Text Connections

F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby, weaves relatable events and characters into his novel in order to increase its complexity. In what essentially becomes the climax of the novel, Tom Buchanan appears to instantly suffer the loss of his mistress as well as the divorce of his wife. A text connection can be established with the parable of the rich fool from the Bible because in the parable, the affluent man is apathetically selfish and never content, until one day, the Lord takes everything away from him. Like the rich fool, Tom does not appreciate the love of his wife enough to sacrifice the termination of he and his mistress’ relationship. It is not until his mistress dies and his wife almost leaves him that Tom sees the importance of loyalty, love, and appreciation. Once again, a biblical text connection can be made to the moment during the “prolonged and tumultuous argument” between Gatsby and Tom. Nick remembers how his underwear “kept climbing like a damp snake around my legs,” (126) making an allusion to the malicious serpent in the Bible in Genesis; the snake presents itself during a heated argument as if to continue spreading the evil spirit to all that are near. Ingeniously, Fitzgerald applies his vast knowledge to his writing in a convoluted manner that makes his work interesting and intriguing.

Diction

In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses harsh diction in order to communicate his melancholic tone and realistic perspective on the digression of American society. In the Jazz Age where many were careless and therefore reckless, American society encountered a dramatic ethic decrease, ultimately hindering the new nation from any genuine progress. Fitzgerald, the observative and wise individual he was, talks about how the stretch from New York to West Egg is “a valley of ashes” (23), suggesting the human race induced destruction of once beautiful land, which is now nothing but “gray land” and “spasms of bleak dust” (23). This depresses Fitzgerald, and his emotions are conveyed through his morose tone and selective word choice. While main characters Nick and Tom visit Tom’s mistress in New York, Nick describes her as, “continually smouldering,” (25) as to suggest the consistent and constant corrosion of humans themselves as they conquer each day. Her smoulder will not go out nor cease to exist, and therefore, there is no hope for the ever-declining state of all humans within this rocky era. This message of surrender to an inevitable presence is addressed by the author’s careful diction and crestfallen tone. On the “hottest day of the year,” Nick sits with Gatsby and the Buchanans, reflecting on the beauty of the “scalloped ocean” and the “abounding blessed isles” (111) in comparison to the wasteland or “weedy refuse” (111) from which he observes the view. The juxtaposing diction is effective as it romanticizes the pulchritude of a vast area not spoiled by the faults of humankind, contrasting the morally corrupt decadence society is faced with. Fitzgerald’s woeful wishes for a more peaceful, “blessed isles” here on dry land is explicitly exemplified by his woebegone tone. Unlike many people of his time, Fitzgerald recognized the rapid destruction of a society and its ethics; he solicitously expresses his melancholic tone through the selection of brutally candid diction.

Rhetorical Strategies

Ø  Asyndeton—“People disappeared, reappeared, made plans to go somewhere, and then lost each other, found each other a few feet away” (37).

Ø  Symbolism—“ ‘But it’s so hot…and everything is so confused’” (118).

Ø  Metaphor—“ ‘Her voice is full of money’” (120).

Ø  Antithesis—“an indefinable expression, at once definitely unfamiliar and vaguely recognizable,” (121).

Ø  Juxtaposition—“They weren’t happy, and yet they weren’t unhappy either” (145).

Ø  Zeugma—“he was leaning against a table in the hall, heavy with dejection or sleep” (147).

Ø  Oxymoron—“magnanimous scorn” (135), “sweet fever” (151), “cheerful snobbery” (151).

Ø  Simile—“and of Daisy, gleaming like silver, safe and proud above the hot struggles of the poor” (150).

An author of genuine artistic merit, F. Scott Fitzgerald utilizes rhetorical devices to develop a creative and unique style that relates to the jubilant, carefree, and yet erratic and often panicked era of the Roaring Twenties in his novel, The Great Gatsby. His decorated language strongly and accurately connotes the mixed emotions of the epoch. Devices like antithesis, asyndeton, juxtaposition, zeugma, and oxymoron illustrate the unclear and often confused mindsets of individuals; it was an era of innovation and extremes, which also brought to light by such devices. During the 1920s, America also experienced an uneven distribution of wealth, which not only eventually triggered the Great Depression, but also corrupted the morals of many people. Similes, metaphors, and symbolism convey the moral corruption emerging from the shallow depths of a newly formed nation. Some Americans, like Daisy and Tom, lost sight of authentically substantial values in the chase for wealth, while others like Gatsby were disappointed by the painful cankers of love during such a passionate time. All of the devices combine to generate Fitzgerald’s storyline—a storyline cleverly composed by a plethora and variety of rhetorical devices that all ultimately shape the author’s unique and novel style that not only portrays the emotions and experiences of his characters, but of an entire nation during an epoch of apprehension and euphoria.

Personal Review

Just upon hearing the title, I was intrigued to read The Great Gatsby from the beginning. From start to finish, this novel is brilliant; it is filled with vivid imagery, precise diction, and stylistic syntax that work together to create this relishing story. Although it is a love story, it is far from stereotypical soap operas of its era.

            In many ways, I feel the book was enjoyable because relating to the characters and events was not too difficult. Fitzgerald manipulated my feelings towards individuals like Tom Buchanan—he made me dislike the audacity of men in the 1920s and their ability to be so egotistical and heartless. The character of Jay Gatsby himself also captivated my attention; the idea of the guy next door with a hidden past could not have been more intriguing—I was eager to uncover his identity with the turn of each page.

            Unlike many books, The Great Gatsby does not close with a fairy tale ending; in fact, it was quite the opposite. Fitzgerald’s storyline in a lot of ways mirrors the realism of the early twentieth century, which I personally find more relatable versus the traditional and cliché “happily ever after.” Also, I was thoroughly impressed by the author’s perception of dreams and how they are sometimes unattainable, communicating the romanticized idea of the American dream and its true face on the American people.

            It’s not a rudimentary task to discover a truly magnificent novel—however, this book is a must-read for all the hopeless romantics, as well as every individual who has “paid a high price for living too long with a single dream” (161).

Syntax

Syntax Blog

            Throughout The Great Gatsby, novel 1920s author F. Scott Fitzgerald conveys his distaste for affluent lifestyles and the seemingly impeccable but ignorant egotism it creates. He communicates this almost satirical dislike by subtly mocking the “ineffable gaudiness” of such people through the utilization of syntactical variation in the structure of his sentences. One of Fitzgerald’s morally emptiest characters, Daisy Buchanan, confesses to her cousin Nick, “ ‘Sophisticated—God I’m sophisticated!’” (17). The telegraphic, fragmented clause contradicts the statement it makes—a “sophisticated” individual cannot make a grammatically correct remark about her own class. The broken structure also contributes to the inadequate state of Daisy’s mental stability. This transparently satirizes the lifestyle and person Daisy is, revealing the slightly humorous style of Fitzgerald’s writing. Because of these despicable individuals, the Earth itself is also paying a painful price. Fitzgerald explicitly illustrates the wasteland between West Egg and New York by saying, “This is a valley of ashes—a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke,” (23). Powerful and insightful, the anaphora invites the reader to behold the disaster that rich men with big dreams have engineered—a stretch of once rolling green hills now transfigured into a barren desert of man’s waste. Candidly, Fitzgerald furthermore demonstrates his lack of affinity for the wealthy and inconsiderate population of the covetous syndicate that pollutes the human race. While attending one of Jay Gatsby’s legendary parties, Nick notes the “whole pitful of oboes and trombones and saxophones and viols and cornets and piccolos and low and high drums” (40). The omission of commas and excess of conjunctions highlights the unreasonable amount of instruments at the party, suggesting the abundance of money that is spent as if it is Gatsby’s hobby to do so. The author ridicules the display of money, as he sees it as not only unnecessary but immensely immature. Ultimately, the author witnessed the pitiful characteristics of such people and lifestyles due to living during the Roaring Twenties, and therefore effectively permeates his scorn for this abomination to humanity through his satirical style that is decorated with various syntactical strategies.