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A. The Yearning for and Rejected Heart to the Life in New York
New York City is in every way the opposite of the valley of ashes. It is loud, garish, abundant, and glittering. To Nick, it is simultaneously fascinating and repulsive, thrillingly fast paced and dazzling to look at.
Gatsby’s party is almost unbelievably luxurious: Guests marvel over his RollsRoyce, his swimming pool, his beach, crates of fresh oranges and lemons, buffet tents in the gardens overflowing with a feast, and a live orchestra playing under the stars. People drink freely; the crowd grows rowdier and louder as more and more guests get drunk. In Chapter II, Nick is invited by Gatsby to one of his elaborate parties held every weekend at his mansion. Nick observes every detail of the party, even the material of the tie one girl wears. So it is very easy for Nick to be attracted by the atmosphere of opulence and revelry.
However, Nick finds that the lifestyle there is grotesque and damaging. For example, while Tom is forced to keep his affair with Myrtle relatively discreet in the valley of the ashes, he can appear in New York with her in public, even among his acquaintances, without causing a scandal. Even Nick, Daisy’s cousin, seems not to mind that Tom parades his infidelity in public. In Chapter II, Nick is invited to Myrtle’s apartment where they have an important party with Myrtle’s sister, Catherine, and a couple named McKee. The McKee’s, who live downstairs, are a horrid couple: Mr. McKee is “pale and feminine”5, and Mrs. McKee is “shrill”6. The ostentatious behaviors and conversation of the others at the party repulse Nick, and he tries to leave. At the same time, however, he finds himself fascinated by the lurid spectacle of the group despite the fact that the city lacks a moral center.
The same conflict is also reflected on his relationship with Jordan Baker, who represents one of the “new women” of the 1920s: cynical, boyish and self-centered. Through Jordan’s words and behavior, Nick realizes that she is dishonest, selfish and cynical, but he is attracted by her vitality nevertheless. However, when he finds that she continually bends truths and is indifferent to the death of Myrtle Wilson, he rejects her.
Although Nick once was attracted by the colorful life of New York, he finally realizes the disgusting thing beneath and pulls himself out.
B. The Objective and Critical Attitudes to the Loss of Morality
Nick’s opinion about Gatsby and the other major characters are meant to be accurate. But at the same time, as we will see later, Nick’s world view does not serve him well. He calls himself honest, and, unlike many people who say that about themselves, he seems to be so. He thinks of himself as being able to reserve judgment about others. He is aloof and cynical but fundamentally good-hearted. He is very intelligent and very socially smooth, with the self-confidence that comes from an established social position. All of these qualities contribute to his very highly developed moral sense. And these qualities give him basis to see things from double sides.The opening words of the novel express this double vision:
 
In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.
    “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had advantages t本论文由英语论文网提供整理，提供论文代写，英语论文代写，代写论文，代写英语论文，代写留学生论文，代写英文论文，留学生论文代写相关核心关键词搜索。