1992. In a novel or play, a confidant (male) or a confidante (female) is
a character, often a friend or relative of the hero or heroine, whose role is
to be present when the hero or heroine needs a sympathetic listener to confide
in. Frequently the result is, as Henry James remarked, that the confidant or
confidante can be as much "the reader's friend as the protagonist's."
However, the author sometimes uses this character for other purposes as well.
Choose a confidant or confidante from a novel or play of recognized literary
merit and write an essay in which you discuss the various ways this character
functions in the work. You may write your essay on one of the following novels
or plays or on another of comparable quality. Do not write on a poem or short story.
Often in
literature, the protagonist encounters a problem or dilemma that calls for the
help of a close, trustworthy friend. This trustworthy character is the
protagonist’s confidant. In The Great
Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald, the eponymous main character, Jay Gatsby, is
troubled by his inability to win back his old sweetheart, Daisy. Throughout the
course of the novel, Gatsby confides in the narrator, Nick Carraway. Nick is
one of the very few people Gatsby opens up to. Because of his exclusively close
relationship with Gatsby, Nick gives the reader a good perspective into
Gatsby’s life and thoughts, thereby helping the reader better understand the
motives for Gatsby’s mysterious actions. Also, Nick is an outsider to the gaudy
lifestyle of wealthy Long Islanders, which makes him the ideal narrator of
Gatsby’s actions.
Jay Gatsby is a
man who keeps himself hidden from the public eye. Though he’s mysterious and
ultra-wealthy and famous for throwing extravagant parties, few have actually
met him. Nick is one of the very few people Gatsby opens himself up to. As
Gatsby’s confidant, Nick has a very revealing window into Gatsby’s life. And
because the story is narrated and told from his perspective, the reader is able
to see a very candid version of Gatsby. Without Nick’s access to Gatsby, the
reader wouldn’t get the interesting details of Gatsby’s past life and
motivations. For example, Nick was the only one who saw Gatsby staring out at
the green light across the river. This is a key detail that illustrates the
level of Gatsby’s devotion/obsession for Daisy. And being Gatsby’s confidant,
only Nick is able to report this kind of intimate details about Gatsby.
Nick is also a
level-headed, observant, unbiased character, which gives him more credence as a
reliable narrator for the reader. Coming to Long Island from the Midwest, Nick
brings a quiet, down-to-earthiness that Gatsby lacks. Nick’s a lot less
preoccupied with flaunting his wealth or maintaining his reputation than Gatsby
is. As Gatsby’s close friend, Nick serves as a visible foil to Gatsby. Nick is
passive and conservative, while Gatsby takes risks and exhibits extravagance.
Through his role as a foil to Gatsby, Nick helps highlight Gatsby’s
extravagance and eccentricity even more. Without Nick, the reader might have a
harder time recognizing the extremity of Gatsby’s obsession over Daisy. If the
narrator was Tom, or Myrtle, or some other New Yorker, the reader would be
viewing Gatsby from the perspective of someone who’s just as extravagant and
image-obsessed as Gatsby. Since Nick is an outsider, he shares more in common
with a typical reader. Therefore, readers can trust him to report more accurate
opinions and insights of Gatsby.
As
Gatsby’s confidant, Nick serves to help the reader understand Jay Gatsby
better. As Henry James would say, Nick
is as much “the reader’s friend” as Gatsby’s. Since Nick has exclusive close
access to Gatsby, he’s able to give the reader more details about Gatsby than
other characters would. And because of the fact that Nick is an outsider
looking into New York, he’s less likely to get caught in the gaudy,
image-obsessed way of thinking that New Yorkers have. Therefore, he’s more
reliable of a narrator, too.
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