The Great Gatsby Chapter 3 Analysis

Write about some of the ways Fitzgerald tells the story in Chapter 3.

Fitzgerald tells the story in chapter 3 in a number of ways, firstly, using setting. The atmosphere of chapter 3 contrasts effectively with the sleazy atmosphere of chapter 2, the party is extravagant and highlights the restless need of society to be entertained. His use of imagery tells us a lot about the type of party Gatsby was shaving, and even more about the type of people attending it, "In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars." The language is very magical, yet the moth simile shows us how leech like these people are, as moths are attracted to light, just as his guests only thee for Gatsby's
He also conveys the vulgarity through how 'one of these gypsies' 'dumps' down their drink, taking away all the magic and sophistication from it. On of the ways Fitzgerald tells the story in chapter 3 is by constantly separating himself from the other people at the party, such as the gypsy or the opportunistic leeching Englishmen by saying, "I was one of the few guests who had actually been invited" as though this sets him aside as an integral figure with decorum, Nick illustrates how those who attended the 'amusement park' that is one of Gatsby's partIes simply fed off of and exploited Gatsby. It is Fitzgerald trying to get us on Nick's side, to show that he is a reliable narrator. Yet for a self proclaimed reserved man, he states in this chapter rather flippantly, "I was on my way to get roaring drunk from sheer embarrassment." Fitzgerald refrains from introducing Gatsby to us in order to shroud him in mystery, however, we are thrown little bits of information about him, mostly in the format of absurd rumour, to keep us wanting to read on. When Nick is visited by one of Gatsby's employees in a 'uniform of robin's-egg blue' to deliver his invitation, we get a glimpse of both Gatsby's
They know nothing about their host and they throw around vicious rumours so frivolously, 'he was a German spy', 'I'll bet he killed a man'. It is a sad, reflective commentary on the society of the time, people really were this vain, pretentious and self righteous. Fitzgerald uses the character Owl Eyes and the idea of Gatsby's fake library to show how everything in Gatsby's world is totally constructed, constructed to the highest degree of accuracy and authenticity, but still innately fake, "Knew when to stop, too - didn't cut the pages." In some ways, this scene reveals a lot to the reader about Gatsby, and his true ambition; the whole thing is a facade to develop a version of himself that he deems worthy to get