Is it Nick? Is it Gatsby? Man I have a headache!

I'm going crazy trying to define who the protagonist is in The Great Gatsby. I find myself going between Nick or Gatsby.
I've done two character outlines and two rough drafts trying to explain my reason for choosing either one. I feel like I'm going around in circles.

My reason for picking Nick would be because I see the most amount of change in him. At the beginning he seems to be a bit taken by the wealthy. By the end of the book he sees them in a different light, sees how shallow and careless they are and because of that decides to move back to the midwest.

On the flipside I feel Gatsby is the protagonist because without him there is no story. It all revolves around him. Why I doubt myself on this is because I really don't see any change in him. He seems so static.

Any great words to help me along?

I think you're right. About both of them. I think that this is where the question is coming from. Why not give both sets of reasons and finish with a conclusion as to which convinces you the most.

PS. I don't usually respond to cribvirgins, but this struck me as an interesting question and lacked the, "Please write my essay for me", whining of most. You have your reasons for both but want advice on where to jump - I say jump both ways! Literary questions don't have to have black/white, right/wrong, yes/no answers; in fact they seldom do. Your justification for whatever answer you give is what's important.

Oh to be the age of a typical essay writer!

I'm actually taking my membership in a book club way too seriously. We have our next meeting on Monday and we're going to be discussing the protagonist in The Great Gatsby and how they relate to what we think is the theme of the novel. Yes, I'm one of "those" people who draw up character outlines and rough drafts of my thoughts even though I don't have to.

I do like your idea of presenting both. I've even thought that perhaps they're both meant to be the protagonist, both representing qualities Fitzgerald found important.

Nick realizing that the wealthy class in the 20's was shallow and careless, even dangerous and then having the balls to walk away from it all and return back home. Chances are he could have easily stayed in New York, dated even married Jordan, and obtain a fair amount of wealth selling bonds. Of course he would have been royally screwed just a few years later, but that wasn't known at the time the book was written.

Gatsby for being a selfmade man. For maintaining a sense of morality even after becoming amazingly wealthy (And carrying on an affair with a married woman ;) )

They seem to compliment one another.

But then again one could even say Daisy is a protagonist. Without here there would be no book. Her relationship with Gatsby, her relationship with Tom, even her relationship with Nick. Without her Nick never would have met Jordan. Never would have met Myrtle. Never would have had a more intimate relationship with Gatsby himself. She also had a moment of truth, an epiphany. In the hotel she comes to see that while she might love Gatsby, she doesn't love him enough to leave her place in society. His money could have bought her anything she wanted, except of course for a reputation. Only old money could do that.

Wow. See, I over think.

lol - not possible - overthink sounds like a 1984 newspeak word - no place in my lexicon!

Go for it - 3 protagonists is better than 2 - must be, it's more!

You've obviously done a lot more analysis than most. I think an in depth explanation of your difficulty in choosing will probably be a refreshing change from most answers. It is what you felt after all - and that's the point of any book, any piece of art really, making one feel; not think, any textbook can do that; feeling takes a little more.

I hope you visit the forum again. As I said, you didn't strike me as the typical student, looking for an easy ride. I'm glad my unreliable instincts got it right for once!

Well we start Pavilion of Women in two weeks. I'm sure I'll be here again begging for someone to validate my rantings!


Will report back on how my multi protagonist angle went at our book club next week. That is if I'm not stoned to death for suggesting such a thing. If that's the case PLEASE attend my funeral. Visions of Gatsbys abysmal send off are going to force me to be nice to people just so I can have a decent funeral.

I'd say that Nick is the protagonist. The choice is either between Nick or Gatsby but I'm siding with Nick.

I think it's undoubtedly Nick. He's the narrator and chronicler Gatsby's pursuit of Daisy. He's also the character who is involved in possibly every major occurence in the novel (Tom's infidelity, Daisy and Gatsby's reunion and plans, Myrtle's death etc.) Nick is also judging and making observations on everyone in the novel, from Gatsby to the superficial revellers who attend his parties. While you can make a case for the title character of course I believe that Nick's role throughout the novel places him as the book's protagonist.

Nick is simply the narrator. Gatsby is most often seen as the protagonist because he's not narrating the book. Simple as that :)

To my mind, Nick is the protagonist because the story is about him. Not simply because he's the narrator but because he's using Gatsby's story as an explanation for his changes rather than the other way round. Also, consider segments of the book completely devoid of Gatsby (the dinner party, although his influence is still present) and Nick's assertion that he did do other things in New York.

It could be argued that both he
and Gatsby undergo great personal change during the novel. Nick develops a disdain for the east and to a lesser extent, wealth and Gatsby's rather quiet exit of the mortal coil is perhaps the greatest form of character development in the novel; suicide by substitution.

I would compare them to Tyler Durden and Jack from fight club. Tyler plays a large role, undergoes character development but at the end of the film/book, it's Jack's story. He sets it up and he closes the thing down (:
Hope this helped

Nick is just a narrator and of course he has his mighty roles and there are innumerable comings and goings of him and yet his roles or parts orbit around Gatsby since the novel is named after him in the first place. This enigmatic personality characterize something unique and he has mysterious parts and some of that remain never revealed. Nick is an easy to know character and his role is secondary only.

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Originally Posted by osho

Nick is just a narrator and of course he has his mighty roles and there are innumerable comings and goings of him and yet his roles or parts orbit around Gatsby since the novel is named after him in the first place. This enigmatic personality characterize something unique and he has mysterious parts and some of that remain never revealed. Nick is an easy to know character and his role is secondary only.

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This is not true. Flutterby is mostly correct. Nick is a central character who changes during the story. It is through his eyes that we see the moral and amoral aspects of this story. While he is narrating, he is watching everything- every thought he has IS the story. Gatsby is central also, but if we had a different narration or if Nick was a "narrator only", as you stated, we would have a dull book.

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Originally Posted by KCurtis

This is not true. Flutterby is mostly correct. Nick is a central character who changes during the story. It is through his eyes that we see the moral and amoral aspects of this story. While he is narrating, he is watching everything- every thought he has IS the story. Gatsby is central also, but if we had a different narration or if Nick was a "narrator only", as you stated, we would have a dull book.

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Agreed. The story is about Nick and how he is changed by Gatsby. Note that Gatsby does not go through any character change, as a protagonist does, whereas Nick is profoundly changed by the events of that summer.

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Originally Posted by kelby_lake

Agreed. The story is about Nick and how he is changed by Gatsby. Note that Gatsby does not go through any character change, as a protagonist does, whereas Nick is profoundly changed by the events of that summer.

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It is interesting how Gatsby haunts this forum as no other individual creation and, given the author's greatness, perhaps it is not surprising. It is a difficult question as to whether the main protagonist is the narrator or Gatsby himself, because their individual characters are so intertwined in the story that one seems non-existent without the other, but I would have to choose Gatsby if only because the novel revolves around him as the progenitor of events and all the other characters, including Nick, are drawn as if by some centrifugal force into his orbit.

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Originally Posted by Emil Miller

It is interesting how Gatsby haunts this forum as no other individual creation and, given the author's greatness, perhaps it is not surprising. It is a difficult question as to whether the main protagonist is the narrator or Gatsby himself, because their individual characters are so intertwined in the story that one seems non-existent without the other, but I would have to choose Gatsby if only because the novel revolves around him as the progenitor of events and all the other characters, including Nick, are drawn as if by some centrifugal force into his orbit.

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And this is exactly what makes this novel so GREAT !!!!!