Write about the ways the story is told in Chapter 5. Chapter 5 of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’ creates a contrasting tone to what has previously occurred in the novel. Fitzgerald generally creates a surreal atmosphere in order to control the manner in which many readers approach the events within the novel. Fitzgerald’s use of first person narrative enforces a judgemental perspective upon the reader, although Nick Carraway appears to set aside all opinions and therefore simply overlook the action-taking place. This is structurally emphasized by the layout of the novel on the page.
It is clear through Fitzgerald’s use of paragraphs that there is a clear awareness thought which remains constant throughout. “At first I thought it as another party, a wild rout that had resolved itself into ‘hide-and-go-seek’ or ‘sardines-in-the-box’ with all the
...house thrown open to the game. But there wasn’t a sound. ” The long sentence structure contrasts the shorter sentence that follows it. This as a result this implies a tense feeling amongst the characters, which further enforces the tension that Fitzgerald seems to create within this chapter.
These long sentences enhance the feeling of excess and extravagance that continuously appears within the novel. The use of commas creates this extravagance and alternate lifestyle. Yet it is also true to say that the commas used add a disjointed feeling to the chapter and particularly emphasize the misplaced feeling which is clearly evident in many of the characters. The tension seems to be created additionally through the opening paragraph of chapter 5.
In particular the length of this chapter seems to mirror the tense atmosphere that Fitzgerald aims to sustain throughout This
chapter presents Gatsby as a man who cannot help but live in the past: he longs to stop time, as though he and Daisy had never been separated and as though she had never left him to marry Tom. This can be justified through Fitzgerald’s use of symbolism in the chapter to create a strange atmosphere. For instance when Gatsby knocks over the clock, this symbolises the Gatsby’s knocking over of time, when he is attempting to recreate his past with Daisy.
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