Gatsby was in my opinion one of the best texts I have read so far in highschool. The novel is not particularly intimidating cover to cover, but it has depth that reaches far beyond that of many much larger, more ‘sophisticated’ books. The sheer beauty of everything in the book- the people, the houses, the cars, the clothes, the music, is almost too much to take in so quickly. Fitzgerald’s imagery is flawless in describing it all so clearly one can almost reach out and touch it, and he manages to include all of the detailed imagery that he needs without rambling or digressing from the topic too much for a simple description. The action itself is slow, but the richness of the life and the people fill in all the voids created by a lack of pace. The concept of overall failure to achieve one’s life goal is an interesting one, that everything Gatsby has worked so hard to achieve, chasing after a fatally flawed person, results only in his own death. The hope though is what is the inspiring part of the book, it makes it infinitely more relatable. Everyone falls short of something they tried to achieve somewhere in life, just often not in such a dramatic fashion as Gatsby. The romanticism of being young and wealthy and free contrasted with the stark realities of heartbreak and life are what set this novel apart from stories that take one route or the other- a sad story that ends sad or a happy one that ends happy. Gatsby, although it transitions into a harsher realistic view as it progresses, still leaves me feeling satisfied and hopeful, perhaps even vindicated that we may never reach our highest dreams and aspirations. But that won’t stop us from trying. Why should it?
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Gatsby Text Connections
The Great Gatsby draws a clear connection to the outside world it is set in, as well as other novels. Perhaps the most obvious connection is that of the love triangle occurring between characters in Gatsby and those in Dickens’s novel A Tale of Two Cities. Both texts feature two men who vie for the attention of an emotionally shallow yet extraordinarily beautiful young woman, Daisy in Gatsby and Lucy in A Tale of Two Cities. While the eventual fate of all these characters may be substantially different, the parallels remain the same, and reading Gatsby and watching Daisy tear people apart makes one think substantially less of Lucy as a character, when one realizes the striking similarities between the two. Both are at least partly at fault in the death of another, more complex character than themselves. The novel also relates to the time in which it was set- the 1920’s, a time of economic prosperity in the United States and one in which lifestyles like those of Gatsby and the Buchanans were existent. Gatsby’s dark secret of his true profession, hinted to be bootlegging, was an actual business, and a very profitable one at that, and in that regard the text relates to the real world it exists within.
Gatsby Syntax
“Almost before I had grasped her meaning there was the flutter of a dress and the crunch of leather boots, and Tom and Daisy were back at the table”
This example of metonymy serves multiple purposes in revealing the nature of the Buchanans. Fitzgerald chooses to refer to them by Tom’s boots and by Daisy’s dress, rather than by some feature of their faces or any verbal exclamation because it highlights the shallowness of their character. Their expensive, lavish clothing hints at the lifestyle they lead, a carefree and opulent one. The clothes essentially personify them as well, with Tom’s hard bulk imposing on others like his crunching boots and Daisy floating about like her dress fluttering as she walks from person to person, captivating them briefly and then leaving them without a clue but wanting more. The other purpose of the sentence is to denote the pace of the lifestyle the Buchanans live. They are members of a nouveau riche- young connected people at the very pinnacle of the emerging society who live a fast-paced, consequence free life, and they seem nearly to teleport from one event to another, without any time for reflection in between.
“Even Gatsby could happen, without any particular wonder” (69).
At this moment, Nick is perhaps at the height of his entrancement with Gatsby. He feels that, with this man, in this city, in this beautiful car on such a perfect day, that just about anything may be possible. The phrase “without any particular wonder” is particularly effective, showing the reader the full level of beauty contained in Gatsby’s sphere of the world and how hypnotic his persona is, that it does not even require an imagination to conjure up incredulous things when in his presence.
Gatsby Diction
Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald uses specific diction to reveal certain physical and mental characteristics of his cast, in particular those of Daisy and Tom Buchanan. Tom is early on exposed by Nick as a man of “enormous power,” with a “cruel body,” but instead of merely leaving the description at that, Fitzgerald subtly reinforces this theme with such repetition that one is able to get a much better grip on who he is as a man than they otherwise would have. Any time Tom is about to take an action, the opportunity is taken to once again remind the reader of how he physically imposes on others, even when making a simple suggestion or performing a simple action. For instance, when it comes time to go to dinner, Tom is said to wedge his “tense” arm “imperatively” under Nick’s. Tom would almost be a terrifying figure were it not for his lack of intellect, these words seem to sneak up on the reader, connoting an imposing and impatient attitude and physical demeanor. Daisy describes him as “hulking,” and when he opens his mouth to interject on a conversation it is described as being “violent.” All of this negative diction implying Tom’s ill intentions make it much easier and clearer to choose and support Gatsby as the tragic hero, even if his object of desire, a toy of Tom’s, is no more real nor complex than Gatsby’s shady cover story to his true life. Daisy, Gatsby’s past, is also surrounded by demeaning diction that serves to portray her as a shallow, albeit charming individual. Her phrases are short, but to be cliché rather sweet, Daisy is always said to speak “ecstatically” and look at other people with such beautiful naivety as to appear “helpless.” These words connote innocence, a key trait to the way Daisy is able to captivate her many adorers. Even Nick, Daisy’s cousin and a man less susceptible to bland beauty and innocent stupidity, admits that while what Daisy may say is “irrelevant,” that makes it “no less charming.” The use of the word irrelevant makes it sound as though Nick is consciously trying to tell himself this, so that he does not forget everything he knows of her and succumb to her charming demeanor, which Nick knows to be a painted face on a wall, with no substance underneath. The very fact that Nick comes close enough to have to remind himself of this hints that Daisy’s superficial beauty must be extraordinary, so through very subtle, one word reinforcement, Fitzgerald is able to use his diction to reveal more about his characters than one might be able to deduce without these powerful descriptions.
Gatsby Rhetorical Strategies
Simile: “In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths along the whisperings and the champagne and the stars” (39).
Invective: “Daisy! Daisy! Shouted Mrs. Wilson. “I’ll say it whenever I want to! Daisy Dai-----“ (37).
Onomonopia: “…And blue banners in front of all the houses stretched out stiff and said tut-tut-tut, in a disapproving way” (74).
Imagery: “Two o’clock and the whole corner of the peninsula was blazing with light, which fell unreal on the shrubbery and made thin elongating glints upon the roadside wires” (81).
Anaphora: “’She didn’t like it,’ he said immediately. ‘Of course she did.’ ‘She didn’t like it”’ (109).
Euphemism: “Before he could move from his door the business was over” (137).
Foreshadowing: “So we drove on towards death through the cooling twilight” (136).
Dramatic Irony: “’Wreck!’ said Tom. ‘That’s good. Wilson’ll have a little business at last”’ (137)
Alliteration: “It was all very careless and confused” (179).
Metaphor: “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past” (180).
In his novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses a multitude of rhetorical strategies to create a tone for his story. The novel places an emphasis on strong imagery, with vivid descriptions of Gatsby’s lavish parties and Daisy’s high-brow yet insipid lifestyle. These images allow the reader to picture mentally, and therefore better understand, the characters Fitzgerald creates. In one description of Gatsby’s mansion, the narrator, voiced by Nick Carraway, recalls coming home late one night to bear witness to the spectacle next door: “Two o’clock and the whole corner of the peninsula was blazing with light, which fell unreal on the shrubbery and made thin elongating glints upon the roadside wires” (81). The way in which the lights are described, elongated and blazing, makes the setting seem perfectly beautiful, and the idealistic, hopeful, and lavish tones of the novel seem to shine through and drape themselves across the wires along with the light.