Gatsbyand Nick are both somewhat detached from their surroundings. Compare and contrast this sense of detachment. How are they similar and/or different in this respect?
I would agree that both characters are somewhat detatched from their surroundings, but in different senses. Nick is detatched from his surroundings because he doesn't really engage with what's around him too much since he's a quiet person. Gatsby on the other hand is detatched because he seems to be lost in his own thoughts a lot more often, and he's considered "different" than most of the people he's surrounded by. I think they're similar because they both seem to avoid the drama going on around them, and are (at least usually) very polite to the people they do talk to, whether they really want to be or not.