In Chapter Four of Fitzgerald's The Great
Gatsby, Gatsby says to Nick,
Look here, old sport,...What's your opinion of me
anyhow?....Well, I'm going to tell you something
about my life....I don't want you to get a wrong idea of me
from all these stories you
hear.
Gatsby
asks Nick what he thinks of him so that he can tell his life story in order to prevent
Nick's believing the rumors about him. He says to Nick, "This is the
God's truth." Gatsby wants Nick to think well of him. This is why he asks Nick "What's
your opinion of me anyhow?"
It is
after finishing his own personal history, a history that
resembles that of the early immigrants, the adventurers of early America who sought "the
American Dream," that Gatsby makes his request. He does
not ask Nick what he thinks of him in order to make a
request because, before doing so, he tells Nick about himself. He does this, not to make
the request, but to impress Nick and somewhat endear himself to Nick by recreating an
endearing red-blooded American who seeks the Dream. Having endeared himself to Nick
will lessen the likelihood of Nick's refusing his
request:
'I'm
going to make a big request of you today,' he said, pocketing his souvenirs with
satisfaction,' so I thought you ought to know something
about me. I didn't want you to think I was
just some nobody. You see I usually find myself among strangers because I drift here
and there trying to forget the sad thing that happened to
me.'
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