Question

During the scene at the Morningside Heights apartment, how does Nick initially react to the behavior of the other characters? How does he end up behaving differently from the way he acted back home, and why is this significant?

Answer 1

In the scene at the Morningside Heights apartment, Nick initially reacts with surprise and judgmental behavior towards the other characters. However, as the scene progresses, he becomes more open-minded and accepting, showing his growth and transformation throughout the story.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the scene at the Morningside Heights apartment, Nick initially reacts with surprise and judgmental behavior towards the other characters. He is shocked by their unconventional lifestyle and feels uncomfortable in their presence. However, as the scene progresses, Nick starts to behave differently from the way he acted back home. He becomes more open-minded and accepting of the other characters, engaging in their activities and even participating in discussions.

This change in Nick's behavior is significant because it shows his growth and transformation throughout the story. Initially, Nick represents the conservative and judgmental mindset prevalent in his hometown. However, as he gets exposed to different people and experiences in the Morningside Heights apartment, he starts to question his own beliefs and becomes more accepting of diversity. This transformation is essential for Nick's character development and highlights the theme of personal growth and acceptance.

Answer 2

The fourth and final setting of the novel, New York City, is in every way the opposite of the valley of ashes—it is loud, garish, abundant, and glittering. To Nick, New York is simultaneously fascinating and repulsive, thrillingly fast-paced and dazzling to look at but lacking a moral center. While Tom is forced to keep his affair with Myrtle relatively discreet in the valley of the ashes, in New York he can appear with her in public, even among his acquaintances, without causing a scandal. Even Nick, despite being Daisy's cousin, seems not to mind that Tom parades his infidelity in public.

Step-by-step explanation:

The fourth and final setting of the novel, New York City, is in every way the opposite of the valley of ashes—it is loud, garish, abundant, and glittering.

To Nick, New York is simultaneously fascinating and repulsive, thrillingly fast-paced and dazzling to look at but lacking a moral center. While Tom is been forced to keep his affair with Myrtle relatively discreet in the valley of the ashes because in New York he can appear with her in public, even among his acquaintances, without causing a scandal. Even Nick, despite being Daisy's cousin, seems not to mind that Tom parades his infidelity in public.