Preview

Contrasts and Conflicts Chap 1 Great Gatsby

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1379 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Contrasts and Conflicts Chap 1 Great Gatsby
How Does Fitzgerald set up contrast within the first chapter?

In ‘The Great Gatsby’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald the author uses various techniques to set up contrasts and conflicts within the first chapter to show the corruption of the American Dream in the 1920’s when the book was set and also the corruption of the people during the roaring twenties. Examples of the techniques used to express these themes are characterization, dialogue, figurative language, diction choices , symbolism and foreshadowing. Throughout the book our narrator is Nick Carraway who comes from middle west America and in the first chapter he “went East to learn the bond business” and rents a house in West Egg, Long Island. One of the conflicting aspect in the first chapter done by Fitzgerald was through showing the broken marriage of the Buchanan’s. The author uses foreshadowing ,dialogue and diction choices. Nick goes over to the Buchanan’s home in East Egg for dinner with Daisy and Tom Buchanan and family friend, Jordan Baker. During dinner Daisy burnt herself and blamed Tom saying “...That’s what i get for marrying a brute of a man...hulking physical specimen of a-” - ‘ ...objected Tom crossly ‘ The words “brute” and ”physical specimen” are all animalistic adjectives and ‘specimen’ suggests that he isn’t even human this shows Tom’s violence and savageness which foreshadows Tom’s violence towards Myrtle further into the book. Also the fact that Daisy describes Tom as this vicious man and she still stays married with him anyway implies that she isn’t independent and can’t survive on her own almost as if she needed him. Additionally the way Tom cuts off her sentence “objected crossly” shows how he doesn’t respect Daisy and is the more assertive and dominant person in the relationship, the word “crossly” would show the reader how patronizing Tom is because to be cross with someone it would typically be between a parent and a child where the parent is more superior. Another thing the reader finds out

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s magnum opus, The Great Gatsby, the theme of the attractive masks of unpleasant realities is present in the first chapter. Nick Carraway, the persona of this great American novel, introduces his relative Daisy Buchanan and her husband Tom in this chapter as people everyone would desire to be as the two are not only wealthy but aristocratic (Fitzgerald 9-11). Despite seeming to lead completely flawless lives due to how privileged they are, Daisy and Tom really do not, for their marriage is in name only. This is so because, like many women from old money families, she married Tom since he is her equal financially and socially, not because they are in love with each other. Daisy’s constant need to maintain her lavish lifestyle is what forces her to stay with Tom even though he is not exactly the man he appears to be as he is neither a committed husband nor father in actuality.…

    • 446 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    7. The fur serves as a symbol to Miss Brill herself and the meaning of the final sentence shows that she admits her empty life.…

    • 648 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gatsby’s worth is demonstrated throughout the novel, Gatsby shows the ultimate selfless act at the end of the novel when he agrees to take the blame for the death of Myrtle which ultimately resulted in his own death. Nick asks, “Was Daisy driving?” to which Gatsby responds, “Yes... but of course I'll say I was.” Gatsby does not hesitate when taking the blame, it appears to the reader that he feels it is his duty rather than his decision, his love and dedication to Daisy are at the forefront of his mind throughout the novel. In addition his home and parties are described as “props to woo Daisy” in chapter 5 reinforcing that everything Gatsby has done and created throughout are in order to peruse Daisy and make her happy unlike Tom Buchanan who has no respect for Daisy which is highlighted to the reader by his affairs in particular his affair with Myrtle. Tom is shown by Nick to be an aggressive overpowering figure that is violent towards woman and has no respect for anyone of a lower class or social standing than himself. Tom is described in chapter 1 as having “arrogant eyes” and “leaning aggressively forward”, later in chapter 2 Nick tells us how Tom made a “short deft movement and broke [Myrtles] nose with his open hand” showing him as a violent man. Fitzgerald created the character of Tom as an image of corruption and inequality in 1920’s society; he is representative of the arrogance of the upper class. As readers we have more respect for Gatsby; a…

    • 801 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In Chapter 5, Daisy and Gatsby are reunited in Nick’s house and then Gatsby shows Daisy around his house. Gatsby attempts to reward Nick with money for helping bring him and Daisy together again, “Well, this would interest you. It wouldn’t take up much of your time but you might pick up a nice bit of money.” This shows how Gatsby is not used to people being hospitable towards him without wanting anything in return. It also demonstrates how Gatsby thinks he has to buy Nick’s loyalty in the hope that by bribing Nick with money, he won’t tell Tom about his meeting with Daisy. Nick refuses claiming, “I’ve got my hands full,” This reveals that Nick is very class conscious as he thinks he is above receiving money for something he has done. It also shows that he is aware of the corrupt criminal world that Gatsby is involved in because he doesn’t want to take the chance of getting involved in the same world as Gatsby.…

    • 297 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    It wasn’t the soft, ethereal glow of dawn’s early light peeping through the ill-fitting curtains that gently lured Tom from a restless night’s sleep. It wasn’t the promise of a new day, free from the nightmares that still plagued his tortured mind or the pleasing chirrup of the house sparrows greeting the sun with their morning song of joy. It was something more physical, something visceral, an inherent perception of a long-forgotten pleasure slowly rising from within.…

    • 2255 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In “The Great Gatsby,” written by Scott Fitzgerald, Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby are two characters that struggle with the idea of losing their shared love interest, Daisy. Tom and Gatsby’s attachment to Daisy is differently justified due to their contrasting views, personalities, attitudes, actions, backgrounds, and other factors, some of which they do share and concur in. Fitzgerald did a great thing here. He created two purposefully different characters- one that is easily despised, the other that although not perfect, is likable- and united them in their love for money, the power that comes with it , and their haunt for the ultimate prize – Daisy. In this essay, we will analyze Tom and Gatsby’s differences and similarities in several areas, and decide whether or not they are perfect foils of each other like they are commonly perceived to be.…

    • 1585 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Great Gatsby is a story that revolves a great deal on the exercise of power held by people within society. Tom Buchanan, one of the main antagonists in the novel, is the man who marries Daisy, Nick Carraway’s cousin. Having inherited money from his family, or “old money” Tom Buchanan resides with Daisy in East Egg, where all the other people with inherited wealth live. The narrator already knew him from before as they’d attended Yale together, but his immediate description of him in the book, depicted him as being a “sturdy” man, with a “hard mouth”, “arrogant eyes” and a body of “enormous power,” which hints at the impression Tom gives off of a smug overbearing man(Pg.9). Later Daisy describes him right…

    • 816 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In addition, the unique structure is evident in both “Chronicles of A death Foretold” and “The Great Gatsby”, but the use of structure was used to play the same purpose in both novel; and that is to demonstrate the chronology and its effect in justifying the death evident in both novels. In Chronicle of a death foretold the most prominent form of structure that was evident is narrative structure. The way in which the author divided the narrative structure of the plot and events is through 5 sections. The first section is the morning of Santiago Nasar’s Death, the second section is the historical aspect were the reader learns about the past of Bayardo San Roman and Angela Vicario, the third section is the morning of Santiago’s death which is…

    • 608 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    No one thinks to highly of him, but his circumstances, when tangled with the themes of the novel is what will lead to the climax of the novel. George Wilson’s purpose in The Great Gatsby is to show a contrast between corruption and innocence. He is the only passive character in this story and similar to Nick, has moral dilemmas. He is the opposite of the American dream shown through his low wealth and social status. However, as he does show to not gain anything significantly, he is not corrupted by the pursuit of the dream. George is an honest and hardworking man, but is naive and quickly intimidated and manipulated by Tom Buchanan. George defers to Tom out of necessity as he needs Tom's business. Although he believes that Tom will sell the…

    • 963 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby tells the tale of a tangled web of love, lies, and liquor in the roaring 20s. Since the book came out in 1925, there have been several filmed versions of the story. One in particular stands out from the rest. The 1974 version in which Robert Redford plays Jay Gatsby is one of the most notable renditions of the classic novel. It is presented in a way that is elegant, yet it is very relatable. There were significant differences between the novel and the film though, including Tom and Myrtle’s characters, Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship and portrayals and key elements of the story. These changes were detrimental to the perception of the story.…

    • 1101 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Magnificent clothes are sought after, fought over, and talked about. When a person dresses nicely, he or she is respected. It is possible that this respect could have been formed under false pretenses. Appearances can be fake and deceiving. Clothes can hide things other than skin. In the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses images of impressive clothing to mask despicable characters. Jordan Baker, Daisy Buchanan, and Jay Gatsby illuminate this theme with their posh clothing and corrupted minds.…

    • 1300 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In chapter four of The Great Gatsby F. by Scott Fitzgerald, Jourdan explains to Nick that…

    • 662 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    “Some liars are so expert they deceive themselves”(Austin o’malley). In the Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald Jay gatsby is a dirt poor farmer who took advantage of the prohibition to sell illegal alcohol over the counter to get closer to a long lost love. In the book The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden caulfield is a sixteen year old prep school dropout who goes through life ignoring everyone and hiding his emotions because he will never like anyone as much as his brother. Gatsby is the phonier than holden because gatsby lied about his past, his wealth and his name.…

    • 1142 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Great Gatsby

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Dishonesty, immorality and lack of quality attributes, define the character traits portrayed within, “The Great Gatsby,” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This novel introduces the reader to a young women named Daisy, as it examines her relationship with her husband Tom. Their marriage lacks a deeply connected love. The reader is lead to believe that Daisy wed Tom for mostly money . On the other hand, before Daisy met Tom, she was passionately in love with Jay Gatsby. However, Gatsby had little money and Daisy wanted to find a well-off man . Daisy realizing this need, established a relationship with Tom and relinquish her love towards Gatsby. Immorality is a dividing force; it divides yet glues ones’ relationship together.…

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    the great gatsby

    • 1690 Words
    • 4 Pages

    “The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly.” In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald presents his audience with a novel with intricate symbolism. Nick Carroway, the protagonist, has recently moved from the Midwest to get his career started in New York. He lives on the island of West Egg the poorer side of town, across from East Egg the wealthier side of town. In East Egg are where his pompous and snobbish friends Tom and Daisy live. They gossip and party a lot, all while Tom is cheating on Daisy with a lady named Myrtle Wilson. Everyone knows except for Daisy and Mr. Wilson. Meanwhile, Nick lives next door to a mysterious man named Gatsby, who throws extravagant parties, but yet no one knows anything about him. Throughout the book Nick learns about the mysterious Gatsby and what it is like to live around people who believe in a conceited world of indecency. Fitzgerald involves symbolism into the heart of the novel so strongly that it is necessary to read passages of the book more than once to full understand. The creative yet simplistic styling of this book is a major reason why The Great Gatsby is one of the classics of the 20th century. Throughout the book, three themes dominate the text of The Great Gatsby. These themes include the loss of time, appearance and characterization, and perspective.…

    • 1690 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays