Literary Devices
Throughout The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald makes use of numerous literary devices. He uses them to convey deeper meanings of his novel as well as to make the text more interesting. Most frequently employed by Fitzgerald are;
Western United States Midwest United StatesEastern United States Valley of Ashes , New York
Nick
"It was a body capable of enormous leverage - a cruel body." -Chapter 1
• This diminutive sized quote sums up the advantage Tom had with his appearance. At Gatsby’s party Daisy was expressively uncomfortable because of Tom’s threatening body.
"It excited him too that many men had already loved Daisy -- it increased her
value in his eyes.’-Chapter 8
• This is the moment in the story when Nick let’s on that this chase for Daisy is more like a game. Yes, Gatsby loved her and fought for her for many years but he persistently views their love as a ‘game.’
"He stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way...and distinguished nothing except a single green light" – Chapter 1
• This shows how Gatsby was motivated to achieve his goal, but not finding it to be within sensible reach.
Tom
"He thinks she goes to see her sister in New York. He's so dumb he doesn't know he's alive." -Chapter 2
• Ironically, this same circumstance in playing in Tom’s life. Putting down his mistress’s husband’s awareness of her whereabouts and intentions is exactly what Gatsby, later in the novel, will do to Tom’s face
"The idea is if we don't look out the white race will be utterly submerged. It's all scientific stuff; it's been proved" -Chapter 2
• This quote again demonstrates one of the main themes in The Great Gatsby, lack of the American Dream. Unawareness, and the idea of gathering wealth for oneself to show off had become prevailing. In the pure American Dream, motivation to achieve ones' own private goal was key
Myrtle
"'He borrowed somebody's best suit to get married in, and never told me about it, and the man came after it one day when he was out...I gave it to him and then I lay down and cried...all afternoon.'"
Daisy
"She’s three.”-Chapter 1
• "In June 1922, Daisy claims that Pammy is three years old. Daisy married Tom Buchanan in June 1919. If Pammy is certainly is three years old Daisy would have been 9 months pregnant on her wedding day. I believe the sketchy age of the child is purposely planted to suggest Daisy's premarital promiscuity ... It might also be emphasized that Daisy's mistake in Pammy's age was intended to indicate her lack of interest to the child." (Bruccoli 38)
"Do you always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss
it? I always watch for the longest day of the year and miss it." -Chapter 1
• This quote makes obvious the lack of purpose and pointless life in which the unfilled, wealthy society has turned in to
Gatsby
"No we couldn't meet. But both of us loved each other all that time, old sport,
and you didn't know. I used to laugh sometimes to think that you didn't know"-Chapter 7
• Daisy is not worthy of the platform on which Gatsby places her. Since she is empty at the center, which is placed on an idea and not reality or substance
“That huge place over there?' 'Do you like it?' ' I love it.”-Chapter 5
• Gatsby needed to have a massive manor so he could be self-assured enough to win Daisy. Having accessories of prosperity could even provoke feelings of love. Jay Gatsby had all the paraphernalia of wealth: a gigantic mansion, expensive clothes (which he also included in his meeting with Daisy)and a luxurious car. His bountiful gatherings were designed to impress and lore in Daisy.
Jordan
“Somebody told me that he killed a man once” -Chapter 3
• Superficial, dishonest people like Jordan Baker gossiped about their mystifying host. Their shallow attitudes and less then impressive behavior represent Fitzgerald's expression of the shady American Dream.
Foreshadowing – The act of presenting materials that hint at events that occur later in a story. All the way leading up to the climax, Fitzgerald hints at the downfall of Gatsby, such as in Chapter 3 where he writes, “He snatched the book from me and placed it hastily on its shelf muttering that if one brick was removed the whole library was liable to collapse.”
Irony – The difference between appearance and reality. There are three types;
Dramatic – Something is known by the reader but not by the characters. Characteristic of this is the scene where all the characters except Tom are aware of the affair between Gatsby and Daisy, until of course it finally hits him.
Verbal – A statement that was made that implies the opposite. Used extensively by Fitzgerald, it was many times in reference to Gatsby, like when Wolfshiem says that Gatsby “would never so much as look at a friend’s wife.”
Situational – An event happens that is contrary to the expectations of the reader. At the very end of the story, contrary to the expectations, or at least the hopes, of the readers, Fitzgerald has Daisy stay with Tom instead of leaving him.
Allusion – a reference to a person, event, object, or work from literature that is expected to be known by the reader. There are numerous references throughout the entire work to literature, such as the John L Stoddard Lectures, Hopalong Cassidy, and Castle Rackrent, and to the popular culture of the 1920’s, such as Frisco, Belasco, and the popular novel “Simon Called Peter.”
Symbolism – presenting a thing that represents both itself and something else. Fitzgerald made many things in The Great Gatsby highly symbolic to try and better convey his themesAmong others, he uses colors, locations, seasons, cars, and Daisy’s voice.
Aphorism- An aphorism is a short saying or pointed statement. Examples of aphorisms include “Time is money” or “The early bird catches the worm.” An aphorism that gains currency from generation to generation is called an adage or proverb. An example of an aphorism occurs early in the book when Nick Carraway narrates for us the wise advice his father had given him, “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages you’ve had.
Flashback- A flashback is a section of a literary work that presents an event or series of events that occurred earlier than the current time in the work. Writers use flashbacks for many purposes, but most notably to provide background information, or exposition. In popular melodramatic works, including modern romance fiction and detective stories, flashbacks are often used to end suspense by revealing key elements of the plot such as a character’s true identity or the actual perpetrator of a crime. An example of a flashback occurs in chapter 4, starting when Jordan says “One October day in nineteen-seventeen.”
Simile- A simile is a comparison of two things using the word “like” or the word “as”. Similes occur very regularly throughout the book. Some examples include at the start of chapter 3, where Nick narrates to us,” In his blue garden men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.” Another one occurs in chapter 7, when Nick says, “Daisy and Jordan lay upon an enormous couch, like silver idols, weighing down their own white dresses against the singing breeze of the fans”. These occur rather regularly throughout the book.
Metaphor- A metaphor is an indirect comparison of two things without the use of the words “like” or “as”. Daisy uses a metaphor to describe Nick in chapter 1 when she says, “You remind me of a- of a rose, an absolute rose. Doesn’t he?” These occur regularly throughout the book.
Motifs
Adultery-
One of the recurring motifs in “The Great Gatsby,” is adultery. In the story Tom is married to a woman called Daisy. However, Tom also has a mistress named Myrtle Wilson, whom he cheats with. Myrtle is married to her husband George Wilson. Daisy also in a way, cheats on Tom by being with Jay Gatsby. This conveys a sense of disorder and tension with the characters throughout the story. This dysfunction even leads to the act of George Wilson murdering Jay Gatsby because he believes that this is the man cheating on him with Myrtle Wilson.
Hope-
Another one of the recurring motifs in “The Great Gatsby,” is the idea of hope. During the course of the story many of the characters display of hope. Nick for example, shows hope by how he would like to come to New York and he hopes that he can become a good Bondsman and make lots of money here. Jay Gatsby shows hope by him hoping that he will win back Daisy and they will get married and things will go back to as they were when they first met each other.Tom was hoping that Daisy would stay with him during the fight at the hotel with Gatsby. And also, Daisy was hoping that she could make the right decision about who she wanted to be to be with, either Tom or Gatsby.
Materialism-
The idea of materialism is very prevalent in this story, because the story revolves in East Egg and West Egg which are both very rich and well to do neighborhoods. The story is also set in the nineteen twenties in a very rich and on the rise New York City . Also, the American Dream is what everyone is looking for in this time period, which is the pursuit of happiness and the love that is shared between a man and a woman. During the story many of the characters are materialistic. Tom for example, inherited a great wealth of money, which he uses to buy a big mansion with many cars, clothes, planes, and lavish trips all around the world. Jay Gatsby also owns a big house, cars and planes, and nice clothes. All of the characters “American Dreams,” get corrupted by their greed and of their wanting for more things in their lives.
Theme
The overall theme of “The Great Gatsby” is the American dream. Originally, the American dream was supposed to be the pursuit of happiness and the love between a man and a woman. During the story, the American dream is corrupted by the selfish pleasures of the men and women in the story. After the soldiers got back home from World War 1, there was a major rise in materialism and greed. Nick and Gatsby both fought in the war and Gatsby reflects the materialistic ways of the people at this time. He has parties every Saturday to try and get Daisy over to his house even though he knew that she was married. Eventually Daisy comes over to Gatsby’s house and they have an affair while Daisy’s husband is also having an affair. This shows the decline of moral and social values of this era. Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, and Myrtle all put money and pleasure before the wellbeing of others and it ends up leading to death and destruction. Gatsby ends up loosing Daisy when she learns about his criminal past and then he has nothing to live for anymore and he ends up getting shot by George Wilson. Gatsby was Nick’s best friend and Nick feels lonely once Gatsby is dead and he returns to the Midwest where people have good moral values.
The author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, is trying to show Nick pursuing the American dream by coming to New York to be a bondsman and maybe find a woman to spend the rest of his life with. When Nick comes to New York he has very good values and beliefs but notices that the people of New York do not. At the end he returns to the Midwest where he can continue living out his good moral values.
The author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, is trying to show Nick pursuing the American dream by coming to New York to be a bondsman and maybe find a woman to spend the rest of his life with. When Nick comes to New York he has very good values and beliefs but notices that the people of New York do not. At the end he returns to the Midwest where he can continue living out his good moral values.
ocations and Settings
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Use of
Locations and Settings
In The Great Gatsby, the West represents new opportunity, undeveloped territory, and potential wealth. Though not much is said about the West, the reader can infer the West’s meaning in the story.Dan Cody gained all his wealth from mining precious metals in the West, and in the later falsified story of Gatsby’s past, Gatsby claims that he was born and raised in San Francisco .
In the novel, the Midwest was the home of many main characters including Nick , Jordan Midwest upon turning 30 (the age of establishment and stability.) The Midwest also represents hospitality and the kindness of American people.
In the novel, the East symbolizes a more sporadic and generally younger lifestyle. When the main characters move out East, their lives all change dramatically from their past ways in the Midwest . The characters are introduced to a more carefree and immoral lifestyle.The East also contains great wealth.
West Egg, New York
In The Great Gatsby, it represents the newer wealth of the East and the rising establishment of the younger generation. West Egg is inhabited by self-made men. Nick and Gatsby live in West Egg.
East Egg, New York
In the story, it represents established and inherited wealth, like that of Tom and Daisy. The people who live there are older and have a larger family history of wealth and fame.
In the novel, this place is a poorer part of the city where George and Myrtle Wilson live. It is a place of emptiness, poverty, and desolation. Towards the climax of the novel, this place truly earns its name, for it is where Myrtle Wilson is killed by Gatsby’s car.
Vocab
Chapter 1: pg 1-26
vulnerable: open to criticism or attack; easily hurt.
privy: private, secret or clandestine.
feigned: pretended or simulated; sham.levity: lightness or gaiety of disposition, conduct or speech.
parcelled: to separate into parts and distribute; apportion.“… a sense of the fundamental decencies is parcelled out unequally at birth.”
epigram: a short poem; a terse witty, pointed statement.
supercilious: disdainful or contemptuous.
effeminate swank: swaggering, ostentatious behavior of a feminine nature.
extemporizing: improvising; contriving in a makeshift way to meet a pressing need.
anon: soon or shortly.
libel: anything that gives an unflattering or damaging picture of the subject; a false statement made to damage a reputation.
“It’s a libel.”
Chapter 2: pg 27-42
contiguous: in close proximity without actually touching; near.
ambiguously: open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations.
Chapter 3: pg 43-64
omnibus: pertaining to, including, or dealing with numerous objects or items at once.
harlequin: fancifully varied in color, decoration, etc.
innuendo: an indirect intimation about a person or thing, esp. of a disparaging or a derogatory nature.
bona fide: authentic; true.
poignant: sharply painful to the feelings; evoking pity, emotionally touching.
subterfuges: any plan, action or device used to hide one's true objective; evade a difficult situation.
gilt: overlaid with gold or something glittery to hide an unpleasant reality.
Ch 5: pg 86-102
rout: disorderly crowd.
fortuitously: happening or produced by good chance; lucky; fortunate.
amorphous: lacking definite form; having no specific shape; formless.“… where poor ghosts, breathing dreams like air, drifted fortuitouslyabout … like that ashen, fantastic figure gliding toward him through the amorphous trees.”
provincial: narrow, limited, unsophisticated.“… rid of my provincial squeamishness forever.”
vulnerable: open to criticism or attack; easily hurt.
“ In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice…”
privy: private, secret or clandestine.
“… I was unjustly accused of being a politician, because I wasprivy to the secret griefs of wild, unknown men.”
feigned: pretended or simulated; sham.levity: lightness or gaiety of disposition, conduct or speech.
“…frequently I have feigned sleep, preoccupation or a hostile levity …”
parcelled: to separate into parts and distribute; apportion.“… a sense of the fundamental decencies is parcelled out unequally at birth.”
conferred: granted or bestowed.
“He had casually conferred on me the freedom of the neighborhood.”
epigram: a short poem; a terse witty, pointed statement.
“This isn’t just an epigram – life is much more successfully looked at from a single window, after all.”
anticlimax: disappointing contrast to a preceding rise.
anticlimax: disappointing contrast to a preceding rise.
“… a national figure in a way, one of those men who reach such an acute limited excellence at twenty-one that everything afterwards savours of anticlimax.”
supercilious: disdainful or contemptuous.
“Now he was a sturdy, straw haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner.”
effeminate swank: swaggering, ostentatious behavior of a feminine nature.
“Not even the effeminate swank of his riding clothes could hide the enormous power of that body…”
fractiousness: condition of being hard to manage, rebellious or unruly; causing to make irritable or cross.
“His speaking voice, a gruff husky tenor, added to the impression of fractiousness he conveyed.”
buoyed: to keep afloat.
“The only completely stationary object in the room was an enormous couch on which two young women were buoyed up as though upon an anchored balloon.”
reciprocal: done in return.
reciprocal: done in return.
“Her grey sun-strained eyes looked back at me with politereciprocal curiosity out of a wan, charming discontented face.”
claret: purplish red burgundy wine.
claret: purplish red burgundy wine.
“… I confessed on my second glass of corky but rather impressiveclaret.”
complacency: quiet satisfaction or smugness.
“There was something pathetic in his concentration as if hiscomplacency, more acute than of old, was not enough to him any more.”
extemporizing: improvising; contriving in a makeshift way to meet a pressing need.
“She was only extemporizing but a stirring warmth flowed from her as if her heart was trying to come out to you…”
ether: an anesthetic.
“I woke up out of the ether with an utterly abandoned feeling and asked the nurse right away if it was a boy or a girl.”
rotogravure: a print or newspaper section printed on a rotary press.
“… its pleasing contemptuous expression had looked out a me from manyrotogravure pictures of the sporting life …”
anon: soon or shortly.
“See you anon.”
libel: anything that gives an unflattering or damaging picture of the subject; a false statement made to damage a reputation.
“It’s a libel.”
Chapter 2: pg 27-42
contiguous: in close proximity without actually touching; near.
“The only building in sight was a small block of yellow brick sitting on the edge of the waste land, a sort of compact Main Street ministering to it and contiguous to absolutely nothing.”
sensuously: perceived by, or affecting the senses. “… she carried her surplus flesh sensuously as some women can.”
sensuously: perceived by, or affecting the senses. “… she carried her surplus flesh sensuously as some women can.”
deferred: to put off action or consideration to a future time.
“Tom deferred that much to the sensibilities of those East Eggers …”
interposed: to place between; cause to intervene.
interposed: to place between; cause to intervene.
“ ‘No you don’t ,’ interposed Tom quickly.”
apathetically: not interested; indifferent.“… he added on his own initiative a tin of large hard dog biscuits – one of which decomposed apathetically in the saucer of milk all afternoon.”
hauteur: haughty manner or spirit; arrogance; snobbery.
apathetically: not interested; indifferent.“… he added on his own initiative a tin of large hard dog biscuits – one of which decomposed apathetically in the saucer of milk all afternoon.”
hauteur: haughty manner or spirit; arrogance; snobbery.
“The intense vitality that had been so remarkable in the garage was converted into impressive hauteur.”
ambiguously: open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations.
“ ‘Well, I married him,’ said Myrtle ambiguously.”
Chapter 3: pg 43-64
omnibus: pertaining to, including, or dealing with numerous objects or items at once.
“On weekends his Rolls-Royce became an omnibus, bearing parties to and from the city…”
fortnight: the space of fourteen nights and days; two weeks.“At least once a fortnight a corps of caterers came down…”
fortnight: the space of fourteen nights and days; two weeks.“At least once a fortnight a corps of caterers came down…”
harlequin: fancifully varied in color, decoration, etc.
“On the buffet tables, garnished with glistening hors d’oeurve, spiced baked hams crowded against salads of harlequin designs and pastry pigs…”
prodigality: an instance of it.
prodigality: an instance of it.
“Laughter is easier, minute by minute, spilled with prodigality, tipped out at a cheerful word.”
eddies: to move or whirl in water.“…I went over to his lawn a little after seven and wandered around rather ill-at-ease among swirls and eddies of people I didn’t know…”
vehemently: zealous; ardent; impassioned.
eddies: to move or whirl in water.“…I went over to his lawn a little after seven and wandered around rather ill-at-ease among swirls and eddies of people I didn’t know…”
vehemently: zealous; ardent; impassioned.
”.. the two or three people of whom I asked his whereabouts stared at me in such an amazed way and denied so vehemently any knowledge of his movements…”
credulity: willingness to believe or trust too readily; gullibility.
credulity: willingness to believe or trust too readily; gullibility.
“As our credulity switched back to her she leaned forward with enthiusiasm.”
innuendo: an indirect intimation about a person or thing, esp. of a disparaging or a derogatory nature.
“…Jordan’s escort, a persistent undergraduate given to violentinnuendo and obviously under the impression that sooner or later Jordan was going to yield him up her person…”
staid: of settled or sedate character; not flighty or capricious.
spectroscopic: displaying a continuous range or entire extent.“… and assume to itself the function of representing the staidnobility of the countryside – East Egg condescending to West Egg, and carefully on guard against its spectroscopic gayety.”
spectroscopic: displaying a continuous range or entire extent.“… and assume to itself the function of representing the staidnobility of the countryside – East Egg condescending to West Egg, and carefully on guard against its spectroscopic gayety.”
bona fide: authentic; true.
“ ‘It’s a bona fide piece of printed matter.’ ”
corpulent: large or bulky of body; portly; stout; fat.
corpulent: large or bulky of body; portly; stout; fat.
“I had expected that Mr. Gatsby would be a florid and corpulent person in his middle years.”
jovial: endowed with or characterized by a hearty, joyous humor or a spirit of good fellowship.
jovial: endowed with or characterized by a hearty, joyous humor or a spirit of good fellowship.
“He smiled with jovial condescension…”
convivial: friendly; agreeable.
convivial: friendly; agreeable.
“… girls were putting their heads on men’s shoulders in a puppyish, convivial way…”
vinous: of, resembling, or pertaining to wine. “… she threw up her hands, sank into a chair and went off into a deep vinous sleep.”
malevolence: ill will; malice; hatred.
vinous: of, resembling, or pertaining to wine. “… she threw up her hands, sank into a chair and went off into a deep vinous sleep.”
malevolence: ill will; malice; hatred.
“In spite of the wives’ agreement that such malevolence was beyond credibility the dispute ended in a short struggle …”
discordant: disagreeing, conflicting, not in agreement.“… a harsh discordant din from those in the rear had been audible for some time …”
discordant: disagreeing, conflicting, not in agreement.“… a harsh discordant din from those in the rear had been audible for some time …”
poignant: sharply painful to the feelings; evoking pity, emotionally touching.
“… young clerks in the dusk wasting the most poignant moments of night and life.”
divergence: departure from a particular viewpoint; difference of opinion.
divergence: departure from a particular viewpoint; difference of opinion.
“…she felt safer on a plane where any divergence from a code would be thought impossible.”
subterfuges: any plan, action or device used to hide one's true objective; evade a difficult situation.
“…she had begun dealing in subterfuges when she was very young in order to keep that cool insolent smile turned to the world …”
Chapter 4: pg 65-85
knickerbockers: short, loose trousers gathered in at or just below the knee.“He came only once, in white knickerbockers, and had a fight with a bum…”
punctilious: very careful about every detail of behavior, ceremony.“This quality was continually breaking through his punctiliousmanner in the shape of restlessness.”
Chapter 4: pg 65-85
knickerbockers: short, loose trousers gathered in at or just below the knee.“He came only once, in white knickerbockers, and had a fight with a bum…”
punctilious: very careful about every detail of behavior, ceremony.“This quality was continually breaking through his punctiliousmanner in the shape of restlessness.”
gilt: overlaid with gold or something glittery to hide an unpleasant reality.
“We … sped along a cobbled slum lined with the dark, undeserted saloons of the faded gilt nineteen hundreds.”
somnambulatory: occurring while sleep walking.“…whereupon Mr. Wolfshiem swallowed a new sentence he was starting and lapsed into a somnambulatory abstraction.”
juxtaposition: side by side comparison.“The juxtaposition of these two remarks was startling.”
denizen: a frequenter of a particular place.
somnambulatory: occurring while sleep walking.“…whereupon Mr. Wolfshiem swallowed a new sentence he was starting and lapsed into a somnambulatory abstraction.”
juxtaposition: side by side comparison.“The juxtaposition of these two remarks was startling.”
denizen: a frequenter of a particular place.
“ ‘He’s quite a character around New York – a denizen of Broadway.’ ”
amour: a love affair, especially of an illicit or secret nature.“Perhaps Daisy never went in for amour at all – and yet there’s something in that voice of hers.”
wan: sickly, pale, pallid; colorless.Her wan scornful mouth smiled and I drew her up again, closer, this time to my face.”
amour: a love affair, especially of an illicit or secret nature.“Perhaps Daisy never went in for amour at all – and yet there’s something in that voice of hers.”
wan: sickly, pale, pallid; colorless.Her wan scornful mouth smiled and I drew her up again, closer, this time to my face.”
Ch 5: pg 86-102
rout: disorderly crowd.
“At first I thought it was another party, a wild rout that had resolved itself into hide-and-go-seek’…”
harrowed: mentally distressed.
harrowed: mentally distressed.
“We both jumped up and, a little harrowed myself, I went out into the yard.”
defunct: no longer living or existing; extinct.
“His head leaned back so far that it rested against the face of adefunct mantelpiece clock….”
vestige: a trace, mark, or sign of something that once existed but has passed away or disappeared.
“…every vestige of embarrassment was gone.”
pompadour: a man's hairdo where the hair is brushed up high from the forehead.“ ‘You never told me you had a pompadour – or a yacht.’ “
nebulous: hazy, vague, indistinct, or confused. “He was now clothed in … duck trousers of a nebulous hue.”
Chapter 6: pg 103-118
laudable: deserving praise; commendable. “This was his day off and with laudable initiative he had hurried out ‘to see.’ ”
insidious: intended to entrap or beguile.“…when he saw Dan Cody’s yacht drop anchor over the mostinsidious flat on Lake Superior.”
meretricious: alluring by a show of flashy or vulgar attractions; tawdry.“… he must be about His Father’s Business, the service of a vast , vulgar and meretricious beauty.
turgid: swollen; distended; pompous; inflated; overblown.“The none too savory ramifications … were common knowledge to the turgid journalism of 1902.”
debauchee: a person addicted to excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures.“…the pioneer debauchee who during one phase of American life brought back to the eastern seaboard the savage violence of the frontier brothel and saloon.”
antecedent: a preceding circumstance, event, object, style, etc.“… I’ve put it down here with the idea of exploding those first wild rumors about his antecedents…”
ingratiate: to bring into the favor or good graces of another.“ trotting around with Jordan and trying to ingratiate myself with her senile aunt…”
euphemism: the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt.“…appalled by its raw vigor that chafed under the old euphemisms…”
dilatory: tending to delay or procrastinate. “The dilatory limousine came rolling up the drive.”
pap: an idea, talk, or book lacking substance or real value.“… and once there he could suck on the pap of life…”
Chapter 7: pg 119-153
caravansary: any large inn or hotel.“So the whole caravansary had fallen in like a card house at the disapproval in her eyes.”
precipitately: to hasten an occurrence; happen prematurely, hastily, or suddenly.“His wife and his mistress … were slipping precipitately from his control.”
tumultuous: raising a great clatter or commotion; disorderly or noisy.“The prolonged and tumultuous argument that ended by herding us into that room eludes me…”
rancour: bitter, rankling resentment or ill will; hatred; malice.“Her voice was cold but the rancour was gone from it.”
magnanimous: generous in forgiving an insult or injury; high-minded; noble.“She looked at Tom, alarmed now, but he insisted withmagnanimous scorn.”
portentous: momentous; marvelous; amazing; prodigious.Before me stretched the portentous menacing road of a new decade.”
expostulation: reasoning earnestly with someone and trying to correct/dissuade.“The circle closed up again with a running murmur ofexpostulation…”
truculent: fierce, cruel, savagely brutal. “… but the policeman caught something in the tone and looked over with truculent eyes.”
Chapter 8: pg 154-170
redolent: having a pleasant odor; fragrant. “…of romances that were not musty and laid away already in lavender but fresh and breathing and redolent of this year’s shining motor cars …”
strata: socioeconomic groups of a society as determined by birth, income, education, etc.“… he let her believe that he was a person from much the samestrata as herself…”
garrulous: excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, esp. about trivial matters.“…some garrulous man telling over and over what had happened …”
pneumatic: of or pertaining to air, gases, or wind. “He stopped at the garage for a pneumatic mattress that had amused his guests …”
pompadour: a man's hairdo where the hair is brushed up high from the forehead.“ ‘You never told me you had a pompadour – or a yacht.’ “
nebulous: hazy, vague, indistinct, or confused. “He was now clothed in … duck trousers of a nebulous hue.”
Chapter 6: pg 103-118
laudable: deserving praise; commendable. “This was his day off and with laudable initiative he had hurried out ‘to see.’ ”
insidious: intended to entrap or beguile.“…when he saw Dan Cody’s yacht drop anchor over the mostinsidious flat on Lake Superior.”
meretricious: alluring by a show of flashy or vulgar attractions; tawdry.“… he must be about His Father’s Business, the service of a vast , vulgar and meretricious beauty.
turgid: swollen; distended; pompous; inflated; overblown.“The none too savory ramifications … were common knowledge to the turgid journalism of 1902.”
debauchee: a person addicted to excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures.“…the pioneer debauchee who during one phase of American life brought back to the eastern seaboard the savage violence of the frontier brothel and saloon.”
antecedent: a preceding circumstance, event, object, style, etc.“… I’ve put it down here with the idea of exploding those first wild rumors about his antecedents…”
ingratiate: to bring into the favor or good graces of another.“ trotting around with Jordan and trying to ingratiate myself with her senile aunt…”
euphemism: the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt.“…appalled by its raw vigor that chafed under the old euphemisms…”
dilatory: tending to delay or procrastinate. “The dilatory limousine came rolling up the drive.”
pap: an idea, talk, or book lacking substance or real value.“… and once there he could suck on the pap of life…”
Chapter 7: pg 119-153
caravansary: any large inn or hotel.“So the whole caravansary had fallen in like a card house at the disapproval in her eyes.”
precipitately: to hasten an occurrence; happen prematurely, hastily, or suddenly.“His wife and his mistress … were slipping precipitately from his control.”
tumultuous: raising a great clatter or commotion; disorderly or noisy.“The prolonged and tumultuous argument that ended by herding us into that room eludes me…”
rancour: bitter, rankling resentment or ill will; hatred; malice.“Her voice was cold but the rancour was gone from it.”
magnanimous: generous in forgiving an insult or injury; high-minded; noble.“She looked at Tom, alarmed now, but he insisted withmagnanimous scorn.”
portentous: momentous; marvelous; amazing; prodigious.Before me stretched the portentous menacing road of a new decade.”
expostulation: reasoning earnestly with someone and trying to correct/dissuade.“The circle closed up again with a running murmur ofexpostulation…”
truculent: fierce, cruel, savagely brutal. “… but the policeman caught something in the tone and looked over with truculent eyes.”
Chapter 8: pg 154-170
redolent: having a pleasant odor; fragrant. “…of romances that were not musty and laid away already in lavender but fresh and breathing and redolent of this year’s shining motor cars …”
strata: socioeconomic groups of a society as determined by birth, income, education, etc.“… he let her believe that he was a person from much the samestrata as herself…”
garrulous: excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, esp. about trivial matters.“…some garrulous man telling over and over what had happened …”
pneumatic: of or pertaining to air, gases, or wind. “He stopped at the garage for a pneumatic mattress that had amused his guests …”
fortuitously: happening or produced by good chance; lucky; fortunate.
amorphous: lacking definite form; having no specific shape; formless.“… where poor ghosts, breathing dreams like air, drifted fortuitouslyabout … like that ashen, fantastic figure gliding toward him through the amorphous trees.”
Chapter 9: pg 171-189
adventitious: associated with something by chance rather than as an integral part.“…the adventitious authority of his voice set the key for the newspaper reports next morning.”
pasquinade: a satire or sarcastic squib posted in a public place.“… I thought the whole tale would shortly be served up in racypasquinade – but Catherine, who might have said anything, didn’t say a word.”
adventitious: associated with something by chance rather than as an integral part.“…the adventitious authority of his voice set the key for the newspaper reports next morning.”
pasquinade: a satire or sarcastic squib posted in a public place.“… I thought the whole tale would shortly be served up in racypasquinade – but Catherine, who might have said anything, didn’t say a word.”
provincial: narrow, limited, unsophisticated.“… rid of my provincial squeamishness forever.”
Important Quotes
Nick
"It was a body capable of enormous leverage - a cruel body." -Chapter 1
• This diminutive sized quote sums up the advantage Tom had with his appearance. At Gatsby’s party Daisy was expressively uncomfortable because of Tom’s threatening body.
"It excited him too that many men had already loved Daisy -- it increased her
value in his eyes.’-Chapter 8
• This is the moment in the story when Nick let’s on that this chase for Daisy is more like a game. Yes, Gatsby loved her and fought for her for many years but he persistently views their love as a ‘game.’
"He stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way...and distinguished nothing except a single green light" – Chapter 1
• This shows how Gatsby was motivated to achieve his goal, but not finding it to be within sensible reach.
Tom
"He thinks she goes to see her sister in New York. He's so dumb he doesn't know he's alive." -Chapter 2
• Ironically, this same circumstance in playing in Tom’s life. Putting down his mistress’s husband’s awareness of her whereabouts and intentions is exactly what Gatsby, later in the novel, will do to Tom’s face
"The idea is if we don't look out the white race will be utterly submerged. It's all scientific stuff; it's been proved" -Chapter 2
• This quote again demonstrates one of the main themes in The Great Gatsby, lack of the American Dream. Unawareness, and the idea of gathering wealth for oneself to show off had become prevailing. In the pure American Dream, motivation to achieve ones' own private goal was key
Myrtle
"'He borrowed somebody's best suit to get married in, and never told me about it, and the man came after it one day when he was out...I gave it to him and then I lay down and cried...all afternoon.'"
Daisy
"She’s three.”-Chapter 1
• "In June 1922, Daisy claims that Pammy is three years old. Daisy married Tom Buchanan in June 1919. If Pammy is certainly is three years old Daisy would have been 9 months pregnant on her wedding day. I believe the sketchy age of the child is purposely planted to suggest Daisy's premarital promiscuity ... It might also be emphasized that Daisy's mistake in Pammy's age was intended to indicate her lack of interest to the child." (Bruccoli 38)
"Do you always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss
it? I always watch for the longest day of the year and miss it." -Chapter 1
• This quote makes obvious the lack of purpose and pointless life in which the unfilled, wealthy society has turned in to
Gatsby
"No we couldn't meet. But both of us loved each other all that time, old sport,
and you didn't know. I used to laugh sometimes to think that you didn't know"-Chapter 7
• Daisy is not worthy of the platform on which Gatsby places her. Since she is empty at the center, which is placed on an idea and not reality or substance
“That huge place over there?' 'Do you like it?' ' I love it.”-Chapter 5
• Gatsby needed to have a massive manor so he could be self-assured enough to win Daisy. Having accessories of prosperity could even provoke feelings of love. Jay Gatsby had all the paraphernalia of wealth: a gigantic mansion, expensive clothes (which he also included in his meeting with Daisy)and a luxurious car. His bountiful gatherings were designed to impress and lore in Daisy.
Jordan
“Somebody told me that he killed a man once” -Chapter 3
• Superficial, dishonest people like Jordan Baker gossiped about their mystifying host. Their shallow attitudes and less then impressive behavior represent Fitzgerald's expression of the shady American Dream.
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