The Great Gatsby is a really good book that deals with many different issues with its many different characters. A few of these characters share some characteristics while they are completely different at the same time. In this essay I will show you the similarities and differences in Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway. First off the similarities. Although there are not many there is a few to be talked about. Number one similarity between Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway is the location of their establishment. Both Jay Gatsby and Nick Carrawy live in the same neighborhood,
West Egg. This is the least fashionable of the two but still a nice place to live. The other neighborhood is East Egg and that is where all the rich people with their old money and mansions lived. The West Egg is for the middle class. Although Jay Gatsby is not middle class, he is not considered to live at East Egg because Jay Gatsby did not inherit his parents money who inherited it from their parents, he worked for it. Another similarity between Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway is they are both hardworking people in search of he American Dream.
Jay Gatsby has done a little better in his search than Nick Carraway, but Jay Gatsby still has to work for his money. It was not handed to him like Tom Buchanan had it handed to him. Jay Gatsby went to Oxford and then supposedly became a bootlegger. This is part of how Jay Gatsby became so rich. Nick Carraway on the other hand went into business and is just surviving. He is not rich, but with some more hard work he is well on his way. Now onto the differences. Jay Gatsby and his wealth is something that differs rom Nick Carraway.
Jay Gatsby lives in a mansion where he has his servants that clean and maintain his establishment. Nick Carraway on the other hand lives in a house that he calls an “eye sore” which is stuck between two mansions. Nick Carraway’s house is maintained but not by servants and not as well as Jay Gatsby’s mansion. Nick Carraway also does not obtain the same social status as Jay Gatsby due to the fact that Nick Carraway is not rich. Being rich gets Jay Gatsby alot of things like ladies, amusement, and lots of nice cars.
Nick Carraway doesn’t even own a nice car. Jay Gatsby also enriches his social status by throwing huge keggers at his mansion. Nick does not. In conclusion Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway have some similarities and some differences. Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway live in the same neighborhood of West Egg, and they both are hardworking people chasing the American Dream. On the other hand they are separated by wealth because Jay Gatsby is rich whereas Nick Carraway is middle class, and they also obtain different social statuses.
