The novel begins with Nick Carraway introducing himself to
the reader, commenting upon the concept of romanticism, and then turning his memories to
a mysterious someone named Gatsby. Nick recalls Gatsby as having possessed "an
extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness" greater than any Nick had ever
encountered and never expected to find again. He then makes this intriguing
observance:
No--Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it
was what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that
temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of
men.
The passage acts as a
very effective narrative hook in the novel's beginning, raising several questions for
the reader: In what way did Gatsby turn out "all right"? At the end of what? What
dangerous force "preyed" on Gatsby creating "foul dust" in relation to his dreams? What
could have happened that affected Nick so deeply that he was no longer interested in
others' pain and brief happiness? The narrative hook creates
mystery.
Before telling the story of his experience with
Gatsby, however, Nick continues to tell the reader more about himself, his Midwestern
background, and the Carraway family. He mentions his college education and his having
gone to World War I. He explains why he left home to go to the East and begin a career
in finance.
This part of the introductory section is very
important because it establishes Nick's character; he is a responsible young man from a
traditional family of several generations rooted in Midwestern values. Thus when Nick
lives in New York, he is an outsider observing a different culture, viewing it and
eventually judging people and events through the prism of his own Midwestern moral code.
The contrast between the East and the Midwest/West functions as an essential motif in
the novel, and its primary themes are rooted in it.
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