TechniquesReflection of time and history:
Fitzgerald uses the 1920's as the main basis of this book while still living in those same years. For example the novel begins with a powerful feeling and ends with a catastrophic downfall, such as the Great Depression. Weather: The use of weather in the novel works equally with the mood. There are many times where the weather subliminally matches with the mood of the certain event. Such as the reuniting of Daisy and Gatsby. At first it's awkward and rainy, then becomes comfortable and sunny. Color: Color in the novel gives a label to whatever it is found on. One of the biggest examples is the white curtains. They signify purity and riches, working with the fact that they are present when we first meet Daisy. Geography: There are four main locations that the events occur in. East Egg, West Egg, The Valley of Ashes, and New York. East egg is the more fashionable and rich of both East and West Egg. This is where Daisy and Tom Buchanan reside. Gatsby and Nick both live in West Egg which is considered the lesser than East egg and 'copycat' of the rich. The Valley of Ashes is in between, West and East, Egg and New York. It's a torn down working class area, that is very unpleasant that one must pass through in order to get to another area. The fact that each of these areas, different as they may be, are connected gives the reader something to think about. |
AccomplishmentsFitzgerald accomplishes many things within the novel. The first being, he is able to deliver a message through the book from his own past experiences. The development of love in the story-line is a representation of Fitzgerald's own life. Much like Gatsby's story Fitzgerald was involved in World War I, later becoming a lieutenant. He then fell in love with his lovely later to be wife, Zelda, who agreed to marry him but postponed their marriage because of her great desire for wealth and fun.
There is also a connection between Nick and Fitzgerald, they both are writers and Minnesota men with a high education level. |