather than judging others based on their socioeconomic class and other factors Nick attempts to see past the societal barriers and judge the individual for who they really are. In the "The Great Gatsby" Nick Carraway serves as the narrator and he discusses his memories of a summer in the 1920's to the audience, all readers of the novel "The Great Gatsby". In the story he will recount the events that led up to him being compelled to indulge in the extravagant lifestyle many of the rich took on in this time. He alludes that we will see Nick's retelling of the lavish lives led by his neighbors, Jay Gatsby, and Tom and Daisy Buchanan and through this Nick will offer a unique take on the situation in the United states during the time regarding those who were extremely rich and those who lived in extreme poverty.
The first chapter of this novel is primarily used to introduce the characters and the setting. Nick explains that he moved to West Egg after serving in the Great War. He utilizes imagery to set the scene and to describe where the story will take place, he describes the home he is renting as " a weather-beaten cardboard bungalow" (5), and describes Gatsby's house as "was a colossal affair by any standard — it was a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden." (7). He introduces the characters in detail as well, when describing Tom Buchanan he paints a picture for the reader to imagine; "Not even the effeminate swank of his riding clothes could hide the enormous power of that body — he seemed to fill those glistening boots until he strained the top lacing, and you could see a great pack of muscle shifting when his shoulder moved under his thin coat. It was a body capable of enormous leverage — a cruel body" (9). This intense descriptions help to add depth to the story and pull the reader in. Nick Carraway's introduction makes it apparent that he, being richer than many but not nearly as well off as Tom, Daisy or Jay , will put an interesting spin on the great divide of the time between those who are extremely affluent and those who struggle to survive.
The first chapter of this novel is primarily used to introduce the characters and the setting. Nick explains that he moved to West Egg after serving in the Great War. He utilizes imagery to set the scene and to describe where the story will take place, he describes the home he is renting as " a weather-beaten cardboard bungalow" (5), and describes Gatsby's house as "was a colossal affair by any standard — it was a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden." (7). He introduces the characters in detail as well, when describing Tom Buchanan he paints a picture for the reader to imagine; "Not even the effeminate swank of his riding clothes could hide the enormous power of that body — he seemed to fill those glistening boots until he strained the top lacing, and you could see a great pack of muscle shifting when his shoulder moved under his thin coat. It was a body capable of enormous leverage — a cruel body" (9). This intense descriptions help to add depth to the story and pull the reader in. Nick Carraway's introduction makes it apparent that he, being richer than many but not nearly as well off as Tom, Daisy or Jay , will put an interesting spin on the great divide of the time between those who are extremely affluent and those who struggle to survive.