The Great Gatsby Essay Questions
Prescribed question: Question 5: How does the text conform to, or deviate from, the conventions of a particular genre, and for what purpose?
Text of analysis: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Part of course: Part 4 Critical Study
Key points:
• Different uses of vision used by Fitzgerald
• The concept of all-seeing and all-knowing characters
• Narration and its use
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, is a tragic love story, a mystery and an insight into the roaring 20’s. On the first page of the novel, our narrator, Nick, realizes that there is “some unmistakable sign that an intimate revelation was quivering on the horizon;” As soon as the novel begins, Fitzgerald is already referring to vision, he is saying …show more content…
that one must look out to the horizon, the horizon is quivering which is to say that it is blurred or not very clear. From the second paragraph in the novel, Fitzgerald is already telling the reader to trust what they are seeing as the “unmistakable sign” even though the horizon is shaky (7). Fitzgerald is making a connection that the reader must overlook the horizon, which is a metaphor for Nick as a narrator, and trust the unmistakable sign that is in fact Gatsby. To have a more in-depth knowledge about how optics are used the novel, one must fully grasp the definition of genre, which is the following: genre – “a historically stable variety of text with conspicuous distinguishing features” (Trask 104). This definition lets us indulge deeper into the meaning of visionary aspects in The Great Gatsby.
Throughout the novel, the narration used is a “modified” first person viewpoint.
In the book, Nick is our eye. Gatsby, the main protagonist, is not the one telling the story. It is in fact a secondary character that narrates, Nick. Gatsby is a successful, self-made man who is living the American Dream in a large estate in West Egg on Long Island. People gather at his mansion to attend his exciting, astonishing and romantic parties. Everyone admires Gatsby, though no one at the party actually knows him. In fact, according to a young lady, rumor has it that “He’s a bootlegger. One time he killed a man who had found out that he was the nephew to Von Hindenburg and second cousin to the devil.” (60). Gatsby’s neighbor, Nick, sees all of this and has serious doubts about Gatsby’s made-up lifestyle. While Nick is learning more about Gatsby’s background during a car ride to lunch, he notices little things Gatsby says. Gatsby claims to have been educated at Oxford but when he tells Nick this; our narrator says that he “Hurried the phrase ‘educated at oxford’”. (64). Only a few sentences later, Nick inquires about what part of the Middle-West Gatsby’s parents are from to which Gatsby answers: “San Francisco” (64). Nick quickly realizes that Gatsby believes his own lies as he controls his “incredulous laughter”
(64).
To understand all the aspects of optics in The Great Gatsby, the reader must look at the most important feature of vision in the story, Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. Eckleburg is first introduced to the reader in chapter two of the novel as a billboard, which overlooks the apartment that belongs to George and Myrtle Wilson. The Doctor’s eyes are described as “blue and gigantic – their retina are one yard high. They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a non-existent nose.” (26). His giant eyes also watch over the Valley of Ashes, a dump between New York and West Egg (Westbrook 83). Eckleburg looms over the world from a billboard and acts like the all-seeing eye, a God-like persona that observes society rotting away. In the wasteland that is the Valley of Ashes, Doctor Eckleburg’s “persistent stare” observes the disastrous marriage of George and Myrtle (27). It is also here that Eckleburg’s gigantic eyes, watch as Daisy who is driving Gatsby’s yellow car, attempts to avoid hitting the distressed Myrtle as she sprints out onto the road to escape the clutches of her husband. The all-seeing eye watches as Gatsby tries to “swing the wheel” and avoid the on rushing Myrtle as she cries for help (137). Then after this deadly accident, as Westbrook explains, the Doctor beholds Wilson as he “takes upon himself the role of avenger” for his wife, Myrtle (83). Wilson gazes into the eyes of the Doctor and determines that he will find his wife’s murderer, for nothing, Fitzgerald says, is beyond God’s knowledge and no one can “fool God” (152).
Eckleburg may not be the only one who sees everything. Like Eckleburg, Owl-Eyes, a character who is portrayed at first as a drunkard, has fairly large glasses, which Fitzgerald describes as “enormous owl-eyed spectacles” (46). Owl-Eyes sees past Gatsby’s disguise when, to his surprise, he realizes that the books in the library are real (47). Since Eckleburg poses as the all-seeing eye, Owl-Eyes might pose as the all-knowing persona, the equivalent of Doctor Eckleburg. Owl-Eyes may seem like a pointless character to the reader but Fitzgerald might have a personal connection to him. Owl Eyes was “a nickname at one time applied to Ring Lardner,” a close friend of Fitzgerald who was a sports writer during the fixed 1919 World Series (Hampton 229) that is mentioned in the novel (71). His “Owl-Eyes” are used to see the corruption of the American pastime of baseball, much like Eckleburg’s eyes are used to view the corruption of the American Dream and the lies of society. The reason that the owl-eyed man was at the funeral of Jay Gatsby was because he was the only person that saw the real Gatsby, not the man that he fabricated.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s use of optics in the novel is part of what makes the book what it is. The all-seeing eye such as Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, a billboard advertisement that views the collapse of society and watches the tragic demise of Myrtle. Fitzgerald also has the all-knowing character, Owl-Eyes. Owl-Eyes sees past Gatsby’s image and his persona, he realizes that the books in Gatsby’s library are indeed real although he knows that Gatsby has not read a single one of them. He mutters to himself “if one brick was removed the whole library was liable to collapse.” (47). Making a point that if one piece of information was removed from Gatsby’s farce, then his whole world would collapse. These characters take nothing away from the narration of Nick, who is our eyes throughout the novel, although he may not be a reliable narrator, he gives an insight into the great man that is Jay Gatsby.
Text of analysis: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Part of course: Part 4 Critical Study
Key points:
• Different uses of vision used by Fitzgerald
• The concept of all-seeing and all-knowing characters
• Narration and its use
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, is a tragic love story, a mystery and an insight into the roaring 20’s. On the first page of the novel, our narrator, Nick, realizes that there is “some unmistakable sign that an intimate revelation was quivering on the horizon;” As soon as the novel begins, Fitzgerald is already referring to vision, he is saying …show more content…
that one must look out to the horizon, the horizon is quivering which is to say that it is blurred or not very clear. From the second paragraph in the novel, Fitzgerald is already telling the reader to trust what they are seeing as the “unmistakable sign” even though the horizon is shaky (7). Fitzgerald is making a connection that the reader must overlook the horizon, which is a metaphor for Nick as a narrator, and trust the unmistakable sign that is in fact Gatsby. To have a more in-depth knowledge about how optics are used the novel, one must fully grasp the definition of genre, which is the following: genre – “a historically stable variety of text with conspicuous distinguishing features” (Trask 104). This definition lets us indulge deeper into the meaning of visionary aspects in The Great Gatsby.
Throughout the novel, the narration used is a “modified” first person viewpoint.
In the book, Nick is our eye. Gatsby, the main protagonist, is not the one telling the story. It is in fact a secondary character that narrates, Nick. Gatsby is a successful, self-made man who is living the American Dream in a large estate in West Egg on Long Island. People gather at his mansion to attend his exciting, astonishing and romantic parties. Everyone admires Gatsby, though no one at the party actually knows him. In fact, according to a young lady, rumor has it that “He’s a bootlegger. One time he killed a man who had found out that he was the nephew to Von Hindenburg and second cousin to the devil.” (60). Gatsby’s neighbor, Nick, sees all of this and has serious doubts about Gatsby’s made-up lifestyle. While Nick is learning more about Gatsby’s background during a car ride to lunch, he notices little things Gatsby says. Gatsby claims to have been educated at Oxford but when he tells Nick this; our narrator says that he “Hurried the phrase ‘educated at oxford’”. (64). Only a few sentences later, Nick inquires about what part of the Middle-West Gatsby’s parents are from to which Gatsby answers: “San Francisco” (64). Nick quickly realizes that Gatsby believes his own lies as he controls his “incredulous laughter”
(64).
To understand all the aspects of optics in The Great Gatsby, the reader must look at the most important feature of vision in the story, Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. Eckleburg is first introduced to the reader in chapter two of the novel as a billboard, which overlooks the apartment that belongs to George and Myrtle Wilson. The Doctor’s eyes are described as “blue and gigantic – their retina are one yard high. They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a non-existent nose.” (26). His giant eyes also watch over the Valley of Ashes, a dump between New York and West Egg (Westbrook 83). Eckleburg looms over the world from a billboard and acts like the all-seeing eye, a God-like persona that observes society rotting away. In the wasteland that is the Valley of Ashes, Doctor Eckleburg’s “persistent stare” observes the disastrous marriage of George and Myrtle (27). It is also here that Eckleburg’s gigantic eyes, watch as Daisy who is driving Gatsby’s yellow car, attempts to avoid hitting the distressed Myrtle as she sprints out onto the road to escape the clutches of her husband. The all-seeing eye watches as Gatsby tries to “swing the wheel” and avoid the on rushing Myrtle as she cries for help (137). Then after this deadly accident, as Westbrook explains, the Doctor beholds Wilson as he “takes upon himself the role of avenger” for his wife, Myrtle (83). Wilson gazes into the eyes of the Doctor and determines that he will find his wife’s murderer, for nothing, Fitzgerald says, is beyond God’s knowledge and no one can “fool God” (152).
Eckleburg may not be the only one who sees everything. Like Eckleburg, Owl-Eyes, a character who is portrayed at first as a drunkard, has fairly large glasses, which Fitzgerald describes as “enormous owl-eyed spectacles” (46). Owl-Eyes sees past Gatsby’s disguise when, to his surprise, he realizes that the books in the library are real (47). Since Eckleburg poses as the all-seeing eye, Owl-Eyes might pose as the all-knowing persona, the equivalent of Doctor Eckleburg. Owl-Eyes may seem like a pointless character to the reader but Fitzgerald might have a personal connection to him. Owl Eyes was “a nickname at one time applied to Ring Lardner,” a close friend of Fitzgerald who was a sports writer during the fixed 1919 World Series (Hampton 229) that is mentioned in the novel (71). His “Owl-Eyes” are used to see the corruption of the American pastime of baseball, much like Eckleburg’s eyes are used to view the corruption of the American Dream and the lies of society. The reason that the owl-eyed man was at the funeral of Jay Gatsby was because he was the only person that saw the real Gatsby, not the man that he fabricated.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s use of optics in the novel is part of what makes the book what it is. The all-seeing eye such as Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, a billboard advertisement that views the collapse of society and watches the tragic demise of Myrtle. Fitzgerald also has the all-knowing character, Owl-Eyes. Owl-Eyes sees past Gatsby’s image and his persona, he realizes that the books in Gatsby’s library are indeed real although he knows that Gatsby has not read a single one of them. He mutters to himself “if one brick was removed the whole library was liable to collapse.” (47). Making a point that if one piece of information was removed from Gatsby’s farce, then his whole world would collapse. These characters take nothing away from the narration of Nick, who is our eyes throughout the novel, although he may not be a reliable narrator, he gives an insight into the great man that is Jay Gatsby.