Unlike God, Nick does not see everything. Moreover, he cannot even be trusted to report what he does see. For good reporting requires good judgment, and Nick refrains from judging. The novel opens on this very point, with Nick confessing that his father cautioned him against being too quick to criticize others. As a result, Nick is “inclined to reserve all judgments.” This “habit” of withholding judgment has made him the confidante of people’s “secret griefs,” of the sort that were told to him by Jay Gatsby.52 Nick assumes the posture of an innocent observer who reserves judgment, but
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