PERSONAL REVIEW

I enjoyed Fitzgerald’s book, however I was saddened that this was most likely accurate description of the 1920s. His generation was consumed with themselves and with money and material items, especially as the book was set in New York City, one of the cities most known for this lifestyle of extravagance. Fitzgerald makes amazing critiques on society in the book and shows how a life filled solely with extravagance leads to sorrow and no true fulfillment in life. He reveals his opinions through beautiful paragraphs filled with figurative language that so accurately describe the time he lived in. After reading this book, I am interested to learn more about this era and if this lifestyle applied to the entire country, or to the rest of the world. It is very sad that this was the reaction that the population of United States had toward the tragic end of World War I. I have also read another work by Fitzgerald, This Side of Paradise, and I enjoyed it also very much. This book also focuses on the lifestyle of the 1920s man and similarly to the great Gatsby, no characters in the book truly find happiness at the end. The ending especially of this book is written exceptionally well, and his thoughts and ideas are expressed so clearly in his writing. These paragraphs about the period of greed in the United States and New York especially made me question my own life and evaluate how much time I spend thinking about myself rather than other people. Again, I am very glad that I read this book, as it was one of the few that I have enjoyed throughout high schol’s assigned reading lists. Th ending was very sad to me, because I thought Gatsby, although he represented greed and wealth, was an honorable man that only acquired that much money and possessions to impress his one true love, Daisy. 

TEXT CONNECTIONS

---I think that Fitzgerald represents Gatsby as a Christ-like figure. All that he does throughout his life after meeting her, he does for Daisy, just as Jesus did everything for us. Just like Jesus, Gatsby sacrificed himself to save someone else. Jesus died for the people of the world and took their place even though they were guilty of sinning.  Jay Gatsby did not kill Myrtle Wilson but he died so that Daisy might live because she was the one that truly deserved to die for killing Myrtle. 

---In AP US history we are learning about this exact period of time that the book is set in, the New Era.  I am very glad that I read this book as it gives me a perfect image to the period of disillusionment after World War I that occurred in the 1920s by telling of the characters and their strengths and weaknesses, similar to the average person during that time period. History truly came alive when I read this book and I am thankful that I read it so now I understand the period better.

SYNTAX

• Polysyndeton: (40) “a whole pitful of oboes and trombones and saxophones and viols and cornets and piccolos, and low and high drums” (40)

 The excess of conjunctions creates the sense of immense wealth that Gatsby possesses. With each additional conjunction, the list of instruments grows longer and longer to emphasize Gatsby's affluence. Fitzgerald includes this polysyndeton to fully depict to the reader just how rich he is. His purpose of illustrating Gatsby's prosperity is achieved through his exaggeration through the use of this syntactical and list-like device, polysyndeton. This creates Fitzgerald's tone of the disillusionment of the lost generation in the 1920s by showing that all that much of the generation cared for were material possessions and the acquisition of riches.

• Anaphora: “all well dressed, all looking a little hungry, and all talking in low, earnest voices” (42).

Fitzgerald illustrates the sameness in the population of the 1920s. Throughout his novel, the theme of conformity is exposed by his description of the generation. This example of repetition of the word “all” emphasizes his contempt for the conformity of society and establishes his disdainful tone towards the New Era population.

• Epistrophe: “hat-boxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes” (64).

The repetition of “boxes” at the end of each phrase emphasizes Gatsby's enormous wealth by telling the reader of how many purchases Gatsby makes on a daily basis. The slightly hyperbolic statement emphasizes that Fitzgerald considers the population of he 1920s to be only concerned with wanton spending. This syntactical device adds to the feeling the reader receives from Fitzgerald's beliefs on the pettiness of the lost generation.

DICTION

• “Mr. Wolfsheim…began to eat with ferocious delicacy” (71).

The contradiction that Fitzgerald uses to describe Wolfsheim illustrates Fitzgerald’s annoyance at the 1920s generation. He creates Wolfsheim as a contradiction, and exemplifies his two-sidedness by writing that he ate in a brutal but dainty way. These adjectives oppose each other, just as the 1920s was a period of contradiction in America. Fitzgerald hints at Wolfsheim’s future betrayal of not attending Gatsby’s funeral, although he is one of Gatsby’s friends, by establishing him as a man of contradiction that is achieved through his use of conflicting diction as well as creates his tone of aggravation towards this superficial and disenchanted generation.

• “three men, each introduced to us as Mr. Mumble” (43).

By choosing to name each of these three men “Mr. Mumble”, Fitzgerald asserts his belief that the people of the Lost Generation of the 1920s had no differentiation between themselves and all conformed to the society norms. The author gives these three characters the same name to create his overall tone of irritation with the entire generation that was so disillusioned by material wealth, trivial pursuits and especially in this novel, the conformity to a “perfect” society.

• “What had amused me then had turned septic on the air now” (106).

Fitzgerald includes this strong choice of words to describe how Nick feels about the people at Gatsby’s party. He used to laugh with them and enjoy their company, but now their presence has turned to something akin to sewage. Nick realizes how petty and shallow these people are as Fitzgerald critiques them for how disillusioned their existence is. Fitzgerald’s aggravated tone is clearly exemplified when he compares the party attendees to toxic waste. He believes this generation to be filled with people that are worth no more than sewage, for they are only consumed with greed and pride and do not contribute to the betterment of society.

RHETORICAL STRATEGIES

• Metonymy: "Chicago was calling [Gatsby]" (Fitzgerald 48)

When Fitzgerald writes that Chicago, the large American city, is calling Gatsby, instead of just a man from the city, it increases his image of power in both the reader’s and Nick’s eyes. Fitzgerald employs this device to add to Gatsby's appearance and create his theme of disillusionment throughout the novel by exaggerating how powerful a few men were.  His critique of the 1920’s lost generation is solidified when Fitzgerald employs this metonymy to illustrate Gatsby’s apparent power. 

• Simile: "men and girls came and went like moths" (33)

Fitzgerald’s comparison of Gatsby's party attendees to moths tells the reader of their vacuous and frivolous existence. Moths are attracted to bright, shiny things and are usually hurt by the illusion of beauty. The comparison of the people of the 1920s to silly and stupid insects illustrates Fitzgerald's beliefs on how petty the lost generation truly was. His tone of disapproval towards this shallow generation is established with this simile. 

• Allusion: “a dozen volumes…promis[ed] to unfold the shining secrets that only Midas and Morgan and Mæcenas knew” (4).

When Nick talks about his books on banking he says they were to reveal wealth only these three historical figures knew. These refer to very rich people that Fitzgerald assumes the reader is familiar with. This allusion emphasizes how rich Nick thinks he can become with the help of these precious books. Fitzgerald uses the allusion to establish his belief that the people of the 1920s only cared for becoming rich and obtaining the most material wealth that they could.