GATSBY

• 'old sport' repeated catchphrase 


  Motif of his ersatz of aristocratic, English wealth

  When control and time slips so does the catchphrase
• 'the silhouette of a moving cat wavered across the moonlight.' pg25


  Zoomorphism of G, prolepsis for his characterization.

  Connotations of cat = mysterious, enigmatic and intriguing, adaptable (James Gatz name change)

  Supernatural imagery of 'moonlight' characterise G as an inhumane performance

  Adaptable yearn for freedom, he is elusive about past.
• 'he stretched his arms across the dark water...single green light.' pg25


  Connotes envy, money and the elusive nature of the AD

  Juxtaposing 'green light' and 'dark water' (connoting tom, the past, obstacles to his dream) and emphasise the separation

  Melancholic yearning
• 'it was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it. it face - or seemed to face - the whole eternal world.' pg49


  Hyperbolic 'rare smiles' creates a theatrical facade to Gatsby - charismatic and captivating smile, once in a lifetime

  Repetition of 'eternal' is supernatural, his character is timeless

  Parenthetical aside suggests an illusion in his appearance

  Superlative 'whole'
• 'precisely at that point it vanished and i was looking at the elegant young rough-neck... whose elaborate formality of speech just missed being absurd.' pg49


  His contradictory appearance is a motif of the novella.

  Antithetical lexical field ('elegant', 'elaborate' vs 'absurd', 'rough') highlights the conflict between UC + WC.

  Oxymoron 'young rough neck' unmasks his external refinement

  Transient nature of facades noun 'vanished'

  Inauthenticity in his dual persona + significant gap between his desires and reality.
• 'it was a rich cream colour, bright with nickel, swollen here and there with its monstrous length with triumphant hat boxes' pg63


  Hyperbolic 'monstrous length' acts a euphemism for his presentation masculinity.

  Sensory imagery of colour, brightness and size (rich cream colour, bright with nickel, monstrous length) used to emphasise his wealth

  Personification of applying stative verb 'triumphant' to 'hat boxes', applying a Marxist lens this reflects the corruption of UC + labour
• 'cant repeat the past? he cried incredulously. 'why, of course you can!, he looked around him wildly, as if the past were lurking in the shadows of his house, just out of reach.' pg106


  Exclamative emphasises his embedded belief, his raison d'etre in his chase for Daisy

  Adverb 'incredulously' highlights his delusion

  Symbolism / personification 'past lurking in the shadows' suggests he is haunted foreshadowing futile attempts to recapture his past that leads to his downfall

  FG = commenting on disillusionment of the AD
• 'a sudden emptiness seemed to flow... endowing with complete isolation the figure of the host... his hand up in a formal gesture of farewell.' pg56 


  Stark contrast to the light and liveliness of the parties, unfulfilled. To G, it is completely empty without Daisy.

  An abundance of isolation - leaving room for D = melancholic.

  His life = revolved around achieving the AD for daisy. Illusion and disillusionment = theme

  'formal' majestic and unreal, ersatz.

  emotionally distant, 'windows' = soul, revealing isolated and vulnerable side
• 'in a white flannel suit, silver shirt, and gold coloured tie... he was pale, and there were dark signs of sleeplessness beneath his eyes.' pg81


  Over the top appearance = erzatz display of his wealth.

  Beginning of his downfall as edges closer to achieving dream of daisy. nervous wreck.
• 'he literally glowed; withoutb a word or a gesture of exultation a new well-being radiated from him and filled the room.

  'oh hello old sport' he said, as if he hadnt seen me for years.' 


  Gatsby has recoiled into the past - glowing with youth.
• 'my house looks well, doesnt it?' he demanded, 'see how the whole front of it catches the light.' pg87


  Mirroring Tom. Arrogance.

  Daisy = caught

  Obsession with appearance, the mansion, grand and opulent, represents the material success that Gatsby has achieved and the façade he presents to the world.
• 'he hadnt once ceased looking at Daisy, and i think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes... in her actual and astounding presence none of it was any longer real ' pg88


  end focus 'real' relates to theme of superficiality.

  Once she has been in the house, it has lost its purpose.

  Feminist lens = Daisy is a possesion of his dreams, male gaze, obsession. glued to her appearance.

  Loss of control.
• 'he was clutching at some last hope and i couldnt bear to shake him free' pg141
• 'young men didnt drift cooly out of nowhere.' chapter three. 


  Image conveyed of a cool, calm, distant Gatbsy.

  'drift' holds a passivity to Gatbsy's attempts to assimilate into the old moneys ways.
• 'her voice is full of money.' he said suddenly.