great gatsby

• 'two shining arrogant faces had established dominance over his face'-CH1

  • ref to Tom
  • implies Nick feels weaker and physically intimidated by him
• 'just because i'm stronger and more of a man than you are'- CH1


  • unreliable narration - Nicks intrusive thoughts
  • Nick feels intimidated by Tom
  • linked to social class- tom is superior
• 'her face was sad and lovely with bright things in it'-CH1

  • juxtaposition- implies she is unstable
  • facade- she wants to come across as happy but her life is unfulfilling
• 'i hope she'll be a little fool- thats the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool- CH1

  • reveals a glimpse into Daisy's life as she
  • context: trapped in 1920s marriage expectations- she is unhappy with Tom and acts as if she is ok for societal standards
  • suggests being oblivious is better than having an awareness of her painful reaity of an unhappy marriage
• 'he stretched his arm towards the dark water in a curious way'- CH1

  • reflects Gatsby's yearning for Daisy
  • context: the American Dream- suggests the unattainability of ambitions by the distance between them
  • not reciprocated - futility of love
• 'with the influence of her dress her personality had undergone a change'- CH2

  • she constructs her personality- facade
  • a performance
• 'you can't live forever; you cant live forever'- CH2

  • excitable tone
  • 'carpe diem'

  reveals Mrytle's thrill of having an affair

  • infidelity
• 'Daisy!Daisy!Daisy!Ill say it whenever I want to!'

  • Mrtyle
  • she feels entitled to speak about her even though having an affair with Tom
• 'he smiled understandingly-much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it'

  • Nicks unreliable narration? - exaggerating?
  • suggests Gatsby makes him feel flattered
• 'it understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood' -CH3

  • Nick referring to Gatsbys smile
  • implies that Gatsby seeks to please people and his personality to be approved
• 'i am one of the few honest people that I have ever known'- CH4

  • Nicks narration
  • ironic- he is judgemental on everyone
• 'he gave her a string of pearls valued at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars'

  • Jordans narration to Nick
  • reveals Daisy only stays with Tom as of his immense power and wealth
  • context: 1920s marriage expectations - women expected to be loyal and devoted to their husbands.
  • Daisy cares about maintaining her social reputation and societal standards and does not follow her true feelings
• 'he came alive to me, delivered suddenly from the womb of his purposeless splendour' - CH4

  • womb imagery- Nick deeply understands Gatsby's intentions
  • oxymoron of 'purposeless splendour' emphasises his pointless yet splendid parties
  • Nick understands his motives of wanting Daisy. this is in reponse to jordan telling him that he brought a house opposite her
• 'Gatsby in a white flannel suit, silver shirt and gold-coloured tie'

  • Nicks observation of him
  • context: he is trying to come across as wealthy and presentable for Daisy
• 'she held my hand impersonally, as a promise that she'd take care of me in a minute'

  • implies Nick feels the urge to be a part of the social scene and needs Jordan to pull him along
  • Jordan guides him
• 'i think we all believed for a moment it has smashed in pieces on the floor'

  • Nicks narration
  • reference to clock- first time Daisy and Gatsby meet the clock falls over
  • symbolising the essence and the fragility of time
  • fitzgerald may be suggesting Gs life long dream may not meet his expectations
• 'he revalued everything in his house according to the measure it drew from her well loved eyes' - CH5

  • Gatsby desires approval from Daisy
  • he values her reactions and opinions
  • he constructs his life around her
• 'he was running down like an overwound clock' - CH5

  • symbolic of the fragility of time
  • emphasises he has waited his whole life and this has not met his expectations - futility of love
• 'they're such beautiful shirts'

  • Daisy is overwhelmed with emotion as she realises how much he has done for her
  • he has constructed his wealth for her
  • suggests love can't be bought by money and materialistic purposes
• 'you can't repeat the past? why of course you can!' - CH6

  • Gatsby remains hopeful
  • assured tone - he is too deterministic
  • denial of reality
• 'she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete'

  • simile- emphasises the final opening of her emotion
  • celestial imagery of eternity reinforces Gatsby's happiness and his satisfaction
• 'her voice is full of money'

  • Gatsby says this - metaphor
  • reveals his interest in Daisy's wealth and material status
  • she is valuable
• 'once in a while i go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back, and in my heart I always love her'

  • euphemism for affair
  • argue that he is loyal to Daisy to a certain extent
  • casual tone - as if normalised
  • criticism of upper class as they only come together for materialistic purposes and social expectations
  • reveals how Tom uses Daisy to construct his social status
• 'mingled her thick dark blood with the dust'

  • Mrytle dies in the valley of ashes
  • tragic- she always wanted to leave there
• 'there was an unmistakable air of natural intimacy'

  • Nicks observation of the Buchanans
  • suggests they are united together naturally
  • context- criticism of upper class as there isn't a true connection between them, they stay together as of marriage expectations and status, wealth
  • american dream- unrealistic, Gatsby didnt end up with daisy
• 'he had stood on those steps, concealing his incorruptible dream, as he waved them goodbye'

  • still holds on to hope
• 'she saw something awful in the very simplicity she failed to understand'

  • Daisy is incapable of giving Gatsby the same love he shows her
  • she is overwhelmed by the fact that she can't return Gatsby's feelings
• 'mr nobody from nowhere make love to your wife'


  • ironic- Tom is disloyal to his wife and accusing Gatsby of the same
  • classest tone- Tom is alarmed at his wife being interested in a lower-class man
  • speaking to Gatsby in a rude way - removing his name gives the sense that he feels entitled
• 'he felt married, that was all' - CH8

  • casualised, normal time
  • Gatsby commited his life to her as if they were together
  • suggests the futility of his dream as he was so determined
• 'paid a high price for living too long with a single dream'-CH8

  • metaphor - consequence is death
  • his dream corrupted and his life was pointless
• 'thin red circle' in the water-CH8

  • symbolic of cycle of futility
  • insignificant death - tragic