"I am the son of some wealthy people in the middle-west--all dead now. I was brought up in America but educated at Oxford because all my ancestors have been educated there for many years. Its a family tradition" pg. 69. Mostly all characterization in this novel is presented through Nick's words directly describing someone, or through a person's own words. The example above is part of Gatsby's description of himself right after he just met Nick. Since Nick serves as the narrator, it is only fitting that he is the one characterizing the people in the novel. Usually, he says exactly what the person is like which adds to his own character. By his own judgements of other characters, he provides an insight to readers of himself. What he thinks about Gatsby's parties, his reaction to Daisy's dinner party, how he acts around Jordan, and what he says about characters are just a few ways of how readers come to know Nick as well as other characters. His characterization helps to shape the novel as a whole. It is all based on Nick's descriptions and judgements.