Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: first person limited
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a major text in English literature and a common subject of exam questions. One frequent angle is to ask about its narrative point of view, because that shapes how readers understand characters and events. This question tests whether you know that the story is told by Nick Carraway in a first person limited perspective, where he narrates events he witnesses and hears about, rather than an all knowing or third person voice.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The core literary concept is narrative voice. In first person narration, the story is told by an "I" who is a character inside the story. A limited point of view means this narrator does not know everything happening in other characters' minds. An omniscient narrator, by contrast, can see into all characters and events freely. "The Great Gatsby" is narrated by Nick Carraway, who describes what he sees, hears, and believes, without direct access to everyone else's thoughts. That makes the point of view first person limited.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that the novel opens with Nick Carraway speaking in the first person, presenting his background and views.
Step 2: Throughout the book, Nick uses "I" to describe how he meets Gatsby and experiences events on Long Island and in New York.
Step 3: Note that Nick does not directly state the inner thoughts of every character; he often guesses or reports what others say.
Step 4: This means the narration is limited to what Nick knows, sees, and infers, not an all knowing viewpoint.
Step 5: Therefore the perspective is first person limited, not first person omniscient.
Step 6: Evaluate the third person options. In third person narration, the narrator would say "he" or "she" instead of "I" as the main narrative voice.
Step 7: Since "The Great Gatsby" is clearly told in "I" voice, third person limited or third person omniscient cannot be correct.
Step 8: So the only accurate description among the options is first person limited.
Verification / Alternative Check:
Reading any short passage from the beginning or middle of the novel confirms that the story is narrated by Nick using "I", recounting his impressions of Gatsby, Daisy, and others. Literary analysis guides and exam notes also describe the novel as written from a first person limited point of view. None of the standard references label it a third person or omniscient narrative. This cross checking confirms the selected option.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
First person omniscient would mean the "I" narrator knows everything about all characters without limitation, which is not the case for Nick.
Third person limited uses "he" or "she" for characters and limits knowledge to one or a few characters, which does not match the first person voice of the book.
Third person omniscient would have an all knowing outside narrator who is not a character, which is not how this novel is told.
"None of the above" is incorrect because one option, first person limited, does match the novel's actual narrative form.
Common Pitfalls:
Some readers get confused because Nick reports events he did not personally witness by repeating what others told him, and this can feel like wider knowledge. However, he never claims to know the exact private thoughts of all characters. Another pitfall is to assume all classic novels use third person narration by default. Paying attention to pronouns and to how much the narrator actually knows about other characters helps avoid these misunderstandings in exams.
Final Answer:
"The Great Gatsby" is narrated from a first person limited point of view.
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