Nicole Carraway | The Great Gatsby

Bearcats and the Lower Class

Nicole came back to the Valley of Ashes on Thursday and Friday, working tirelessly on her painting.

George Wilson was friendly with everyone and didn't have a mean bone in his body, and she was surprised at the number of people who came by to see her work. She was thrilled.

Now Wilson did seem a bit toppled by his wife not coming home that first night, but his worries were soon squashed. She called to tell him that she was staying with her sister in the city. Nicole overheard, but she didn't overstep. She couldn't deny that she had a lousy feeling in her belly over it. His wife seemed a real bearcat from their meeting the couple of days before. Aside from that first day, she had not seen Myrtle.

"What do you make of it, Miss Carraway?" He had asked, and Nicky startled herself.

Did he know something was amiss?

"M-make of what?" She paused, turning away from her canvas and back to him.

Wilson was busy cleaning parts, but wasn't paying much attention. The part was practically shining, but he toiled away, distractedly looking out the window.

"What do you make of the valley?" He asked further, and Nicky smiled out a breath of relief. He wasn't talking about his wife. She looked around, watching the bustle of the street.

"Can I speak plainly?" She asked, and Wilson smiled hesitantly with a nod.

"It seems a hard place to stay hopeful, Mr. Wilson." Nicole offered him a sad smile. "People toil and are hungry and it hardly seems like a healthy place to make a living." She looked down for a minute, embarrassed she had said so much.

She was passionate, sure, but Nicky had seen so much poverty in such a small span of time and was beginning to feel like an outsider.

She was within and without. Nicole definitely did not fit in with her cousin and the lavish life that they lived, nor did she fit in down in the valley. Everyone knew she was here, but she wasn't always welcome. They knew she was an outsider. She had her own home and her own life, and yet she kept coming back to the rubble.

Children were chasing after squirrels and rabbits for food, and the adults were working themselves to the point of breaking at the railroad. Construction workers were getting hurt left and right, and the place was a trap for disease. She couldn't believe how people could live in such a place. But what could she do?

Mr. Wilson stood from his seat. He set aside his work and called out to his wife that he would be back soon before turning to Nicole.

"Can I show you something, miss?"

Nicole stood quickly, setting aside her work. With a curious nod she followed Mr. Wilson across the main road and down to a few houses on the outskirts of the valley. The dirt and dust had kicked up, making the sky look even more dreary.

What on earth could George have to show her?

They passed over the train tracks ankling their way to a hole in the fence nearby. He held his hand out to her to help her through and Nicole's curiosity was turning into caution. Maybe it was some desolate, terrifying part of the valley. It would confirm her suspicions of how dangerous it was. Should she continue?

"Are you sure this is safe, Mr. Wilson?" Her voice was shaky.

"Yes miss. That's a promise."

There was no hesitation in his voice. Wilson nodded for her to continue, and Nicole held up the hem of her dress to avoid getting snagged on the broken fence links. She had no reason not to trust him. The fear in her belly grew, but once she was through she was blindsided.