Fitzgerald utilizes many rhetorical strategies throughout his novel. Specific to the excerpt the rhetorical strategies metaphor and personification are found to be used to strengthen Fitzgerald’s key themes of dreams and reality. Ultimately though, the rhetorical strategies and themes contribute to creating the effect that Gatsby is truly above the average man and that Gatsby, at least to Nick, is some amazing creature that grew from his dreams. The first instance of personification to be used in the passage is in the line, “I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever: I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart” This use of personification has the effect of
Fitzgerald is showing how having no alcohol at the party is affecting the number of rumors being spread. Not the same can be said for Myrtle’s party as the rumors and alcohol flowed throughout the whole party. Catherine tells Nick what she heard about Gatsby, she said “Well, they say he’s a nephew or a cousin of Kaiser Wil- helm.”
The Facade of Gatsby’s Parties The figurative language and syntax on page 41 conveys the fallacy of the people at Gatsby's parties. Page 41 begins to describe one of Gatsby’s parties using many forms of figurative language. People arrive with their “hair shorn in strange new ways, and shawls beyond the dreams of Castile,” decked out in their fancy clothes, desperate to be the center of attention.
Gatsby hosts extravagant parties in an effort not only to boost his social status, but also to look for Daisy. Many wealthy, and often wild people attend these large social events held by Mr. Gatsby. Some of the guests even come lacking an invitation, “Sometimes they came and went without having met Gatsby at all, came for the party with a simplicity of heart that was its own ticket of admission.” (41)
The 1920s was a time of flamboyance and wealth in the upper class. Jay Gatsby, a man of old money, threw over the top parties, in which he would spend his money very nonchalantly. The ambiance of his parties greatly illustrated the upper class of the time. The author uses symbolism and characterization to support the central idea that the upper class was very careless, wealthy, and extravagant. Gatsby’s parties are luxurious, glamorous, and over the top.
Nick, the narrator, describes Gatsby’s parties by telling the reader “By seven o’clock the orchestra has arrived, no thin five-piece affair, but a whole pitful of oboes and trombones and saxophones and viols and cornets and piccolos, and low and high drums” (Fitzgerald 40). This is just a small detail about how Gatsby only gets the very best for his parties. At Gatsby’s funeral, “our procession of three cars reached the cemetery and stopped in a thick drizzle beside the gate- first a motor hearse, horribly black and wet…” (Fitzgerald 174). The funeral is on a rainy day and is muddy and not very inviting.
People are partying. The word of money fills in the air. People being miserable everywhere. These events were the daily lifestyle of people living in the 1920’s. The 1920’s was a prosperous time for America after World War I because after the war, the economy raised people’s hopes of being in the upper class.
The first them addressed is symbolism. In chapter 7 it is addressed “like silver items washing down their white dresses”. Here it is seen how Fitzgerald compares two characters to idols, making them synomous with a symbol of materialism. This addresses his audience, and the time period of the Roaring 20’s.
F Scott Fitzgerald used his novel The Great Gatsby to expose and decry many of the excesses of the roaring twenties. To do so Fitzgerald described the outrageous parties many of the wealthy would participate in or host, as well as describing how the impoverished lived. Then going on to describe the interactions between the rich and poor, along with the outcomes of such interactions. One of the many examples illustrated by Fitzgerald would be the outrageous parties hosted by the namesake of the novel, Jay Gatsby. There were major instances debauchery at Gatby’s parties where one guest was even “drunk for about a week”, this guest was found by the narrator in the library trying to sober himself, but was so scatterbrained from the aftereffects
Scott Fitzgerald uses a larger part throughout this book is similes. This type of figurative language is also used quite a lot in order for the reader to better understand and grasp Fitzgerald 's idea for this book. By the comparisons being made it makes it easier for the reader to understand the books concept and the meaning of the book. “ Men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.” this gives the reader a clear idea of the type of parties there were in this area.
Tom’s and Gatsby’s party differed in almost every aspect possible. While Tom’s party was a small party to assert his dominance to his mistress and friends, Gatsby’s party was to lure and impress the love of his life. Tom’s party displayed his snobby old money ideals by not spending much money and effort, while Gatsby’s party symbolized new money with its excessive and flaunting spending and grandiose show. The level of intimacy at both parties differed significantly. Despite Tom’s party being small, it was far from intimate with all the guests budging into all conversations, Nick couldn’t even have a talk with Catherine long enough without Ms. Mckee budging in.
In The Great Gatsby, social status is a significant element in the book as it separates the haves from the have nots. However more importantly, social status portrays the personalities of people belonging to different classes. In the end, you are stuck in the class you are born into, and attempting to change classes only leads to tragedy and heartbreak. In The Great Gatsby, there are three main social classes portrayed. These are old money, new money, and no money.
(187), and that times he could not even enter the house. The behavior of the people at these parties grow to be more immoral as they became more filled with alcohol. Nick states “The lights grow brighter as the earth lurches away from the sun, and now the orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music, and the opera of voices pitches a key higher. Laughter is easier minute by minute, spilled with prodigality, tipped out at a cheerful word” (44). Gatsby created these events in an attempt to lure Daisy over to his mansion, hoping she would be one of the uninvited who just show up.
The Great Gatsby. In the Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald demonstrates how the wealthy’s excessive consumption of alcohol brings out the worst in their characters. For instance, the negative parts of Tom’s personality are highlighted when he drinks. Tom drinks all throughout the party he attends with Nick. He becomes violent and aggressive with Myrtle, his mistress, and “making a short deft movement ...broke her nose with his open hand (Fitzgerald 41).”
First of all, Nick tells us about the impressive amounts of people that showed up: “wandered around rather ill-at-ease among swirls and eddies of people I didn’t know” Fitzgerald uses a metaphor, swirls and eddies, to give the impression of the numbers of guests; eddies are currents that move constantly, meaning that people travelled in groups, like currents, constantly therefore giving the impression of a messy and busy environment. As well, we get to know that Nick doesn’t fit in within the other guests, as he mentions “wandered around rather ill-at-ease” this is because the people in the party are seeking for the complete opposite of what Nick is. He’s attended because of Gatsby’s invitation, everyone else is there without an invitation and a reckless mentality. Additionally, we discover the incorrect gossip that surrounds the characters, as seen in: "Somebody told me they thought he killed a man once.” , this proves the guest’s superficiality, as they aren’t sure the gossip is true, or they made it up in an instant, yet they say it out loud to make themselves seem informed and involved.
