Reflections on "The Great Gatsby"

"That was always my experience—a poor boy in a rich town; a poor boy in a rich boy's school; a poor boy in a rich man's club at Princeton…I have never been able to forgive the rich for being rich, and it has colored my entire life and works."
–F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Life in Letters




Throughout "The Great Gatsby" F. Scott Fitzgerald portrayed the life of a "poor man living in a rich man's town." Nick was from a well-off background, but paired against the extravagant lifestyles of his extended family and friends in Long Island, he was horribly poor in comparison. As the reader I never felt as if he belonged to the group. Nick was physically in the rich group, yet he never belonged because he was never as rich as the crowd.

Nick came to New York City to have a chance at expanding his wealth. Later in the book he disclosed to the reader that he wasn't a vital tool at his workplace. I remember thinking: Nick came to the East to grow his wealth, and if he's not a main contributor to his job he's not accomplishing his goal that led him to the East; and if he's not handling his business why is he wasting his time in West Egg, Long Island anyway?

I felt like he was behaving juvenile, by trying to be a part of the in-crowd. He could be labled as a "wannabe," he 's the person who tries to be in a group that doesn't accept or truly care about him. I feel that he didn't have any goals for himself he was just floating through life. Additionally, with the amount of time and energy spent around the people he didn't care for, helped me see how superficial he was

Nick resented the same group that he was trying to be a part of..."You're better than the whole bunch of them" is what he said to Gatsby, uncovering his true feelings for the rich group. Maybe another reason he associated with them was because they lived in a state that he someday hoped to achieve. He was using the extended family and friends in both East and West Egg for his personal gain. Nick never expressed a true love towards those people that he was constantly with. Nick was using Tom, Daisey and Jordan just like the party-goers constantly used Gatsby.

I feel that Nick will never truly be successful at his job because he is not passionate about his work. In a way, he felt that money would be the solution to all of his problems; I infer that Nick will not truly live his life until he finds his love.