Jay and Nick

     Now that we're reading The Great Gatsby in class, reading every night is a lot more enjoyable. Not only is it easier to understand than The House of the Seven Gables, but it actually has a plot. The two main characters in the story, Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway, have a confusing relationship. Gatsby eventually finds out that Nick is a cousin of Daisy Buchanan, the woman Gatsby loves, but it's unclear when. If he found out after he invited Nick to the party it would prove that he actually had some interest in him, and wasn't just using him to get to Daisy. Gatsby was very friendly towards Nick; he invited him to the party even before they met. Right after they met he invited him to use his hydroplane, and other things later on. All these offers could be for either reason, or more likely a mix of the two. He does seem to have some genuine interest in Nick as a friend. He offered Nick a business proposition to make some money on the side. He said, "It happens to be a rather confidential sort of thing." Nick wasn't interested. Gatsby wouldn't involve him in something like that if he was only using him to get to Daisy. At the very least it shows he trusts him.