Fitzgerald, throughout The Great Gatsby, carefully employs diction to reinforce the tone of his novel, with diction being a strong indicator as to what exactly may be occurring, rather than the obvious description, which may leave some detail wanting. Describing Gatsby, the tone surrounding him is established as Nick notes “that he grew more correct as the fraternal hilarity increased” (50). By stating such a thing, the detached nature with which Gatsby frequents his own parties s established, and, combined with the observation that there seemed to be nothing sinister about him, allows Fitzgerald to characterize Gatsby as an enigma. As the complicated web of relationships between the characters begins to come to a head, the situation is further solidified by the usage of diction, as Tom thinks that “ His wife and his mistress, until an hour ago, secure and inviolate, were slipping precipitately from his control” (125). By describing the situation as having been not only secure, but as inviolate, Tom’s opinions are established, as Fitzgerald uses the diction to illustrate his absolute state of chaos, with what he had known as completely impervious shattering, unable to be stopped by him and essentially ruining his life and creating a tone of provocation. Following Gatsby’s death, Fitzgerald creates imagery of the neighborhood as seen by Nick, stating that “the blue smoke of brittle leaves was in the air and the wind blew the wet laundry stiff on the line [he] decided to go back home” (176). By using such words as “smoke”, and “brittle”, as well as “wet” and “stiff”, Fitzgerald wishes to convey the apparent oppressiveness that remained within the neighborhood, with things being unwilling to change, obscured behind smoke, resistant to observation. In his morose description of autumn, Fitzgerald’s primary intent is to explain that, with the death of Gatsby, the joy has left the world, with Gatsby being a representative of the American Dream, and his subtraction resulting in a cold, dank, and restrictive locale.
Your analysis of the surrounding nature was a breath of fresh air, no pun intended. It is easy to be distracted by the obvious connections to the industrial age but many readers fail to comment on the descriptions of the natural surroundings in the book. A common theme of the dehumanizing effect of technology is present throughout the book and the author's attention to detail in nature further implies how the big city can distract you from the simple, more complex characteristics of nature. Once again, academic language truly makes this review a step above the others.
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