Growing Up of Nick Carraway  in The Great Gatsby Essay Sample

All of us, at one time or another, have experienced adversities caused by our immature decisions. We can learn from these experiences and try to make a change. We meet such a character in The Great Gatsby, an F. Scott Fitzgerald, American novel. This character is named Nick Carroway, the narrator of the novel. To elaborate, growing up is coming to the realization that some choices we’ve made as a child may not be suitable for entering adulthood. Nick Carroway is the prime example of someone “growing up” in the novel. 

Nick is a careless person when we’re first introduced to his character in the novel. When Nick is taking a stroll with Jordan and talking about things they hate. While he walks with Jordan, she mentions, “I hate careless people. That’s why I like you” (38.) The significance of this quote is it plays into how others also portray Nick as such a careless person. Significantly, Nick accompanies Tom to meet Myrtle even though he didn’t want to. While Nick and Tom are on their way to New York, Nick thinks to himself, “Though I was curious to see her, I had no desire to meet her– but I did” (24.) This conveys carelessness since Nick has knowledge of Tom being in an affair with Myrtle, nevertheless, still met her.  He didn’t inform Daisy meaning he has no respect for her. To emphasize, after Nick’s thirtieth birthday, Nick finally realizes that the life he’s living now won’t fulfill him, showing his maturity is growing.  Amidst all the chaos, all he could think about was turning thirty. Tom asks Nick a question, but Nick doesn’t respond too busy thinking, “I was thirty. Before stretched the portentous, menacing road of a new decade” (135.) This is a warning to Nick about what can happen to his life if he doesn’t change the way he is acting and living his life.  Nick turning thirty demonstrates he’s getting older. He has no girlfriend, true friends, or anyone in his life that actually cares about him other than Gatsby. Nick takes notice of the warning and decides to do something about that causing him to change. This can be the start of a new era in his life. In other words, right after Nick mentions it’s his birthday, he sees his life will not make him happy. He came to the conclusion that “Thirty– the promise of a decade of loneliness… a thinning briefcase of enthusiasm, thinning hair” (135.) Nick understands that his lifestyle has caused him to forget about the real world, causing him to forget his birthday. He is getting older but hasn’t done much in his life. His euphoria will be running out if he does not adjust his lifestyle. This is a turning point in comprehending that he should change how he’s living. This could’ve been difficult for him, but he tries to better himself. 

Moreover, Nick registers how Tom and Daisy are selfish people. Right after Nick learns that Tom and Daisy left, he grasps the idea of them being self-centered. Nick recognized Tom and Daisy as people who “Let other people clean up the mess they had made” (179.) Tom and Daisy use people and Nick starts to see that clearly, so he distances himself from them. After the whole debacle, this finally changes Nick’s perspective of people of high social status. It shows Nick’s character development throughout the novel which was necessary for him to take an outlook on his life. Near the end, Nick sees Tom again and asks for a handshake. Nick was hesitant at first but then decided, “I shook hands with him; it seemed silly not to, for I felt suddenly as though I were talking to a child” (179.) Throughout the novel, Nick was always following whatever Tom asked, but that later changed when he decided that Tom and Daisy weren’t worth it. As stated when Nick felt like he was talking to a child, it seemed as though Tom didn’t deserve the opportunity of having an enjoyable conversation. Nick chose to not argue with Tom indicating that he has changed into a better person. Nick was a careless person in the beginning but later learned that he should change his life and that Tom and Daisy were careless people instead of him.     

All things considered, evolving is being aware of our judgments as a youth that aren’t appropriate for our growth. At the beginning of the novel, Nick is a careless person, yet at the end, Nick is determined to grow as a person. He does grow as a person and soon becomes fully aware only Tom and Daisy are the careless individuals Nick viewed himself as. To end on that note, humans need to take the opportunity to learn from their mistakes in order to better themselves. It’s a valuable lesson to be learned. Sometimes it takes people to be in a dreadful life situation to take an outlook on your life and alter it.