Write about the ways Fitzgerald tells the story in Chapter 5 of The Great Gatsby..

by nicolemae (student)

Write about the ways Fitzgerald tells the story in Chapter 5. Chapter 5 of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’ creates a contrasting tone to what has previously occurred in the novel. Fitzgerald generally creates a surreal atmosphere in order to control the manner in which many readers approach the events within the novel. Fitzgerald’s use of first person narrative enforces a judgemental perspective upon the reader, although Nick Carraway appears to set aside all opinions and therefore simply overlook the action-taking place. This is structurally emphasized by the layout of the novel on the page. It is clear through Fitzgerald’s use of paragraphs that there is a clear conscious thought which remains constant throughout. “At first I thought it as another party, a wild rout that had resolved itself into ‘hide-and-go-seek’ or ‘sardines-in-the-box’ with all the house thrown open to the game. But there wasn’t a sound.” The long sentence structure contrasts the shorter

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sentence that follows it. This consequently implies a tense sentiment amongst the characters, which further enforces the tension that Fitzgerald seems to create within this chapter. These long sentences enhance the feeling of excess and extravagance that continuously appears within the novel. The use of commas creates this extravagance and alternate lifestyle. Yet it is also true to say that the commas used add a disjointed feeling to the chapter and particularly emphasize the misplaced feeling which is clearly evident in many of the characters. The tension seems to be created additionally through the opening paragraph of chapter 5. In particular the length of this chapter seems to mirror the tense atmosphere that Fitzgerald aims to sustain throughout. The contrast between this introductory paragraph and the concluding paragraph of chapter 4 shows the variety of moods that Fitzgerald aimed to create throughout this novel. Fitzgerald aims to create an almost surreal atmosphere in his chapter, which is clear through his frequent switch from illusion to reality. ‘The exhilarating ripple of her voice.’ This creates the sensation that the tone of Daisy’s voice has a somewhat repetitive effect on the other characters; similar to that of a rippling effect in water, it adds a surreal element to the novel because it draws attention to the fluidity of movement, which doesn’t necessarily occur in the reality that many live in. The ripple also clearly highlights the symbol of water, which occurs frequently throughout the novel to represent emotion and in some cases Fitzgerald uses pathetic fallacy to emphasize the change of mood that is significant to the plot. The surreal world that Fitzgerald creates allows the reader to escape from reality at times and enter an alternate world, which Fitzgerald successfully manages to merge at times during the chapter through the first person social commentary this is presented through Nick Carraway. This surreal atmosphere is also portrayed through the social commentary that Nick Carraway presents. This structurally ensures that the novel remains captivating and flowing. The flow and pace of this chapter has many different turns as Fitzgerald provides a stimulating read. Through the social commentary of this novel Nick Carraway enforces an air of non – judgement, which however he later contradicts with many opinions on particular characters, which therefore shows an opinionated hypocritical personal aspect to the chapter. “I’ve got to go to bed.” “Alright.” This short, staccato dialogue emphasizes the anxiety that is present between many of the characters in the novel mainly due to the societal background. Fitzgerald clearly forces the disjointed and in some ways dysfunctional relationship that many of the characters seem to have upon the reader, simply through the sentence structure that is evident through the entirety of the chapter. However it may also be perceived that the dramatic, staccato dialogue used in the novel is in place to enforce the non – judgemental first person narrative that Nick Carraway appears to be presenting within the chapter. Much of the dialogue used clearly highlights the tense atmosphere that is continuous throughout the chapter, yet it is executed in such a way that it becomes easier to sympathise with individual characters, it almost seems that the truth is revealed during this chapter in terms of characters’ personalities. Much of this chapter relies upon the surreal atmosphere that Fitzgerald creates through many literary techniques. In particular chapter 5 adds a certain element to the rest of the novel, so that the reader becomes more aware of what is to come later on in the novel. ‘The Great Gatsby’ uses prolepsis in some instances in order to prepare the audience for future events. ‘Then in a grave murmur.’ This implies that some form of death is later to occur in the death. This technique allows the reader to apply their curiosity to the novel to possibly speculate what is to be the final downfall of the novel.

Write about the ways Fitzgerald tells the story in Chapter 5 of The Great Gatsby..

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