"The Great Gatsby" - analysis of Chapter 1 and the effect of using Nick as the narrator.

Authors Avatar by sarahcraig1 (student)

Sarah Craig

Write about some of the ways Fitzgerald tells the story in chapter 1

Fitzgerald’s autobiographical first person means of telling the story in a way that takes the reader into his confidence by retelling a recollection of significant events. It is immdeiatly noticeable that Fitzgerald’s sentence structure is complex and his vocabulary sometimes obscure “only Gatsby, the man who gives this book its name was exempt from my reaction – Gatsby, who represented everything I was scornful of. If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him” Fitzgerald asserts the idea that although Nick Caraway is the should narrator of this book, the story is about a much greater man – one whom the narrator is set to admire so much that the use of language to describe him gives Nick a new view on a set of people he once hated, so much so, he decides to write a book about him.

Fitzgerald introduces Nick just returning to the Midwest after the civil war, he settles in the “west egg” but finds himself starting the story by visiting his cousin Daisy and Tom “the consoling proximity of millionaires” in the much more glamorous east egg, Fitzgerald is perhaps emphasising this was the norm for Nick having grown up with such people as a child. Fitzgerald begins the story with a generalisation of himself “I’ m inclined to reserve all judgements” separating himself from the likes of other judgemental upper class characters, which whom are given the most attention to. The likes of characters such as Daisy, Tom and Jordan are given almost choric voices “well you ought to see her she’s-“ the characters constantly cutting each other off with ongoing information to the story such as rumours “he’s got some woman in new York” the idea of scandal and covered up rumours seems to dominate this chapter, although Jordan has only just met Nick, Fitzgerald does not hold back on writing Jordan so she already reveals a huge scandalous piece of gossip emphasising how these characters.

Join now!

Fitzgerald presents women in this chapter in a very unusual way “splendidly, luagiduly, their hands set lightly on their hips, the two young women proceeded us out on to a rosy coloured porch” the imagery of two young women leading them into this heavenly place emphasises them as delicate and beautiful  “for a moment the last sunshine fell romantically upon her glowing face” the sensual imagery Tom uses to describe Jordan presents some type of respect Fitzgerald is able to see for women, however it is contrasted to a much lower view of women when Daisy states “that’s the best ...

This is a preview of the whole essay