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Showing posts from November 19, 2017

CHAPTER I

Nick Carraway , the novel's narrator and protagonist, begins  The Great Gatsby  by recounting a bit of advice his father taught him: don't criticize others, because most people have not enjoyed the "advantages" that he has. Nick says that as a result of following this advice, he's become a tolerant and forgiving person who resists (opposes) making quick judgments of others. For instance, Nick says that though he scorns (disrespects) everything Gatsby stood for, he withholds judgment entirely regarding him. Nick says Gatsby was a man of "gorgeous" personality and boundless hope. Nick views Gatsby as a victim, a man who fell prey to the "foul (filthy/vulgar) dust" that corrupted his dreams. In the summer of 1922, Nick, a Yale graduate, moves from his hometown in Minnesota, where his family has lived for three generations, to live and work in New York. He has recently returned from military service in World War I , an experience that l...