Great Gatsby "Timed Write"

James Gatz is the kind of man that, despite not being quite as perfect as he seems on the surface, still comes of as more charismatic than anyone Nick would ever meet before or after the slice of life featuring Gatsby. His list of accomplishments seems to be longer every time Nick interacts with him, and while it's apparent that something is fishy about his persona and intentions, Nick can't help but still want to be friends with him to the very end. Nick's position of narrator for the story doesn't come off as cliche or derivative due to the simple fact that he is human, and doesn't hold the standard of objectivity one would hold the protagonist to in any other story.

The assumption that Nick is reliable in his narration of the story quickly falls apart during the first few pages of the book, wherein Nick claims that he's "inclined to reserve all judgement" then goes on to go against that completely in the next few paragraphs, using very opinionated diction when describing his father as well as his remark about conduct. Through this, we understand that he isn't exactly truthful in this statement, whether he knows it himself or not. He has an arrogance about him, one that makes him come off almost snobbish, which makes sense considering who he surrounds himself with during the events of the book. Ironically, his idea of not judging others may very well be why he gives Gatsby more tolerance than those around Jay who seem to be more likable. His increasing knowledge of Gatsby's life does little to change his affection for him, a theme shown many times throughout the book.

Nick's first interactions with Gatsby and his life are presented in an almost mysterious fashion, seeing him first staring at the green light at the Buchanan dock and then experiencing his extravagant parties and the many rumors surrounding his life. Even when he actually is introduced to Gatsby, the first thing he finds out is his military background, further making him seem like he's larger than life on all levels. As he starts to know Gatsby and his personal life, he begins to learn about the secretive intentions of a sad man, alone, with only outdated dreams to keep him moving. He finds out about Gatsby's continuous parties, his life as James Gatz, and his acquired wealth, all done for the hope that the only woman he every truly loved would see him once more, and fall right back into his arms. Until the very end, Nick never stops to truly evaluate whether Gatsby is truly worthy of the attention he gives him, yet acknowledges that he represents everything he has an "unaffected scorn for." It becomes truly hard to pinpoint whether his evaluation of Gatsby is justified. For every moment that Nick loses his faith in him, Gatsby gives him a reason to stand by his side once again. However, beyond all of that, Nick can very plainly see that Gatsby is nothing more than a tragic story of a man who never fell out of love with a woman who moved on. Every action he takes is to get him closer to her, and in the end he pays for it with his life. So in that regard, Nick is able to accurately see Gatsby for what he is, even if he can't change his personal feelings towards him through all his misdoings. Essentially, his attachment and emotional state doesn't shroud the fact that Gatsby is a broken mess trying to rebuild unsuccessfully.

His conclusion of who Gatsby is is not reflective of who Nick is as a narrator. The two concepts are able to exist separately of each other, so while Nick might seem somewhat arrogant in his way of thinking, his conclusion of who Gatsby is still comes off as accurate, because it's obvious to anyone who gets close. Even Tom, who didn't spend nearly as much time with Gatsby, was still able to realize who Jay was and how Daisy's love changed him. And unless Nick outright lied about the things that Tom has said within the novel, it further solidifies for the reader that Nick's integrity for telling the story doesn't change his views of  Gatsby, and how damaged he is emotionally.