Weather In The Great Gatsby
Giacomo Giorgi
CP English 11
Weather
Does weather affect the mood of situations? In the novel “The Great Gatsby,” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there are moments where atmospheric conditions set a mood of follows the emotions and action of the novel. This technique is also used quite a bit in many other novels, and even in movies. Weather, although it has almost subliminal results, tend to enhance the feeling evoked by the story in the movie or novel. This technique was used a lot by William Shakespeare, as well as many other well-known authors throughout the whole world. Weather is symbolic in this great novel as shown thanks to the wind, the seasons, and the hot, humid, sunny days.
Heat, in many situations, typically symbolizes the rising conflict of the story. In this particular instance, the unbearable heat rises as the tension between the characters rises. When it is hot, issues tend to rise too. Fitzgerald uses the weather to set the emotional tone of the novel and as a metaphor. In The Great Gatsby, when the climactic confrontation between Tom and Gatsby occurs on the hottest day of the year, weather is used to set the …show more content…
emotional tone for this particular time. The conflict is perpetuated by the heat which symbolizes the confusion and tension of that time.
Summer, which is the season this novel is set in, tends to bring very hot days, at least in the northern hemisphere.
The temperature of the environment is created so that every time there is a “heated” situation or argument, the temperature skyrockets; creating an extremely hot and humid day. Typically, temper begins to rise and people become more nervous and tense when it is unbearably hot. This is shown in a lot throughout the book as one of the many quotes, towards the end of the book, explicates how “The next day was broiling, almost the last, certainly the warmest, of the summer” (Fitzgerald 121). This sentence is extracted from the chapter where Gatsby and Daisy reveal to Tom just how in love they are. These are the types of situations where a man goes completely crazy, and the weather is there to make that much more
noticeable. Weather conditions, such as rain and wind, are also used to uncover a sense of tension and/or depression. This is shown when Gatsby asks Nick to set an appointment with Daisy, so that he could finally see her again after 5 long years, but “the day agreed upon was pouring rain” (Fitzgerald 83). Gatsby, on the day of the meet, begins to doubt himself for asking Nick to do this favor for him, and the rain indicates the fact that he is very nervous and extremely unsure of himself. However, later on in the meet, the rain fades away into a “pink and golden billow of foamy clouds above the sea” (Fitzgerald 99). At this point, Gatsby is no longer nervous, and the situation is no longer awkward. In fact, Gatsby and Daisy begin to enjoy each other's company again.
CP English 11
Weather
Does weather affect the mood of situations? In the novel “The Great Gatsby,” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there are moments where atmospheric conditions set a mood of follows the emotions and action of the novel. This technique is also used quite a bit in many other novels, and even in movies. Weather, although it has almost subliminal results, tend to enhance the feeling evoked by the story in the movie or novel. This technique was used a lot by William Shakespeare, as well as many other well-known authors throughout the whole world. Weather is symbolic in this great novel as shown thanks to the wind, the seasons, and the hot, humid, sunny days.
Heat, in many situations, typically symbolizes the rising conflict of the story. In this particular instance, the unbearable heat rises as the tension between the characters rises. When it is hot, issues tend to rise too. Fitzgerald uses the weather to set the emotional tone of the novel and as a metaphor. In The Great Gatsby, when the climactic confrontation between Tom and Gatsby occurs on the hottest day of the year, weather is used to set the …show more content…
emotional tone for this particular time. The conflict is perpetuated by the heat which symbolizes the confusion and tension of that time.
Summer, which is the season this novel is set in, tends to bring very hot days, at least in the northern hemisphere.
The temperature of the environment is created so that every time there is a “heated” situation or argument, the temperature skyrockets; creating an extremely hot and humid day. Typically, temper begins to rise and people become more nervous and tense when it is unbearably hot. This is shown in a lot throughout the book as one of the many quotes, towards the end of the book, explicates how “The next day was broiling, almost the last, certainly the warmest, of the summer” (Fitzgerald 121). This sentence is extracted from the chapter where Gatsby and Daisy reveal to Tom just how in love they are. These are the types of situations where a man goes completely crazy, and the weather is there to make that much more
noticeable. Weather conditions, such as rain and wind, are also used to uncover a sense of tension and/or depression. This is shown when Gatsby asks Nick to set an appointment with Daisy, so that he could finally see her again after 5 long years, but “the day agreed upon was pouring rain” (Fitzgerald 83). Gatsby, on the day of the meet, begins to doubt himself for asking Nick to do this favor for him, and the rain indicates the fact that he is very nervous and extremely unsure of himself. However, later on in the meet, the rain fades away into a “pink and golden billow of foamy clouds above the sea” (Fitzgerald 99). At this point, Gatsby is no longer nervous, and the situation is no longer awkward. In fact, Gatsby and Daisy begin to enjoy each other's company again.