Nick

Nick’s place in society is tenuous. Nick is continually trying to move up in society and better himself rather than other people. He admires Gatsby, maybe not the way he amassed his wealth, but Gatsby proves to Nick that you can always become better and move up in society. Nick’s use of commodities is much different from the other characters and almost defies a Marxist perspective. Nick commodifies Gatsby in how he sees him. Nick wants to be like Gatsby and his glowing admiration shows when he gets an invite to Gatsby’s party and seeks out Gatsby. Nick does not live by a classical Marxist way. It is as clear as day that man, by his industry, changes the forms of the materials furnished by nature, in such a way as to make them useful to him (Marx 81). This asserts the idea that while Nick may see and fetishize certain things, he also sees them for what they are. When he notices that Daisy and Tom live lavishly, he is living in a much smaller house, but gains security by living in close proximity to millionaires (Fitzgerald 114). -TC