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

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Fitzgerald uses a first-person retrospective narrator in Nick to allow the employment of a partially-involved story combined with his reflective perceptions on situations. Fitzgerald builds Nick’s perceptions as fickle, having him claim ‘I’m inclined to reserve all judgements’ yet quickly contradicts this trait as he tells ‘the intimate revelations of young men’ are ‘marred by obvious suppressions’. By Fitzgerald doing this, the audience are given an immediate opinion on Nick, realising he is likely to be inconsistent and an unreliable narrator. Fitzgerald highlights this by his ambivalence towards Gatsby, having him claim ‘there was something gorgeous about him’ yet describing his ‘unaffected scorn’ towards him. Fitzgerald also makes it clear Nick is a self-conscious story teller, telling himself ‘after boasting this way of my tolerance’ to allow the basis of Nick’s reliability to be questioned throughout the novel. Fitzgerald has Nick go over what he is written to make it seem obvious that he is selecting events and words, such as claiming Gatsby ‘had vanished’ to make the chapter seem more dramatic. As the reader currently knows little about Gatsby’s character, Nick’s unexpected description of his disappearance at the end makes Gatsby seem more gripping, building the reader’s anticipation of his entrance. Therefore, any of the events throughout the chapter are to be perceived as unreliable and constructed due to Nick’s melodramatic narration.

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Fitzgerald has Nick use exaggerations of expressions and body language to create an impression of Tom Buchanan and others in East Egg. As Nick goes to meet ‘two old friends’, Fitzgerald has Nick harshly describe Tom, showing his power through the description of his ‘hard mouth’ and ‘shining arrogant eyes’. The vivid description of being able to see Tom’s ‘great pack of muscle shifting’ highlights his role as a dominant male, suggesting his ‘cruel body’ may have an ‘enormous leverage’ on the later plot. Fitzgerald also creates Nick as an observer for most of Chapter 1, recalling other’s speech ...

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The essay lacks an introduction and conclusion, but I am aware that this question in an exam doesn't require one. I would note that when preparing for an exam, check the assessment objectives for each question, as sometimes the quality of the essay and style is not assessed, giving you more time on analysis. The paragraph structure of this essay is strong, with each paragraph adding something new to the argument. I liked how there were clear signposts, as this allows the essay to remain on focus and not go off onto a tangent within each paragraph. The style is strong, and allows for a convincing argument. Spelling, punctuation and grammar are flawless.

The analysis in this essay is superb, ranging from a discussion of narrative perspective to adverbs and language. I was pleased to see how quotes were well embedded, and this essay uses this craft to make the analysis flow throughout the essay. A good example of this would be "The vivid description of being able to see Tom’s ‘great pack of muscle shifting’ highlights his role as a dominant male". Although this sentence is short, it shows awareness of the technique and discusses the effect on the reader and the story. A common mistake when discussing The Great Gatsby is the exploration of an unreliable narrator. Often essays simply assert that Nick is an unreliable narrator, saying that events cannot be trusted without understanding how this is achieved. I liked how this essay uses textual evidence of Nick's narration to show his unreliability, giving an insight into the effect on the reader. The close analysis of adverbs and language is strong, showing a clear awareness of literary techniques beyond imagery. I liked how the essay focuses on the significance of the chapter in the context of the novel, showing awareness of Fitzgerald's choice of tragedy as a genre.

This essay engages well with the question, always having a clear focus on the aspects of narrative and how Fitzgerald crafts the story using a variety of techniques. I would note the strength in this essay due to phrases such as "By Fitzgerald doing this" or "Fitzgerald builds" which shows a clear understanding to the examiner of Fitzgerald's construct. The essay then goes further to always discuss the effect of the techniques on the reader's perception of the story, allowing it to gain higher marks. This is evident in the closing sentence "As a result, the reader are left questioning who is Gatsby after the first chapter, enticing them to read on."