The Great Gatsby
- This novel is set in the 1920's America (Roaring 20's)
- It was a time of economic growth but moral corruption - Celebrity culture - Conspliuous consumption - buying things that you don't need to show off, they mainly spent it on luxuries - Rise od the leisure class, they have so much money that they didn't have to work, they ended up just going to parties |
- Retrospective first person narration - in this novel, the narrator keeps looking back at events
- The narrator is a self-conscience narrator as he keeps telling us that he is telling us it's a story - The narrator fictionalises its own exit stance, talks about being a book - whack makes it look like someone else wrote the book. |
Chapter 1
Plot- The chapter begins with Nick Carraway, the narrator, talking about himself and his past, he states that he doesn't judge anyone.
- We are then introduces to Gatsby, Nick decibels him as 'gorgeous' and says that he has 'an extraordinary gift for hope'. - We are introduced to West Egg and East Egg. West Egg is where the newly rich live, and East Egg is where the people who have inherited the money live. Nick lives in West Egg - Nick goes to the Buchanan's house, there is an engagement rumour 'we heard you were engaged to a girl out west.' - We are introduces to Daisy, Tom and Jordan Baker (Daisy is Nick's cousin). They are negative descriptions - snobby arrogant, promos, posh etc... They seem to have more money than sense, and they are careless about everything. - We see Gatsby for the first time. It is a mysterious description, a positive comment making him seems philosophical, in contrast to the Buchanans. |
Narrative Techniques- Retrospective narrative; the way in which he introduces Tom, in a very negative way, Nick is trying to make us not like him.
'Reserving judgment is an infinite hope' - if you stop judging then you can hope for the better. - This is a fist person narrative, in the first line it is an anecdote, the first person which has something very interesting to say - he is looking back into the past 'In my younger and more vulnerable years...' - He is a bias narrator because we only see his view of the story. - He is also an unreliable narrator because he doesn't realise his own contradictions 'not a few veteran bores...'. - A self conscience narrative style and an over elaborate style. |
Language & Imagery- Self-conscience language - description of the Buchanan house, he goes into intricate detail to show off his language. Daisy and Tom'd taste 'red-wine carpet'.
- Talks about Daisy and Tom's character. - Gatsby's character - a shadow figure, he is mysterious. - In Tom and Daisy's dialogue, Nick makes them look stupid and foolish, even in their movement. When Tom got the title of the book wrong etc. - The Green Light; it represents Daisy's house and Gatsby's yearning for something better, can even be jealously. |
Chapter 2
Plot- Nick describes the 'Valley of Ashes' - powerful tone description.
- The eyes of Dr T. J. Ekleburg. - New York - it lacks moral core/no morality in the Valley of Ashes. Tom has to hide his relationship with Myrtle there, but in New York he can show her off / parade it. - Tom is the key villain, Nick isn't as judgmental as he should be. There is a contrast between and Myrtle's husband - George Wilson. He is morally upright man, but he lacks money and privilege which is what Tom provides for her. - The party builds up an atmosphere of Gatsby, they are frightened by him, but they like him too. This builds up momentum. - Tom punches Myrtle for saying Daisy's name - Tom still cares for Daisy. - Catherine (Myrtle's sister) spreads a ridiculous rumour about Gatsby, saying that he is a decedent of a German king. |
Narrative Techniques- Nick seems indecisive and reserved, he doesn't get too involved in the incident. He is disgusted / doesn't care but at the same time he wants to know what is happening.
- Retrospective narrative - maybe at the time, he did want to be there, but when writing he wanted to make himself look good. - Nick was drunk at the time, so we can't trust him, he can't remember much but he remembers the punching incident. He also doesn't give us the proper context for Tom's punching, it's a shock tactic to make us hate Tom. - Nick doesn't feel guilty for betraying his cousin, just like Tom who doesn't have any guilt. |
Language & Imagery- The Valley of Ashes symbol a contraction between the wealthy areas, it is a waste ground there. Talk about in capitalism sense.
- Symbolism of the eyes of Dr T. J. Ekleburg, it is a massive decayed billboard. It is ambiguous symbol - worrying, scary, sinister, may represent the eyes of God staring down to the moral decay of the 1920s. The fading could represent humanity has lost connect with God. - New York is opposite to the Valley of Ashes - it is fascinating but repulsive. |
Chapter 3
Plot- Gatsby's party - Nick is uneasy which tells us that he hasn't settles into the New York life yet.
- Even with Gatsby's party, West Egg is still looked down by East Egg. - Nick goes into the old fashioned library where they meet 'Owl Eyes'. - We find out that Gatsby was in the same war sector as Nick. - We meet Gatsby for the first time - he is just the guy sitting next to Nick. - A car crash happens with drunken Owl Eyes, foreshadowing a later event. |
Narrative Technique- Nick delays the entry of Gatsby, building up the momentum, showing us that he such a grand person. It is intentional, which makes him seem more mysterious and an amazing figure - relating to the title.
- Bathos/bathetic - to build something up, but it doesn't meet to the expectations, not that significant. Something serious becoming something trivial. |
Language & Imagery- Gossips about Gatsby
'he was a German spy during the war'. - Gatsby's old fashioned library, it's supposed look old English - superficial. - The first meeting with Gatsby it is as if Gatsby understood Nick's soul - romantic?? |
Chapter 4
Plot- Gatsby talks about his past - he is a bad liar, he lies about everything.
- Gatsby gets called over by the police, he shows a card, then the police apologises. Police were corrupt then, they were even working with gangs. - We meed Mr Wolfshiem - a stereotypical ugly Jewish man, who is a master criminal. He fixed the World Series in 1919, a gambler. - We see many sides to Gatsby - mysterious, hopeful, lovesick, romantic, dreamy... - Gatsby is also a crook, with working with gangsters. This symbolises the 1920s when people looked good, but underneath they are all corrupt. - Description of Daisy when she was young and not married - she used to hang out with Gatsby as she had a house near the military camp (Gatsby was in the military). |
Narrative Technique- Exposition - background information
When Gatsby talks about his past where he grew up (false exposition). Jordan Baker telling Gatsby's exposition with Daisy in the past (true exposition). |
Language & Imagery- The racist characterisation and exaggeration of Wolfshiem e.g. how he pronounces 'Oxford' - 'oggsford'. It is capturing the Jewish socialite.
- The Green Light - it is representing Gatsby's yearning for Daisy, and makes us see him in a new light. When we saw him first (looking out to the water) we thought he was philosophical, but now we realise that he was just looking for Daisy. |