Write a critical examination of the passage looking at various devices F. Scott Fitzgerald uses to create his image of Gatsby's world.
In F. Scott Fitzgerald's extract from his book "The Great Gatsby" the narrator observes Gatsby's world with a mixture of satire and jealousy. To counterbalance his longing for Gatsby's life he describes it in intricate detail. He uses figurative and descriptive language to enhance the imagery of the passage. His use of tense changes from the past to the present half way through the extract. This creates a more vivid depiction of the world of his neighbour.
The narrator uses sensual language to create a vivid description of his surroundings, "there was music from the neighbours house through the summer." Music is very evocative and used with the word "summer" builds up a feeling of comfort. The opening line of the passage sets a welcoming view of Gatsby's environment. The story teller's use of adjectives gives the impression that he watches Gatsby's life critically, "or taking the sun on the hot sand of his beach.....his enormous garden." the narrator is experiencing the events of the household while he is describing them. He gives the impression that the world is distant from his own but his longing to fit in with the lifestyle has lead him to analyse the guests closely, for example, he writes in the past tense for the first three paragraphs. This demonstrates that he is describing Gatsby's routine. His imagery conveys the type of people that visit Gatsby's house, "In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moth." The narrator may be using this figurative language as a way of saying that people are drawn to Gatsby like moths are drawn to a light. He may be using this simile as an insight as to why he is has such a fascination with Gatsby's environment. For instance he is implying that Gatsby has the temperament and the lifestyle that draws people towards him. The narrator has the opposite character that has a contrasting effect therefore his interest in the world so close to him physically and so far away socially is magnified as he witnesses how different people live.
In F. Scott Fitzgerald's extract from his book "The Great Gatsby" the narrator observes Gatsby's world with a mixture of satire and jealousy. To counterbalance his longing for Gatsby's life he describes it in intricate detail. He uses figurative and descriptive language to enhance the imagery of the passage. His use of tense changes from the past to the present half way through the extract. This creates a more vivid depiction of the world of his neighbour.
The narrator uses sensual language to create a vivid description of his surroundings, "there was music from the neighbours house through the summer." Music is very evocative and used with the word "summer" builds up a feeling of comfort. The opening line of the passage sets a welcoming view of Gatsby's environment. The story teller's use of adjectives gives the impression that he watches Gatsby's life critically, "or taking the sun on the hot sand of his beach.....his enormous garden." the narrator is experiencing the events of the household while he is describing them. He gives the impression that the world is distant from his own but his longing to fit in with the lifestyle has lead him to analyse the guests closely, for example, he writes in the past tense for the first three paragraphs. This demonstrates that he is describing Gatsby's routine. His imagery conveys the type of people that visit Gatsby's house, "In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moth." The narrator may be using this figurative language as a way of saying that people are drawn to Gatsby like moths are drawn to a light. He may be using this simile as an insight as to why he is has such a fascination with Gatsby's environment. For instance he is implying that Gatsby has the temperament and the lifestyle that draws people towards him. The narrator has the opposite character that has a contrasting effect therefore his interest in the world so close to him physically and so far away socially is magnified as he witnesses how different people live.
