The Great Gatsby Random

Symbolism of hope- Chapter 1

• green light is a symbol of Daisy’s presence

• closest thing he can get to Daisy as he hasn’t seen her in years

Symbolism of the Colour White- Chapter 1

• White traditionally associated with purity and virginity

• the symbolism changes in the novel and comes to suggest that white is used to cover up characters’ darkest traits

• Buchanan’s house “frosted wedding cake”

• perhaps used to represent whitewashing to hide things people don’t want society to see

Importance of Chapter 1

• sets the scene of the novel

• the events have already taken place- characters’ fates are already decided

• establishes myth and reality mixed throughout novel as Nick refers to ‘Midas’- a Greek myth

Chapter 1 Characterisation- Nick

• Nick is initially portrayed as the perfect narrator- “inclined to reserve all judgements”

• appears to be tolerant, open minded, quiet and a good listener→ “I was privy to the secret of grief”; “Most of the confidences”; “intimate revelation.

• clearly from a privileged background- hints at a complex contradiction within Nick’s character “And, after boasting this way of my tolerance, I came to the conclusion that it has a limit”

• clear hints that he can be intolerant and judgemental- unreliable narrator

Chapter 1 Characterisation- Daisy

• Daisy connotes a delicate white flower

• this is ironic as despite the fact that white connotes innocence, Daisy’s life is conducted in an entirely manufactured environment remote from the natural world

• her passivity emphasised as despite her problems in her marriage she is reluctant to leave Tom

• “I hope she’ll be a fool- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool”- Daisy clearly believes that society doesn’t value intelligence in women

Setting- East Egg (old money)

• conservative and aristocratic but not as refined as it appears

• fashionable but fake- appealing surface hides unattractive realities- Daisy’s marriage looks and wealth both mask a bored, cynical, and empty interior

• sees itself as a place of breeding, taste, aristocracy and leisure

Setting- West Egg (new money)

• home to the nouveau riche who have made their own fortunes rather than inheriting money

• most of the residents don’t have aristocratic breeding or wealthy family connections- Nick is an exception

• extravagant displays of wealth that are perceived to be in poor taste

• viewed by E. Egg as ostentatious, garish and home to the flashy

The Jazz Age

-          Decade of dependence and prosperity that America enjoyed in the 1920’s.

-          Modernism.

-          Period of pleasure seeking and reckless exuberance.

-          Tendency towards materialism and luxurious living.

-          False and corrupted values.

-          A font of luxury and stability.

-          Growing popularity of jazz music.

-          Enormous economic expansion.

-          Fuelled by capitalism caused by the boom of the stock market after the WW1.

Motifs in TGG

·         Geography

·         Weather

·         Automobiles

·         The American Frontier

·         The green light