Chapters 4-6 of The Great Gatsby revealed a lot about Jay Gatsby to the readers. The first thing to jump out at me was that Jay Gatsby’s real name is actually James Gatz. Also, Gatsby revealed that his parents were originally from the mid-western city of San Francisco. It became clear that Gatsby was living a life of uncertainty and that he was a mystery who chased wealth and greatness. The relationship between Gatsby and Nick changed a lot over these chapters.
It is apparent that Nick lost some respect for Gatsby, once he began finding out some key details about his life and where he actually came from. When attending college, Gatsby dropped out after two weeks because he couldn’t handle the hard-working career as a janitor to support himself and make it through college. When Gatsby asks Nick to go to Coney Island, Nick declines his offer. Immediately after, Nick is asked by Gatsby to go swimming, he says that he just needs to go to bed.
Now that Nick is finding out about Jay, he doesn’t really want all that much to do with him. Another developing relationship is the one between Gatsby and Daisy, who previously had a thing for each other. Despite being married, Daisy falls in love with Gatsby after Nick sets up for them to see each other in secrecy, without Tom finding out. Gatsby tells Daisy about how he always dreamt about having her love, and being together.
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Unfortunately for Gatsby, who wants Daisy to leave Tom, Daisy doesn’t have a good time at his next party. Tom, who doesn’t like or trust Gatsby, joined Daisy for the next party to keep an eye out. Obviously, Daisy and Gatsby were unable to connect in the way that they wanted to, and things became awkward and bad. As each chapter unfolds, we are learning more and more about Jay Gatsby, or James Gatz, and who he really is.
A Critical Analysis of The Great Gatsby
The beginning of the 20th century was marked with substantial changes including the industrial revolution, WWI and the gradual diversification of moral views as opposed to the uniformity imposed by the clericalism that had dominated the American society from its conception.
The dynamically changing morality first and foremost touched the new bourgeoisie, or the class of people who made their fortunes rapidly and became wealthy at relatively young age.
The Great Gatsby is a famous novel by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. The action takes place on Long Island and in New York City in the 1920s era. The characters of the drama are mostly wealthy, yet young people, going through the stage of the inner morality reformation.
The literary work depicts the stable upper-middle class of the 1920s, who used to live in the West Egg district of Long Island. Contemporary New York City lured people with its countless opportunities to realize oneself and improve one’s material well-being; Nick Carraway, a Yale graduate, is not an exception. He is flexible and intelligent enough and thus moves to New York for the purpose of learning and working in bond trade.
Furthermore, he’s originally solvent enough to afford a flat in the fashionable West Egg district: “My family have been prominent, well-to-do people in this middle-western city for three generations. The Carraways are something of a clan and we have a tradition that we’re descended from the Dukes of Buccleuch […]” (Fitzgerald, 4).
Upon the arrival to New York, Nick soon gets attracted to the fun-driven lifestyle, implying noisy parties, light flirt and false, theatrical love. The family of his cousin Daisy, who lives not far from Nick, is equally wealthy and aristocratic: her husband Tom graduated from a prestigious university and runs a successful business. Daisy is a beautiful, but excessively materialistic woman, who once had a romantic affair with Gatsby, but soon rejected him because of his allegedly questionable ability to provide for the future family.
Instead, she accepted Tom’s proposal and selected confidence in the tomorrow’s day as opposed to the strong, barely controllable emotions she had for Gatsby (Milford, 69). The protagonist of the novel, Jay Gatsby, stands to certain degree apart from the lawful third-generation businessmen he is on friendly terms with. Gatsby is a descendant of a poor family, but, owing to his motivation for learning, he manages to enter St. Olaf’s College, which he, however, soon leaves because of the despair, associated with his janitor’s job (Turnbull, 122).
Driven by his love for Daisy, he fanatically seeks ways of becoming rich and even dares break the law and engages with criminal business. However, the protagonist remains sincere in his attitude towards people and seems extremely kind, generous and broad-minded person: “It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it that you come across four or five times in life… [his face] believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself” (Fitzgerald, 52-53).
As one can assume, wealth, as implied in the American Dream, particularly popular among the middle-class population, is one of the major themes of the literary work: “The Great Gatsby is a highly symbolic meditation on 1920s America as a whole, in particular the disintegration of the American dream in the era of unprecedented prosperity and material excess” (Bruccoli, 73).
Wealth, or, more precisely, its lack, becomes the major reason for the destruction of the beautiful fairy tale romance between Gatsby and Daisy. Financial prosperity is also the main factor motivating Tom’s extramarital lover, Myrtle, for seeing the man on the regular basis. Finally, money becomes a catalyst of Gatsby’s tragic outcome of being slaughtered after taking Daisy’s blame for the accident with Myrtle (Bruccoli, 79; Lehan, 211).
When approaching the theme of wealth from an alternative perspective, it is possible to notice The Great Gatsby contains a comprehensive overview of the sociology of upper-middle class and newly minted rich businessmen. In particular, the western part of the district is inhabited by newly rich, whereas the denizens of East Egg represent nobility and aristocracy: “Fitzgerald portrays the newly rich as being vulgar, gaudy, ostentatious, and lacking in social graces and taste.
Gatsby, for example, lives in a monstrously ornate mansion, wears a pink suit, drives a Rolls-Royce, and does not pick up on subtle social signals, such as the insincerity of the Sloans’ invitation to lunch” (Lehan, 215).
At the same time, aristocratic circles are depicted as mannequins, whose public behavior rarely reflects their true beliefs and attitudes. For instance, Tom is unfaithful in his relationship with wife and starts an affair with a woman, whose background is far from aristocratic and who lives in a poor neighborhood.
Wealth is also close-knit with the theme of moral freedom, which causes the moral degradation of the top society (Lehan, 233). The Buchanans are literally heartless: instead of attending Gatsby’s funeral and demonstrating their respect for everything the dead made for safeguarding Daisy’s reputation, they simply change the place of residence and distance themselves from the tragedy both physically and psychologically.
Even Gatsby, the most “authentic” and open-minded person in the novel, seems adversely affected by his wealth and sinks in the marsh of criminal affairs increasingly deeper so that even his surroundings learn about his illegal alcohol business and murders he committed.
Therefore, by describing the wealthy New York City communities of the 1920s, Fitzgerald prominently illustrates the negative impact of excessive prosperity on human value system and intrinsic ethical principles. The author also proves that money provides great freedom, but really few people are psychologically prepared to accept and successfully manage it.
Works cited
- Bruccoli, A. New Essays on The Great Gatsby. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1985.
- Fitzgerald, F. S. The Great Gatsby. Wordsworth Editions, 1993.
- Lehan, R. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Craft of Fiction. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1966.
- Milford, N. Zelda. New York: Harper and Row, 1970.
- Turnbull, A. Scott Fitzgerald. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1962
Critical analysis of page 41-42 of the Great Gatsby
Fitzgerald describes the ‘music’ coming from Gatsby’s house which is effectively used to foreshadow the images of music in the party later in the passage. He also uses the term ‘summer nights’ which presents the reader with the impression of a continuous party and demonstrates more clearly the hedonistic world that the rich inhabited in 1920s America which is further confirmed when Fitzgerald refers to the ‘champagne’ in the next sentence suggesting this expensive delicacy was the normality at these lavish parties.
The ‘blue gardens’ in the following sentence gives the reader a vivid picture of the evening light whilst also using the metaphor to evoke a feeling of beauty regarding Gatsby’s party within the readers mind. The image of the comings and goings being ‘like moths’ gives the idea of the fleetingness of the upper class guests that have no real purpose or aims but to drift at these parties. Fitzgerald uses the term ‘men and girls’ as opposed to referring to the ‘girls’ as women, perhaps suggesting at the immaturity of these women, so much so that they appeared to be like little girls.
The use of the word ‘whisperings’ creates a sensual feeling in the reader as it appears romantic and furtive but also could refer to the gossiping ways of the wealthy party guests. The image of ‘the stars’ induces both a vision of peaceful night sky, which contrasts the lively atmosphere of the party and therefore highlighting this further to the reader, but also presents an image of the affluent party guests as stars, some in their own rights, and some whom only saw themselves this way.
Fitzgerald describes ‘his [Gatsby’s] raft’, ‘his beach’ and ‘his two-motor boats’ in the following sentence to portray the sense of wealth and affluence of Gatsby and this detailed visual imagery enables the reader to relate with the narrator as they share in his feeling of awe at Gatsby’s affluence. The warm light imagery of the ‘sun on the hot sand’ adds to the ongoing sense of romance in the passage, which reflects the numerous romances and affairs within the book, primarily that of Gatsby and Daisy.
Fitzgerald effectively uses a metaphor to describe the Rolls-Royce, a relatively small car, becoming an ‘omnibus’ to further emphasize to the reader the massiveness of these parties and the copious people that attended. The simile of the station wagon scampering ‘like a brisk yellow bug’ not only makes the inanimate object more realistic to the reader but reflects the urgency of the guests to attend these magnificent parties.
The immensity of Gatsby’s parties is further shown through the statement that ‘eight servants, including an extra gardener’ had to work all of Monday to restore the mansion to its former grandeur and to get rid of the after effects of the party. The image of ‘several hundred feet of canvas’ being used just for Gatsby’s party once again indicates his enormous wealth and success and makes it more realistic to the reader by using measurements.
Fitzgerald uses colour imagery to describe the party food such as ‘glistening hors-d’oeuvre’, ‘salads of harlequin designs’ and ‘turkeys bewitched to a dark gold’. This creates a more realistic and physical aspect to the food that makes it more vivid for the reader. The use of the ‘dark gold’ image also symbolises Gatsby’s wealth and the grandeur of the party. Fitzgerald combines the visual images of the ‘gin’, ‘liquors’ and other drinks with the sound imagery of the ‘oboes’, ‘trombones’ and other orchestra instruments in the following paragraph in order to appeal to more of the readers senses.
By using sound imagery alongside visual imagery, the party appears more realistic to the reader and they instantly become more involved. The listed instruments depict to the reader the vastness of the orchestra, suggesting it was in competition with the ‘chatter’ and the vast amounts of party guests. During this paragraph, Nick also changes tense from past to present, as he describes that ‘the bar is in full swing’.
This also makes the passage more realistic to the reader as it is more inclusive and engages the reader to feel like they are also attending this party. The use of the image of ‘Castile’ a wealthy Spanish town, indicates the affluence of the people at the party as their fashion was ‘beyond the dreams’ of even the most wealthy towns. Fitzgerald describes the cocktails as ‘floating rounds’ indicating how insignificant the party guests thought of the servants, so much so that they appeared to be invisible.
This shows the shallow, snobbish nature of the wealthy Americans of the time. Personification is used effective to describe the air as ‘alive with chatter’ highlighting to the reader the enormity of the noise of the party that must have been audible for miles around. The idea of the ‘enthusiastic meetings’ of women who ‘never knew each other’s names’ compels the reader to consider how genuine this enthusiasm was in someone they did not know or whether it was fake interest from possibly fake and shallow women of the time.
There is further light imagery as it grows ‘brighter’ mentions of the ‘sun’ which evoke images of wealth and beauty. Fitzgerald creates both visual and sound imagery when he describes the ‘yellow cocktail music’ in which the light imagery again indicated wealth to the reader and also creates a soft, sensual feel. The ‘opera of voices’ further highlights the noise of the party and connects both the orchestra noise and that of the guests conversations.
The groups changing ‘swiftly’ gives the impression of elegance and restlessness, as people are reluctant to stay in the same place as groups ‘dissolve and form in the same breath’. Fitzgerald stresses the self obsessed, egotistical nature of the party guests when he reveals their aim; to become centre of attention which, when fulfilled, makes them ‘excited with triumph’. The passage comes to a close with the ever recurring light imagery of the ‘constantly changing light’ perhaps symbolising not only the beauty of the scene but also the fleetingness of the people that inhabit it.
The Great Gatsby Chapter 8 1
The Great Gatsby Chapter 8 1. The author interrupts the story to show the understanding of how Gatsby’s dream developed. Gatsby fell in unconditional love with Daisy the moment he met her and desired her deeply, “He knew Daisy was extraordinary, but he didn’t realize how extraordinary a ‘nice girl’ can be”. Gatsby felt uncomfortable in Daisy's house because she was simply from a finer world than him. When he finally made love to her, it was because he wasn't dignified enough to have any other relationship.
Nick reveals that Gatsby misled her, too, making her believe he was in a position to offer her the safety and financial security of a good marriage, when in fact all he had to give was some lousy undying love. In the war, Gatsby did well for himself. He tried to get home as soon as the war was over, but through some administrative error or possibly the hand of God, he was sent to Oxford. 3. Chapter 8 shows the intensity of Gatsby’s love for daisy. Gatsby tells Nick the story of his first meeting with Daisy. Gatsby and Daisy first met in Louisville in 1917.
He says that he loved her for her youth and vitality, and idolized her social position, wealth, and popularity. He adds that she was the first girl to whom he ever felt close and that he lied about his background to make her believe that he was worthy of her, “She was the first ‘nice’ girl he had ever know”. Nick realizes the depths of Gatsby’s love for Daisy when Gatsby says to Nick, “I can’t describe to you how surprised I was to find out I loved her, old sport”. Of course, Daisy did not wait; she married Tom, who was her social equal and the choice of her parents. . Nick compliments Gatsby by telling him that, “You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together” (Gatsby, 146). This statement is true because compared to the carelessness of Tom and Daisy; Jay Gatsby was a great man. Also, the sincerity of Gatsby’s pursuit and his dream is far more genuine then the superficiality of Tom, Daisy and Jordan. Nick admired Gatsby because Gatsby never cheated anybody, he never lied to anyone, he never killed anybody like rumors suggested, and he just lived his life the best way he knew how unlike the rest. . The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are a pair of diminishing, old eyes that are painted on a billboard over the Valley of Ashes. It symbolizes the eyes of God looking down upon the ruins of society. George Wilson views the eyes as the eyes of God looking upon everything as he says, “God sees everything”. Wilson believes he’s playing the role of God now and that he can see everything and needs to take some action about his wife’s death.
He believes the eyes have witnessed the murder of his wife and that justice needs to be served, therefore he is now playing the role of God. Chapter 9 1. In the Great Gatsby, Nick assumes responsibility for Jay Gatsby's funeral arrangements because he feels Gatsby would not want to go through a funeral alone and he felt responsible as he says, “it grew upon me that I was responsible, because no one else was interested. Also, all of Gatsby's friends and acquaintances have either disappeared or refused to attend.
The only people to attend the funeral are Nick, Owl Eyes, a few servants, and Gatsby’s father, Henry C. Gatz, who has come all the way from Minnesota. After receiving a letter from Wolfshiem saying that he was not attending, Nick felt Gatsby couldn’t go through it alone. 3. Gatsby’s father learns about the death of his son as it was in the Chicago newspaper, “It was all in the Chicago newspaper” (Gatsby, 159). He had the same kind of respect for Gatsby as Nick and also thought that Gatsby was a great man, “He had a big future before him, you know”.
Gatsby’s dad pulls out a copy of Hopalong Cassidy, once owned by the young Jimmy Gatz, Gatsby's father points out his young son's drive toward self-improvement by calling Nick's attention to the daily schedule penciled in the back. Gatsby’s father is unaware of Gatsby’s other life and his love and passion for Daisy which led to his death. He is also unaware of how his son acquired his wealth but is still very proud of his son’s achievements. 5. The irony of Gatsby’s funeral is that Gatsby longed for the American Dream.
However, this dream of having Daisy back once again disintegrated into a longing for wealth and possessions and led Gatsby to his death. Also tons of people attended his parties and dwelled in his wealth but no one shows up for his funeral except for Nick, Owl Eyes, a few servants, and Gatsby’s father, Henry C. Gatz. This shows that all the people wanted to use Gatsby only for his wealth and for their entertainment whereas he is no good to them dead therefore no one cares or attends Gatsby’s funeral. A great man like Gatsby had no real friends besides Nick. 7.
Nick feels that Tom and Daisy are careless people and uncaring people and that they destroy people and things, knowing that their money will shield them from ever having to face any negative consequences. He believes Tom and Daisy act the way they want without caring for anyone else because they have their wealth to protect. Tom and Daisy represent “old money” which shows that old money does shallow people who only care for themselves and their wealth will always be present to help. He feels that Tom and Daisy retreated back into their money and vast carelessness and let other people clean up their messes.
The Great Gatsby Chapter 1-5 Summaries
In Chapter 1, the narrator introduces himself as Nick Carraway and talks about himself and his father. He describes himself as tolerant but fails to realizes his views are very biased and speaks with pity to those who “haven't had the advantages that you've had,” as his father says. Nick comes from a well-known Mid-Western family, and graduated from Yale (as his ancestors have) in 1915. After fighting in World War I, he comes home restless and decides to learn the bond business. His father finances Nick for a year and Nick lives in a house on West Egg. He talks about West and East Egg.
West Egg is the less fashionable of the two, and consists of new money. He lives between Gatsby's mansion and another millionaire. East Egg consists of old money people, and that is where his cousin, Daisy, and her husband, Tom Buchanan, live. Tom was one of Nick's classmates at Yale who played football professionally and came from a wealthy family. The Buchanans invite Nick over for dinner, and Nick meets Daisy's friend, Jordan Baker. She is a professional golfer and seems to be bored of being wealthy. At dinner, Tom talks about the book, “The Rise of the Colored Empires”, and readers learn that Tom is pro-white dominance.
Dinner is interrupted by a phone call for Tom, and Jordan tells Nick that it's a phone call from Tom's lover in New York. Daisy and Nick catch up in private out on the veranda. After dinner, everyone chats in a crimson room and when Jordan heads to sleep, Daisy jokes that Jordan and Nick should marry each other. Soon, Nick heads home and sees Gatsby on his dock reaching out his hand across the Sound. Chapter 2 begins with a description of the valley of ashes which is located between West Egg and New York. The area is a barren wasteland and a large billboard with Doctor T. J. Eckleburg's eyes decay in the valley.
Tom takes Nick to the valley of ashes so he can meet Tom's mistress. They arrive at George Wilson's garage on the edge of the valley of ashes and meet with him and his wife, Myrtle. Tom then forces Myrtle (his mistress) and Nick to his flat in New York and throws an improper small party with Myrtle's sister, Catherine, and a couple named McKee. The group then gossips about Jay Gatsby and Catherine claims that he is somehow related to Kaiser Wilhelm, the despised ruler of Germany during World War I. As the group gets more drunk, Myrtle begins to act harsh and almost teenage-like.
Catherine states that the only reason Tom hasn't left Daisy is because Daisy is Catholic, and Catholics don't believe in divorce. Nick is surprised by such an accusation because he knows that Daisy is not Catholic. Myrtle then talks about how she never loved her husband, and she made the biggest mistake marrying him. Later, Tom gives Myrtle a puppy as a gift, and the drinking goes on. Sometime after, Myrtle starts chanting Daisy's name, and Tom punches her in the face, breaking her nose. Chapter 3 begins with Nick's description of Gatsby's Saturday night parties.
These parties are extremely lavish, and earned the reputation of being one of the best parties in New York. Guests gather to admire Gatsby's Rolls Royce and enormous swimming pool, eat delicious food, enjoy the live band, and drink unlimited amounts of alcohol that Gatsby supplies everyone with. Eventually, Gatsby's chauffeur brings an invitation to Nick's door and Nick heads over the next day. When he arrives, the mansion is already packed with anyone and everyone. Many attendees were not invited, even more have not met Gatsby face to face.
The crowd is mixed, with people from West Egg and East Egg, and people from New York and some that weren't high up on the social ladder. Nick then runs into Jordan Baker, and they hear rumors among the crowd about Gatsby. Nick and Jordan roam around to try to find Gatsby, and at first end up in Gatsby's library. In his library, they meet a man they call Owl Eyes, who is fascinated by the fact that all the books in the library are real. Afterward, they head out to the garden and begin talking to a man that is young and handsome. He tells them that he served in the same division as Nick in the war.
He then introduces himself as Gatsby. Gatsby leaves to take a phone call, but tells one of his servants to seek out Jordan Baker to tell her he needs to speak with her in private. A few hours later, Jordan comes out of the library and tells Nick the conversation was “simply amazing. ” Before Nick leaves, Gatsby invites him to go hydroplaning the next morning and Nick agrees to go. As Nick leaves the mansion, fifty feet from the door, he sees that a car has landed in a ditch. He sees Owl Eyes there and the whole situation is very bizarre. Nick then breaks off to talk about his overall summer of 1922.
He states that he did not only attend parties all summer long, but also worked in New York. He met again with Jordan in midsummer, and realized that she had cheated in a golf tournament. Although he knows that Jordan lies constantly, he is still somehow attracted to her. In Chapter 4, Nick returns to one of Gatsby's Sunday morning parties, and he hears a couple of young ladies gossip about Gatsby. They say he is a bootlegger and killed a man because he found out. On another morning, Gatsby invites Nick to lunch in the city. Gatsby then asks Nick what he thinks of him.
Nick is very evasive in the way he responds. Gatsby then tells Nick about his past, claiming to be from a MidWestern family and says he is from the city of San Francisco. He then goes on to say that he studied at Oxford and lived in all of the capitals of Europe. And that he enlisted in the war effort, where he was quickly promoted to major and celebrated by every Allied government. Gatsby even pulls out a picture of himself at Oxford and also a medal with his name on it from Montenegro. Gatsby drives very fast through the valley of ashes and is pulled over by a policeman for speeding.
Gatsby shows the policeman a white card and the policeman apologizes and doesn't give him a ticket. At lunch, Gatsby introduces Carraway to Meyer Wolfsheim, who is a Jewish man that is an infamous gambler and who claims to have fixed the 1919 World Series. Wolfsheim proudly shows Nick his arm cuff that is made of human molars. Nick soon believes that Gatsby is involved in dark business. After Wolfsheim leaves the restaurant, Nick spots Tom at a table and introduces Gatsby to him. Gatsby is visibly uncomfortable around Tom and leaves suddenly without an explanation.
The next time Nick meets with Jordan, she tells him that Gatsby is in love with Daisy. She says that back in 1917, both Daisy and Gatsby volunteered at the Red Cross and Daisy madly fell in love with him. She promised that she would wait for Gatsby to return from war, but while he was away, Tom proposed to her and she accepted. The night before Daisy's wedding, she had realized her huge mistake and drank herself to insanity. Jordan tells Nick that the only reason why Gatsby bought his mansion on West Egg was to be directly across the bay from Daisy.
Nick then realizes why Gatsby was on his dock reaching out to the green light across the Sound (because the light is the light on the end of Daisy's dock). Jordan then tells Nick that Gatsby wanted him to arrange a meeting for himself and Daisy at Nick's house. In Chapter 5, the night Nick returns home after talking to Jordan, he sees that Gatsby's mansion is lit from top to bottom. Nick is approached by an eager and nervous Gatsby, and Nick tells him that he has spoken with Jordan. In return for helping him, Gastby offers Nick an under-the-table job that hasn't anything to do with Wolfsheim.
Nick is offended by his wish to pay him back for setting up the meeting, and declines the offer. On the day that Gatsby and Daisy are to meet, it begins to rain. When Daisy first arrives, the tension and conversations are very awkward between them. Gatsby is so nervous to be around Daisy that he knocks over Nick's clock. Nick tells Gatsby to calm down, and leaves them alone for a short while. When Nick returns, he sees that they have just finished hugging and Daisy has joyful tears on her cheeks. They are much more relaxed and comfortable around one another, and they head over to Gatbsy's mansion.
Gatsby shows them around, first at some luxurious shirts imported from Europe, and Daisy bursts into tears. Then looking out from a window, Gatsby tells Daisy that he can see the green light at the end of her dock when the night air is clear. After, Gatsby wakes Ewing Klipspringer so he can play “Ain't We Got Fun” on the piano. While the music floats around in the room, Nick thinks to himself that Daisy will not be able to live up to Gatsby's standards and forget the last five years has ever happened. As Gatsby and Daisy get closer, Nick realizes it is time for him to leave and starts walking home.
The Great Gatsby, Chapter 8
Owen Marshall Honors Language Arts, Lohman March 27, 2013 Chapter 8 This chapter begins with Nick talking to Gatsby after the horrible events of the night before. Gatsby tells Nick how he spent his night waiting for Daisy to see him just for her to ignore him the whole time. He then tells Nick about why he fell in love with Daisy, and why he is still so deeply attached to her. Nick then leaves for work, shouting to Gatsby reassuring words seeing as he is obviously lost and depressed.
After Nick leaves we are told about the actions of grief stricken George Wilson. We are told that George believed that the driver of the car that killed his wife was Gatsby and George acts upon this information. He spends the day making his way to Gatsby’s house and upon his arrival kills Gatsby in his pool and then ends his own life. Suspense This chapter creates a very deep suspense through the actions of George Wilson.
Fitzgerald cultivates this suspense for the climax of the novel by describing George’s actions with little detail, describing them as if we are being told by a police report. He skirts what actually occurred, instead describing the setting in vivid detail. He mentions the “…cluster of leave…”(pg 170) that are in the pool foreshadowing Gatsby’s fate by having the leaves represent the end of the season and the end of his life. Fitzgerald uses this suspense to keep the reader intensely reading keep Gatsby’s death a shock.
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