Chapter 1 Analysis of The Great Gatsby by FitzgeraldThe Great Gatsby- this title is merely an adjective or epithet for themain character of the story, which brings about the importance ofcharacterization in the book. Fitzgerald has a rather unique style ofcharacterization in his writing- especially in this book. His use ofirony, strong diction and symbolism plays a significant role inconveying his certain ideologies about the people of this certain era,and the embodiment of the “great American dream”.
The eye of the story- Fitzgerald’s weapon of observation is NickCarraway. This character is established as a neutral narrator of thewhole story and its characters, who are obsessed with class andprivilege. However, he is not an inactive narrator. This literarydevice helps us get closer to Gatsby’s myth/man character. Carrawaycomes from a background of wealth and sophistication. He begins thenovel by commenting on himself and believes that “Reserving judgementsis a matter of infinite hope.” Thus, he has a tendency to reservejudgement and understand people without holding them up to hispersonal standards.
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It is introduced to the readers that Carraway is humble, open andreceptive because of the philosophy that has been passed down to himfrom his father. He seems quite tolerant and reveals a very pleasantpersonality. However, he sometimes has to make excuses for notlistening to others. This shows honesty in him and how he speaks thetruth about himself. Fitzgerald gets across his character by using achain of words which represent his personality. Words like “levity”establish his lightness of tone and humour. W…
…this scene, we first see Gatsbyreaching out towards a green light that he “cannot grasp”, which is anexample of Fitzgerald’s powerful use of symbolism in the novel. Thegreen-light represents something that Gatsby is striving to gainpossession of.
Over all, F.Scott Fitzgerald presents a unique style ofcharacterization in the way that it varies with each character. Tostress on the contrast between the personalities, he uses a differencein tone, diction and creativity to convey the main features in thecharacters, and does this very successfully. With the use of Carrawayas an active narrator, he creates a bond of trust with his keen eye toobserve and analyse. With this device, we obtain a vivid anddichotomous impression for each character, which anticipates manyironies and further impressions yet to come.
