The Great Gatsby: Chapter Eight

...You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together...

Narrative perspectives/ voices:
Chapter when Nick and Gatsby share last few moments together prior to Gatsby’s death. Nick notably states: ‘you’re worth the whole damn bunch put together’; hinting along with the eponymous that Nick is very praising of Gatsby, looking past his faults.  

Time Period:
There is a large reference to timings in this chapter, starting at the beginning, when Nick re-tells: ‘it was nine o’clock when we finished breakfast and went out on the porch.’ ‘twelve minutes to my train’ ‘I’ll call you about noon’ ‘three fifty train’..’it was just noon. From these references, it gives the impression that Gatsby is very distant from his usual self, and is quite unconcerned about his friend. This is also evident from the rash decision to fire all of his servants and hire new ones as Daisy regularly ‘visits’ in the ‘afternoons’, to prevent ‘talk’. However, as Gatsby is so well-known and particularly popular due to his generosity, he has prying eyes from different sources than servants- ‘until long after midnight a changing crowd lapped up against the front garage’.

There are a lot of time periods used to track Wilson and Gatsby’s whereabouts and movements over the course of the day leading to Gatsby’s death, shown in the extract below;

‘By six o’clock Michaelis was worn out, and grateful for the sound of a car stopping outside. It was one of the watchers of the night before who had promised to come back, so he cooked breakfast for three, which he and the other man ate together. Wilson was quieter now, and Michaelis went home to sleep; when he awoke four hours later and hurried back to the garage, Wilson was gone.

His movements — he was on foot all the time — were afterward traced to Port Roosevelt and then to Gad’s Hill, where he bought a sandwich that he didn’t eat, and a cup of coffee. He must have been tired and walking slowly, for he didn’t reach Gad’s Hill until noon. Thus far there was no difficulty in accounting for his time — there were boys who had seen a man “acting sort of crazy,” and motorists at whom he stared oddly from the side of the road. Then for three hours he disappeared from view. The police, on the strength of what he said to Michaelis, that he “had a way of finding out,”supposed that he spent that time going from garage to garage thereabout, inquiring for a yellow car. On the other hand, no garage man who had seen him ever came forward, and perhaps he had an easier, surer way of finding out what he wanted to know. By half-past two he was in West Egg, where he asked someone the way to Gatsby’s house. So by that time he knew Gatsby’s name.

At two o’clock Gatsby put on his bathing-suit and left word with the butler that if any one phoned word was to be brought to him at the pool. He stopped at the garage for a pneumatic mattress that had amused his guests during the summer, and the chauffeur helped him pump it up. Then he gave instructions that the open car wasn’t to be taken out under any circumstances — and this was strange, because the front right fender needed repair.’

From this, we learn quite a lot about Nick as a narrator. He is evidently quite controlling and adopts an organised manner to deal with the loss of Gatsby, clear from the relation back to Gatsby throughout the extract- ‘so by that time he knew Gatsby’s name’, and does not hold back his opinions on Gatsby, although he evidently does not think they were wise ones: ‘...and this was strange...’, and yet still holds Gatsby in very high regard.

Setting:
The first setting mentioned in this chapter is with reference to what Nick thinks Gatsby should do; ‘Go away to Atlantic City for a week, or up to Montreal’ This is forcibly refused by Gatsby, and it is unclear from Nick’s reaction whether he expected this or not, but the use of short sentences: ‘he wouldn’t consider it. He couldn’t possibly leave...’ gives the impression that he disproves of Gatsby’s choice.
Wilson’s garage is the next setting, where Michaelis is trying to gain knowledge on Wilson, and trying to grasp at a way of finding help for him. Unfortunately, this does not succeed and Wilson has left, towards Gatsby’s pool before Michaelis’ return after he was ‘worn out’. This soon turns into a tragic series of events, resulting in the death of Gatsby.
Narrative Techniques, Elements and Themes:
Poetic prose; ‘I tumbled with a sort of splash upon the keys of a ghostly piano’

Sensual description; ‘there was a wholesome bulkiness about his person and his position’

Use of sound; ‘fog horn was groaning incessantly’

Use of dramatic dialogue; ‘I can’t describe to you how surprised I was to find out I loved her, old sport. I even hoped for a while that she’d throw me over, but she didn’t, because she was in love with me too.’

Surreal description; ‘Wilson’s glazed eyes turned out the ashheaps, where grey clouds took on fantastic shapes and scurried here and there in the faint dawn wind’

 References to; ‘Gatsby’s house’- Nick refers to this setting considerably: also to his ‘garage’

Time references; ‘it was nine o’clock when we finished breakfast and went out on the porch.’ twelve minutes to my train’ ‘I’ll call you about noon’ ‘three fifty train’ ‘until long after midnight a changing crowd lapped up against the front garage’ ‘by six o’clock Michaelis was worn out’ ‘about five o’clock it was blue enough outside to snap off the light.’

Use of names; Michaelis, George Wilson- first time finding out his name: ‘maybe you got some friend that I could telephone for, George?’, Gatsby, Nick, Meyer Wolfshiem: letter regarding not attending the funeral to ‘Mr Carraway’

Colours; ‘golden and silver slippers’ ‘at the grey tea hour’ ‘white car’ ‘about five o’clock it was blue enough outside to snap off the light.’

Themes; time, Gatsby (and his choices, repetitive evaluation of him by Nick)

The Great Gatsby: Chapter Seven

Chapter where a large amount of action takes place, drastically changing the course of the narrative...

Narrative perspectives/ voices:
Narrated by Nick- quite laid back approach; largely concentrates on others- evidence shown by the fact he only finds out at end of chapter that it was his ‘birthday’.

Time Period:
Some of the timings mentioned in this chapter, include: ‘the lights on his house failed to go on one night’ ‘Daisy comes over quite often – in the afternoons’ ‘only the hot whistles of the National Biscuit Company broke the simmering hush at noon.’  ‘it was in nineteen-nineteen, I only stayed five months.’
Setting:
The first setting of this chapter is in ‘Gatsby’s house’- Nick calls by but only gets a rude butler in response: ‘who? He demanded rudely’. They then take a trip to Tom and Daisy’s house in the ‘salon’, get shown in and meet them there. Here is the first time Gatsby meets Daisy’s child, putting a melancholic tone in the air, probably because Gatsby has a very innocent and past view of Daisy, which is far from the reality both of them now live in. After a tense conversation involving Tom, Daisy and Gatsby, they all drive to ‘town’ and stay at the apartment. Controversially, Daisy chooses to drive with Gatsby rather than Tom, and this is the first time when it sinks in for Tom that Daisy loves Gatsby, and takes this out on Nick and Miss Baker: ‘you think I’m pretty dumb, don’t you? Whilst they drove back, an accident on the road took place. Daisy ran Myrtle over, without the knowledge to the reader whether Daisy knew what she was doing; this is never revealed, so leaves doubts in the mind of the reader as to whether Daisy is genuine or ‘full of money’. Mr Wilson’s garage: here, Tom finds out that he has lost Myrtle and ‘sobs’ as he is back in the car. Eventually, they come home from a day each one of them wished had not happened. Gatsby watches the house to check that Daisy is safe, and Nick leaves. Almost like an end of an era for Nick, because he knows what each character is now truly capable of.

Narrative Techniques, Elements and Themes:

Poetic prose (style); ‘they were gone, without a word, snapped out, made accidental, isolated, like ghosts, even from our pity.’ ‘so we drove on toward death in through the cooling twilight’

Descriptive detail; ‘Then I turned back to Gatsby – and was startled at his expression. He looked – and this is said in all contempt for the babbled slander of his garden – as if he ‘killed a man’. For a moment the set on his face could be described in just that fantastic way.’

Sensual (physical) description; ‘flung open the door, blocked out its space for the moment with his thick body’

Use of dramatic dialogue; repetition of ‘Oh, ma ga-od’ at Myrtle’s death [Wilson] ‘’Did you see any trouble on the road?...’ ‘Yes’’ He hesitated. ‘Was she killed?’ ‘Yes.’’

 Descriptive writing; ‘his hand, trembling with his effort at self-control, bore to his lips the last of his glass of ale’ ‘picking up Wilson like a doll, Tom carried him into the office, set him down at a chair, and came back.’ ‘so I walked away and left him standing there in the moonlight-watching over nothing.’

 Surreal description; ‘the automobiles which turned expectantly into his drive stayed for just a minute and then drove sulkily away’ ‘her voice is full of money’ ‘watching over nothing’ ‘picking up Wilson like a doll…’

Colloquial (slang, informal) language; ‘Self-control!’ Repeated Tom incredulously. ‘I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr Nobody from Nowhere make love to your wife. Well if that’s the idea you can count me out....’ ‘‘Nope.’ After a pause he added ‘sir’.’ ‘I’ve got something to tell you old sport,’

Use of sounds; ‘only the hot whistles of the National Biscuit Company broke the simmering hush at noon.’ ‘against the singing breeze of the fan’ ‘as Tom took up the receiver the compressed heat exploded into sound and we were listening to the portentous chords f Mendelssohn’s Wedding March from the ballroom below’

Time references; ‘the lights on his house failed to go on one night’ ‘Daisy comes over quite often – in the afternoons’ ‘only the hot whistles of the National Biscuit Company broke the simmering hush at noon.’ ‘it was in nineteen-nineteen, I only stayed five months.’

Use of names; talking about Myrtyle as being Mr Wilson’s property: ‘’My wife and I want to go West’ ‘your wife does,’ exclaimed Tom startled’

Language of altercation; “Did you see that?” demanded Tom. “See what?” He looked at me keenly, realizing that Jordan and I must have known all along. “You think I’m pretty dumb, don’t you?” he suggested. “Perhaps I am, but I have a — almost a second sight, sometimes, that tells me what to do. Maybe you don’t believe that, but science —” He paused. The immediate contingency overtook him, pulled him back from the edge of the theoretical abyss. “I’ve made a small investigation of this fellow,” he continued. “I could have gone deeper if I’d known ——” “Do you mean you’ve been to a medium?” inquired Jordan humorously. “What?” Confused, he stared at us as we laughed. “A medium?” “About Gatsby.” “About Gatsby! No, I haven’t. I said I’d been making a small investigation of his past.” “And you found he was an Oxford man,” said Jordan helpfully. “An Oxford man!” He was incredulous. “Like hell he is! He wears a pink suit.” “Nevertheless he’s an Oxford man.” “Oxford, New Mexico,” snorted Tom contemptuously, “or something like that.” “Listen, Tom. If you’re such a snob, why did you invite him to lunch?” demanded Jordan crossly. “Daisy invited him; she knew him before we were married — God knows where!” We were all irritable now with the fading ale, and aware of it we drove for a while in silence.

Colours; ‘white shirtwaist’ ‘silver idols’ ‘white dresses’ ‘on the green sound’ ‘slowly, the white wings of the boat moved against the blue cool limit of the sky’ ‘silver curve of the moon’ ‘high in a white palace the king’s daughter, the golden girl’

Themes; fear – ‘I think he was afraid they would dart down some side street and out of his life forever’ ‘I heard a low husky sob’

The Great Gatsby: Chapter Six

Told about James Gatz; who changed his name at the age of seventeen; and reader gets to meet Dan Cody- being able to observe how the riches of Gatsby’s current lifestyle were fathomed and completed.

Narrative perspectives/ voices:
In this chapter, Nick takes a very critical view on characters; particularly Gatsby at the beginning- using phrases such as: ‘Just why these inventions were a source of satisfaction to James Gatz of North Dakota, isn’t easy to say.’ This portrays a more mysterious side to Gatsby, giving the impression to the reader that he may be a stereotypical bad person. He says: ‘I suppose he’d had the name ready for a long time, even then’, which emphasises the fact that Nick does not currently trust Gatsby very much at all- he presumes that he was planning his wealth from a very young age and seized the opportunity whilst he could. Nick makes a swooping statement amongst no real mention of his family: ‘His imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all’, which highlights the possibility that Nick has had a tough past also. ‘His heart was in constant, turbulent riot’- saying this could also be an accurate description of Nick himself, and expresses this with judgemental ‘honest’ insight into everyone else’s feelings. Another judgemental statement portrays Gatsby in a dull light, as someone who would do anything for money: ‘an instinct toward his future glory had led him’ Nick goes on to re-tell, ‘it was from Cody that he inherited the money- a legacy of twenty-five thousand dollars. He didn’t get it.’ The reader has to assume that the source is accurate for this information that they are being fed; as the true reason for why Gatsby did things is only on his own heart. Nick becomes quite self-centred towards the middle of the chapter, saying to the reader-‘As though they cared!’ when he is told that Gatsby was ‘delighted to see [Nick]’. One other person he criticises and puts in a bad light due to his judgemental character, is Daisy; saying that ‘she saw something awful in the very simplicity she failed to understand’; creating the impression that she is to selfish to think about others and have a wider perspective on different aspects.

Time Period:

Times used to separate the chapter include:‘an ambitious young reporter from New York arrived one morning’, emphasising the popularity of Gatsby, and potentially Nick’s source for finding out the information he suddenly receives. Ella Kaye is described as: ‘common property of the turgid journalism in 1902’.
Gatsby is said to have been ‘coasting along all too hospitable shores for five years when he turned up’ he, being Dan Cody- emphasising ‘he’ rather than Gatsby being the centre of the sentence, makes Dan seem like a great character in Gatsby and the readers’ eyes.

Nick tells the reader that ‘for several weeks I didn’t see him or hear his voice on the phone’, as he had been in New York with Jordan mainly, ‘but finally [Nick] went round to his house one Sunday afternoon’

As Gatsby reflects, he remembers‘...one autumn night, five years before’, reminiscing about the easier days when it was just himself and Daisy.

 Setting:

The first setting is when the reporter visits:‘...one morning at Gatsby’s door’. ‘...when he turned up as James Gatz’s destiny in Little Girl Bay’ portrays Gatsby in a more cynical and selfish light due to the planning of his own ‘destiny.’

‘...I didn’t see him or hear his voice on the phone- mostly I was in New York, trotting around with Jordan...finally I went over to his house one Sunday afternoon.’ (setting: Gatsby’s house)

Nick, quite judgingly, describes Daisy as being ‘appalled by West Egg...this unprecedented place’ and makes her seem less worthy of nice character traits from the readers’ perspective.

Narrative Techniques, Elements and Themes:

Poetic prose; ‘the most grotesque and fantastic conceits haunted him in his bed at night’

Use of ellipses; ‘he could find out what that thing was... ...One autumn night, five years before, they had been walking down the street when the leaves were falling’

Descriptive detail; ‘that yacht represented all the beauty and glamour in the world’ ‘for a moment, a phrase tried to take shape in my mouth and my lips parted like a dumb man’s, as though there was more struggling upon them than a wisp of startled air. But there was no sound, and what I had almost remembered was uncommunicable forever.’

Use of dramatic dialogue; ‘‘I’d like to know who he is and what he does,’ insisted Tom, ‘And I think I’ll make a point of finding out’

 Descriptive writing; ‘each night he added to the pattern of his fancies until drowsiness closed down upon some vivid scene with an oblivious embrace. For a while these reveries provided an outlet for his imagination; they were a satisfactory hint of the unreality of reality, a promise that the rock of the world was founded securely on a fairy’s wing.’

 Surreal description; ‘moved by an irresistible impluse’ ‘husky rhythmic whisper’

 Colloquial language; ‘I know your wife’...’That so?’

Time references; ‘an ambitious young reporter from New York arrived one morning’ ‘common property of the turgid journalism in 1902’  ‘he had been coasting along all too hospitable shores for five years when he turned up’ ‘for several weeks I didn’t see him or hear his voice on the phone’ ‘one Sunday afternoon’

Language of altercation; ’’she didn’t like it,’ he said immediately ‘of course she did’ ‘she didn’t like it,’ he insisted, ‘she didn’t have a good time.’ He was silent’’

Use of names; introduction to Dan Cody

Colours; ‘torn green jersey’ ’pair of canvas pants’ ‘white plum tree’

Themes; past: ‘‘You can’t repeat the past.’ ‘Can’t repeat the past?’ He cried incredulously. ‘Why of course you can!’’

The Great Gatsby: Chapter Five

Narrative perspectives/ voices:
At first, the dialogue is initiated by Gatsby; ‘At least-‘ he fumbled with a series of beginnings. ‘Why, I thougt- why, look here old sport, you don’t make very much money, do you?’...he continued more confidently...he waited a moment longer, hoping I’d begin a conversation, but I was too absorbed to be responsive, so he went unwillingly home.’

Further in, the narration slips back to Nick when Gatsby is preparing for the visit he has been waiting for, and judgemental observations start to come back in: ‘I don’t believe he saw a thing’

Time Period:

‘Two o’clock and the whole corner of the peninsula was blazing with light’- At the start of the chapter, Gatsby’s mansion is told to be ‘blazing with light’, but Gatsby is seemingly unaware of this, or at least unconcerned, as the only measures of precautions he has taken in stopping the potential fire spreading, is ‘glancing in a few rooms,’ showing that even Gatsby is not ultimately about his possessions, it is merely displayed for show and to attract Daisy. Nick uses a vague time period to describe his good mood: ‘the evening had made me light-hearted and happy’.
Whilst discussing when Gatsby’s plan can be fulfilled, they discuss times: ‘What day would suit you?’ ‘What day would suit you?’ He corrected me quickly. This portrays quite a meek and timid side to Gatsby’s often outwardly boisterous-looking lifestyle. Any judgements of him can be perceived entirely wrong until gaining knowledge of his continual love and commitment towards Daisy Fay (Buchannan).
There are multiple timely preparations that take place before Daisy’s arrival: ‘At eleven o’clock a man in a raincoat, dragging a lawn-mower, tapped at my front door and said Mr Gatsby had sent him over’ ‘for at two o’clock, a greenhouse arrived from Gatsby’s’ ‘an hour later the front door opened nervously’. This large build-up is a juxtaposition to how ‘nervous’ he is really feeling. He uses his wealth to escape from this, by making sure that both his house and Nick’s, are perfect.

In the meeting with Daisy, Gatsby remembers exactly that it was ‘Five years next November,’ since him and Daisy had been together.

Setting:

The chapter starts after Nick explains the goings-on at Gatsby’s ‘when [Nick] came home to West Egg’, continuing to a conversation concerning Daisy between Gatsby and Nick, taking place in Nick’s garden: ‘We both looked down at the grass...I suspected that he meant my grass.’ The next setting is Nick’s house; Daisy is invited to Nick’s, where Gatsby has arranged to visit, without Daisy’s knowledge, so that they can ‘meet’ and reconnect consequently. As things go to plan for Gatsby, Nick and Daisy visit Gatsby’s house: ‘I want you and Daisy to come over to my house,’ he said, I’d like to show her around.’ This visit is more directed at Daisy, and by the end of the chapter, Nick concludes that Gatsby and Daisy have ‘forgotten’ him.

Narrative Techniques, Elements and Themes:

Poetic prose; ‘Gatsby got himself into a shadow’

Descriptive detail; ‘he stalked by me into the hall, turned sharply as if he were on a wire, and disappeared into the living room.’

Sensual description; ‘pale as death, with his hands plunged like weights in his coat pockets, was standing in a puddle of water glaring tragically into my eyes.’

Use of dramatic dialogue; ‘‘Don’t bring Tom’ I warned her. ‘What?’ ‘Don’t bring Tom.’ ‘Whose Tom?’ she asked innocently’

Descriptive writing; ‘Her throat, full of aching, grieving beauty, told only of her unexpected joy.’ Feudal silhouette against the sky’

Surreal description; personification of the front door: ‘the front door opened nervously’

Use of sounds: lack of/ minimal sounds: ‘but there wasn’t a sound. Only wind in the trees.’ ‘as my taxi groaned’ ‘for half a minute there wasn’t a sound’ ‘Daisy’s voice on a clear artificial note’ ‘under orders to be breathlessly silent until we had passed through’

References to; rooms: ‘I have been glancing into some of the rooms’, ‘I don’t know.. how many hours he ‘glanced into rooms’’. Papers: ‘The Journal’

Colloquial language; ‘Oh, I’ve been in several things’ he corrected himself...

Time references; ‘the evening had made me light-hearted and happy’ ‘an hour later’

Language of altercation; ‘’You’re acting like a little boy’ I broke impatiently. ‘Not only that, but you’re rude. Daisy’s sitting in there all alone.’’

Use of smell: ‘the sparkling odour of jonquils’ ‘the frothy odour of hawthorns’ ‘the pale gold odour of kiss-me-at-the-gate’

Colours; ‘my ragged lawn ended and the darker, well-kept expanse of his began’ ‘in a white flannel suit, silver shirt, and gold-coloured tie’ ‘pale gold’ ‘plum blossoms’ ‘you always have a green light that burns at the end of your dock’...’now it was again a green light on a dock’

Themes; seasons- ‘he sends over a selection of things at the beginning of each season, spring and fall’...

The Great Gatsby: Chapter Four

Nick and Gatsby go for lunch; Jordan tells Nick of a plan Gatsby has devised to meet Daisy over tea...

Narrative perspectives/ voices:
Narrated by Nick Carraway; who is more of an observing character who feels less ‘in the know’ as secrets are held from him throughout this chapter- giving the reader less of an understanding of how Gatsby is actually feeling; because he leaves the narration to Miss Baker when Nick finds out about Gatsby’s love for Daisy.
This chapter iconicaly has a unique style of passing the narrative perspective from different characters. A large focus is on Gatsby. At the beginning of the chapter, Nick’s opinion on Gatsby has changed quite drastically:

·         ‘So, my first impression, that he was a of some undefined consequence, had gradually faded and he had become simply the proprietor of an elaborate road-house next door.’

Later, Gatsby wishes to ‘tell something about [his] life’ with an ‘interruption’ to Nick’s previous response for his question: ‘what’s your opinion of me, anyhow?’- These blunt, but seemingly planned questions take Nick by surprise; ‘a little overwhelmed’. This abrupt transferring information speech from Gatsby, in sufficient detail, gives Nick the impression that he could be hiding something- ‘I knew why Jordan Baker had believed he was lying...as though it had bothered him before...and with this doubt, his whole statement fell to pieces, and I wondered whether there wasn’t something a little sinister about him after all.’ But this could have merely all been to try and persuade Nick further, resulting in some sympathy, and willingness to help him and Daisy meet; with quite innocent intentions. Interestingly, his current trade is not mentioned, and where he gets his current consistent source of wealth. Also, Nick’s later impression of Gatsby is not mentioned, rather the chapter ends with Nick and Jordan getting close in the car: ‘and so I drew her up closer, this time to my face.’
Time Period:
‘Sunday morning whilst the church bells rang’ gives a light tone to the rather more sombre and informative chapter that awaits. The only date that is mentioned is July 15^th 1922 – and Nick finds this on a ‘schedule’ that ‘is in effect’ from then. It is described as ‘grey’, hinting that this was from the past, but ‘Gatsby’s’ handwriting is still legible on it.  
Nick remembers clearly the time period in which he has interactions with Gatsby; ‘at nine o’clock, one morning late in July’...giving the impression that he is very interested in Gatsby, and he is borderline peculiar when it comes to remembering details about him. The use of punctuation: comma mid-sentence adds to this factor.
A vague date used is describing Mr Wolfshiem: who ‘fixed the world series back in 1919’. The ‘cool’ way in which Gatsby is described to say it, shows that he

Setting:
The first setting if the chapter isn’t mentioned, but as Nick is talking as if viewing Gatsby’s house: ‘the world and its mistress returned to Gatsby’s house and twinkled hilariously on his lawn’; I assume that Nick is at his own house.
Lunch with Gatsby; meeting Mr Wolfshiem and running into Tom Buchannan; across from the ‘The old Metropole’
Later in the chapter, Nick has lunch and drives away with Miss Baker; finding out about Gatsby and Daisy’s past fling.

Narrative Techniques, Elements and Themes:
Poetic prose; ‘second cousin to the devil’
Sensual description; ‘two fine growths of hair which luxuriated in either nostril..tiny eyes..expressive nose’
se of dramatic dialogue; ‘how did he happen to do that?’...’he just saw the opportunity’ ‘why isn’t he in jail?’ ‘they can’t get him, old sport, he’s a smart man.’
Surreal description; ‘covered Gatsby with his expressive nose’

References to; ‘restaurants’: ‘Highballs’ ‘The old Metropole’ ‘head waiter’ ‘nice restaurant here’

Colloquial language; ‘the young Quinns..divorced now..killed himself’ ‘Oggsford College in England. You know Oggsford College?’
Time references; ‘this schedule is in effect from July 15^th 1922’, ‘world series back in 1919’, ‘nine o’clock, one morning late in July’ ’One October day in ninteen-seventeen- ‘That was nineteen-seventeen.’

Use of names; meet lots new characters in a rant that Nick has in the beginning; personally meeting Mr Wolfshiem, who tells tales involving ‘Rosy’ and his death, Katspaugh and ‘money’; and several other minor characters in-between, like Daisy Fay’s maid.

Language of altercation; ‘I hadn’t the faintest idea what ‘this matter’ was, but I was more annoyed than interested.’ ‘I’m afraid I made you a little angry this morning in the car’...’I don’t like mysteries,’ I answered’ ‘Daisy’s furious because you haven’t called up’

Colours; ‘cotton-white’ ‘white knickerbockers’ ‘she dressed in white’

Themes; seasons- ‘Gatsby’s house that summer’ ‘drowned summer’

 

 

The Great Gatsby: Chapter Three

Chapter three is when Nick first meets Gatsby, gets to know Jordan Baker and himself better...

Narrative perspectives/voices:  
Written from Nick’s perspective- quite a specifically judgemental chapter; as he gets to know Jordan and Gatsby; he also observes other party-goers and notes traits and flaws from people present at the party.

First impressions on Gatsby:

  ·         ‘...he smiled understandingly- much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life...’

Second impressions on Jordan:

·         At first I was flattered to go places with her, because she was a golf champion...and then it was something more. I wasn’t actually in love, but I sort of felt a tender curiosity....I found what it was...she was incurably dishonest...dishonesty in a woman is thing you never blame deeply.’

Perceptions and conclusions about himself:

·         ‘I am one of the few honest that I have ever known.’

Time Period:

‘Through the summer nights’- retelling of the music heard from the parties at Gatsby’s house
‘Between nine in the morning and long past midnight’; Gatsby’s Rolls became an ‘omnibus’ for parties to and from the city
‘Every Friday’- shows timeliness of Gatsby and his deliveries (in this case, crates of oranges and lemons- signifying his wealth for such exotic fruits)
....’And every Monday...’
‘At least once a fortnight...’
‘By seven o’clock the orchestra had arrived’
....All of these time periods before Nick is invited to Gatsby’s, shows his interest in Gatsby and what goes on in his life- verging on disbelieving with all of the ever-so accurate timings and mental records he must have of Gatsby and his mansion.
Once Nick is at the party, and able to get an inside opinion on Gatsby and his wildly dreamt of parties, the repetitive times and observations seem to halter slightly, as no more time periods are shown.

Setting:

Not told at first; assumed to be Nick’s house
One setting is Gatsby’s mansion- Nick is invited to ‘his first party’ and narrates from the inside perspective for the first time since visiting Tom and Daisy
In search of Gatsby, Jordan and Nick visited a number of places around Gatsby’s mansion-‘bar’ ‘veranda’ ‘high Gothic Library’ ’outside’
Jordan and Nick re-meet at ‘a house party up in Warwick’...they proceed to drive off together, and it ends with Nick talking about himself again- being ‘honest’.

 Narrative Techniques, Elements and Themes:

Poetic prose; ‘at high tide in the afternoon I watched his guests diving from the tower of his raft, or taking the sun on the hot sand of his beach while his two motor-boats slit the waters of the Sound, drawing aquaplanes over cataracts of foam.’
Descriptive detail, ‘the lights grows brighter as the earth lurches away from the sun’ ‘while his station wagon scampered like a brisk yellow bug to meet all trains’
Use of dramatic dialogue; ‘I’ll bet he killed a man.’
Descriptive writing; ‘no thin five piece affair, but a whole pitful of oboes and trombones and saxophones and viols and cornets and piccolos, and low and high drums.’
Surreal description; ‘a chauffeur in a uniform of robin’s-egg blue’
References; to books- in library, ‘they’re absolutely real’
Colloquial language; ‘‘Hello!’ I roared’’ ‘this is much too polite for me’
Time references; ‘by seven o’clock the orchestra has arrived...’ ‘at any time that suits you best’
Use of names; ‘signed Jay Gatsby in majestic hand’
Colours; ‘blue gardens’ ‘brisk yellow bug’ ‘oranges and lemons’ ‘dark gold’ ‘robin’s-egg blue’ ‘dressed in white flannels’ ‘slender golden arm’ ‘gas blue with lavender beads’ ‘grey sun-strained eyes’
Themes; mysterious Gatsby- ‘’I’m Gatsby,’ he said suddenly’’, love, increasingly deception, living in the past...

The Great Gatsby: Chapter Two

Chapter two is the introduction of more characters, and further insight into those that already exist...

Narrative perspectives/voices:

The chapter starts as a description of the drive between ‘West Egg and New York’, from the perspective of Nick. Part of Nick’s narration is through accounts and random ‘facts’ that he has picked up on- ‘the fact that he had one was insisted upon everywhere he was known. His acquaintances resented the fact that he turned up in popular cafes with her and leaving her at a table, sauntered about, chatting with whomsoever he knew.’- This gives the reader more insight to the characters of Tom, Myrtle (referred to as ‘her’, being Tom’s mistress), and Nick. Tom is evidently exceedingly powerful, as he overrules and disregards any negative comments against him and his ways. Myrtle is shown as more of a background character, disregarded and not introduced to ‘whomsoever he knew’, and ‘left’. With the repetition of ‘fact’, Nick is shown to be more of a weaker character, as he has to prove that his statements are true repeatedly; yet still does not have evidence to prove these points. Fitzgerald shows him to be like this, so that the reader automatically sways towards his view, but somewhat looses trust for him whilst doing this; as he does not make his ‘facts’ clear.

Time Period:

Timing in this chapter is not as frequently noted, the first mention of it is simply stating, ‘it was a few days before the fourth of July’- highlighting that Nick is likely to be concentrating on other things, like how Tom is perceived with a mistress, what Daisy’s reaction is to Tom..also reflecting on the questions in the readers’ minds.
At the party, timing passes by rapidly and inconsistently- going from ‘eight o’clock’ to ‘nine o’clock- almost immediately afterward I looked at my watch and found it was ten.’ This reflects the drunken antics that passed, and the chapter ends very suddenly and with a random finish, ‘then I was lying half asleep in the cold lower level of the Pennsylvania Station, staring at the morning Tribune, and waiting for the four o’clock train.’ As the chapter begins and ends with travelling, it makes the whole chapter seem quite distant in its relevance to the narrative; but also gives the story some vague context with its perplexing storyline, adding to the confusion of the story, but also giving it some substance and reality, and consequently making the reader’s views on each character stronger, or totally different.

Setting:

The setting is travelling to New York, the garage – described as a ‘solemn dumping ground’ ‘valley of ashes’ and ‘dismal scene’; introduced to ‘Doctor Eckleburg’s persistent stare’. After buying a dog through the ‘taxi-window’, they go to ‘the apartment’: ‘the’ shows that it must have great significance in events, or has been frequently used before- as there is no question as to which ‘apartment’ it may be. ‘The apartment’ turns out to be down ‘158^th Street’. Tom gets some whisky from a ‘locked bureau door’; also showing that he must be used to the apartment, as he knows where/ how to get into bureaus... After a random series of events, Nick is found in an elevator, then he is ‘standing by his bed’, before ending up at ‘Pennsylvania Station’. This confusion of places and events gives the impression that Nick is a bit of a lightweight, confirmed with the statement ‘I have been drunk just twice in my life’.

Narrative Techniques, Elements and Themes:

Poetic prose; Use of poetic writing style- ‘when he saw us a damp gleam of hope sprang into his light blue eyes.’ The use of poetry prose makes the reader feel increasingly sympathetic for Wilson and what is happening to him unknowingly.

Descriptive detail; ‘The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic- their retinas one yard high...’

Sensual description; ‘thickish figure’ to describe Mrs Wilson’s body as Nick first sees her.

Surreal description; shown by the drunken state that Nick was in.

References; lots of references to newspapers throughout the chapter- ‘Town Tattle’ is mentioned repeatedly, and ‘Tribune’ at the end. Texts mentioned: ‘Simon Called Peter’: this could be a Biblical parallel, as ‘Simon’ means ‘reed’, whereas ‘Peter’ means ‘rock’- possibly signifying the relation between Tom, his wife and his mistress, as Simon’s transition of a changed name...Daisy became outdated, moved onto Myrtle, Myrtle repeats ‘Daisy, Daisy, Daisy...’ –significance of names....Peter also betrayed Jesus, said he didn’t even know Him 3 times.

Colloquial language; ‘he was sitting up between the sheets, clad in his underwear..’

Time references; ‘few days before the fourth of July’ ‘eight o’clock’ ‘nine o’clock- and almost immediately afterward I looked at my watch and found it was ten.’ Highlights drunkenness.

Use of names; References to ‘Simon Called Peter’ text: Biblical Parallel with names—possibly relation to Daisy, Tom and Myrtle? Peter betrayed Jesus, 3 times denial.

Language of altercation; Tom and Myrtle argue- ‘‘I’ll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai-’ with a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand.’

Use of specific punctuation: ellipses; this highlights the fact that Nick is drunk, and does not recall a lot of the events that took place. This links to the random time references used. - ‘Beauty and the Beast...Loneliness...Old Grocery Horse...Brook’n Bridge...’

Colours; ‘ash grey men’ ‘grey cars’ ‘invisible track’ ‘grey land’ ‘bleak dust’ ‘blue and gigantic’ ‘yellow spectacles’ ‘yellow brick’ ‘light blue eyes’ ‘spotted dress of dark blue crepe-de-chine’ ‘flush in the eye’ ‘dark suit’ ‘brown washrag of a back’ ‘white sheep’ ‘red hair’ ‘cream-coloured chiffon’ ‘yellow windows’

Themes; use of colour, texts and newspapers, use of names, judgement and betrayal.