Theme and Author's Purpose

One of the major themes throughout The Great Gatsby was love and attaining happiness. Mr. Gatsby's views on how to go about this changed throughout the story. He believed that extravagant parties and an immense amount of wealth and luxurious items would bring him contentment, but none of these things filled the void that true love would've brought him. Mr. Gatsby loved Daisy, but she was unable to give him her unrequited love as she married Tom Buchanan. The quote I chose showed an instance where Mr. Gatsby tries to provide Daisy a chance to share her love, but she admits that she loved another man. "The words seemed to bite physically into Gatsby. 'I want to speak to Daisy alone,' he insisted... 'Even alone I can't say I never loved Tom,' she admitted in a pitiful voice. 'It wouldn't be true (142)." I think Fitzgerald chose to write about this because he wanted other people to realize that material items can't provide people with the satisfaction that true love can.

Literary Devices

Fitzgerald is known for his descriptive, often flowery (and sometimes bombastic) language. Not everyone likes this type of writing, as it is generally longer and slows down the pace of the plot with all the descriptions. But it allows Fitzgerald to use one literary device better than most authors: imagery. "Our eyes lifted over the rosebuds and the hot lawn and the weedy refuse of the dog days along shore. Slowly the white wings of the boat moved against the blue cool limit of the sky. Ahead lay the scalloped ocean and the abounding blessed isles" (126). Instead of coming out and telling the audience what a beautiful day it was, Fitzgerald vividly relays this information by describing the "weedy refuse", the "blue cool limit of the sky" and the "scalloped ocean". He also uses personification as he gives the boat "wings" that move against the horizon. All of this adds details that help the reader visualize exactly what Fitzgerald wants them to.

Structure and Point of View

There is a conversation between Mr. Gatsby, Tom Buchanan, Mr. Carraway, and Jordan Baker starting on page 80. It differs from normal conversations in the book because the author chose to switch (temporarily) to Jordan Baker's point of view. Normally the book is from Mr. Carraway's first person perspective, but for a couple pages, Fitzgerald used Baker's first person view to shed more light on Daisy. Baker talks of her relationship with Daisy in high school and of her marriage to Tom. "I was bridesmaid. I came into her room half an hour before the bridal dinner, and found her lying on her bed as lively as the June night in her flowered dress - and as drunk as a monkey" (82). Switching perspectives allows the reader another view and provides more details about Daisy. Even though we've met the character earlier, providing us with more background helps the audience better understand the characters and their conflicts.

Tone and Diction

"A sudden emptiness seemed to flow now from the windows and the great doors, endowing with complete isolation the figure of the host who stood on the porch, his hands up in a formal gesture of farewell" (61). The tone of this sentence and the ensuing paragraph is one of awe and wonder, but also of separation. While the speaker thinks of the majestic grandeur of the immense place, he doesn't place himself along with the house. He doesn't feel that he belongs with the mansion place and elegant lifestyle. You could tell the speaker feels dejected from the house because he uses the words "emptiness" and "complete isolation".

Characterization

"When ever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had all the advantages that you've had" (1). This quote comes from Nick Carraway's father and provides immediate characterization. The author chose to include this dialogue as the lead in for the entire book not only to present the main moral conflict in the story, but also to help provide characterization of the Carraway family. This quote shows that the father is grateful for his blessings in life and is trying to impart that knowledge to his son. It establishes him as a man with good ethics who is trying to raise his kid to be a good man. The passage goes on to explain more about the relationship between father and son as "unusually communicative in a reserved way", typifying both the men as of the quieter, introverted types.