The Lord of the Gatsby

Nick Carraway, the narrator in the novel The Great Gatsby, resembles one of outside perspective and in depth thought. While Gatsby’s frequent extravagant parties are in full swing, Nick elects to observe them from his house, giving detailed descriptions from a safe distance. Nick’s inner thoughts always serve as constant voice of reason, however, he is rarely brave enough to voice them aloud. His character comes from a place of moral values, always analyzing a situation before deciding his course of action. Much like Nick, the character Simon, from the novel lord of the flies by William Golding, shares similar attributes. While many of the boys on the island quickly abandon their civility and morals, Simon retains his sense of ethics. He goes against the human impulse to resort to savagery or, in the case of The Great Gatsby, self-indulgent behavior. Nick portrays the quiet self-reserved character who feels out of place in the West Egg island near to the flashy New York City. Likewise, Simon feels distant to the boys because he feels uncomfortable with their behaviors. He spends most of his time in the jungle meditating and reflecting, rather than participating in the decline of the boys self-made community. Furthermore, Nick thoughtfully observes the madness around him, like his cousin Daisy and her cheating husband Tom’s failing marriage. Both characters depict integrity and ethics and contrast to the unruly majority of the people around them.