The chapter ends with 'It was after we started... and the holocaust was complete.' Nick describes the death of both Wilson and Gatsby as the 'holocaust'. This is symbolic of the two characters as one could argue that they were the most innocent of the characters in the novel, yet neither of them managed to fulfil their idea of the American Dream. Telling the reader of the death of both characters signifies the end of the novel as the two characters lives have also come to an end.
Structure in Chapter 9 of The Great Gatsby
The following chapter begins with an analepsis, through which Nick remembers the events of Gatsby's death. This structure shows that Gatsby's death has had a huge impact on Nick's life as he retains the events of the day he died even after 2 years.
The end of the chapter; 'So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past', this is significant as it reflects the character of Gatsby and how although his life was full of obstacles, nothing stopped him from wanting to achieve.
How does Fitzgerald tell the story in Chapter One of The Great Gatsby?
Fitzgerald focalises the narrative through Nick Carraway, the implied author and homodiegetic narrator. This allows the reader to develop a reliance on Nick's character as he is involved in the embedded narrative so has the ability to tell the story accurately to the reader. Nick's diegesis expresses to the reader that he is 'inclined to reserve all judgements.' This also increases the credibility of his narrative as he is not prejudiced. However, one may also question the gaps within the narrative; the information that Nick does not include in his diegesis, as part of the reader response theory NO NEED TO INCLUDE THEORY IN THIS QUESTION – FOCUS ON LANG/FORM/STRUCTURE as well as an element of authorial intention to withhold certain aspects of the narrative from the reader. This could therefore colour the reader's judgements about Nick as a narrator as he does not reveal all the information. 'Who with?...I told him.' The fact that Nick does not relay to the reader who he works with, instead tells us that he 'told him'(Tom Buchanan) implies that Nick has something to hide about his background. At this point in the chapter, the reader is inclined to question Nick's honesty as well as reliability as a narrator.
Humour is also used to tell the story in chapter one. When Daisy asks Nick if the people in Chicago miss her, he replies; 'The whole town is desolate...all night along the north shore.' This sarcasm suggests that Nick views himself as somewhat superior to Daisy as he exaggerates the reality. The fact that Daisy does not question Nick's sarcastic remark, helps in her characterisation. Her naivety enables her to believe and act upon what she hears from others. The ability that Nick has to convince Daisy's gullible character makes the reader question his/her own position as one may doubt Nick's intentions behind his diegesis. RECONSIDER – DOES DAISY REALLY BELIEVE HIM? IS SHE SIMPLY JOINING IN A PLAYFUL FANTASY THAT SHE KNOWS IS NOT REAL? IS NICK TEASING RATHER THAN SEEING HIMSELF AS SUPERIOR?
Symbolism is also used to tell the narrative. Nick tells the reader of Daisy's outfit; 'white dresses'. The colour white is symbolic of innocence and purity. This reflects Daisy's character very well as the reader is then able to justify her naivety with her supposed innocence. The Buchanan’s are described as 'drifting here and there...' This implies that they have no aims in life, instead they drift pointlessly from place to place. In contrast to Gatsby's character who is told to have 'an extraordinary gift for hope', Daisy and Tom are almost blinded by their wealth and are unable to see the world that surrounds them or the consequences they are creating; these are highlighted when the Valley of Ashes is introduced in chapter two.
Nick as the implied author, disjoints the narrative by only releasing a small amount of information about the protagonist of the novel; Gatsby. His admiration however is evident; 'who represented everything for which I had an unaffected scorn.' The jump from the diagesis being based around the protagonist to Nick's family suggests that he is withholding any further information about Gatsby from the reader. These slow and short releases of information help to create suspense within the reader.
