The Great Gatsby: Sample Essay

I have been receiving requests to upload sample essays for 'The Great Gatsby' and 'The Kite Runner', so I decided to look through the remainder of my notes in the hope that I find something. Interestingly enough, I found a few essays that I hope will be helpful to you!

These are just for guidance, so please do double-check for yourself before you use these in your exam answers! These were written long ago, and I don't want to mislead anyone in case some of the information or references/quotes are wrong! :)


How does Fitzgerald tell the story in Chapter 2 of The Great Gatsby?

Fitzgerald has used a whole host of techniques have been used in the narrative of Chapter 2, such as symbolism, use of metaphors, the theme of difference in society and the introduction of new characters to the story. Also, the chapter explores the adept way in which Nick, the narrator goes about explaining Tom Buchanan and his physically driven behaviour, and how this affects his mistress at the end of the chapter.

Fitzgerald uses various metaphors at the very start of the chapter to portray the narrator’s mood and emotions at the time, such as ‘grey land’, ‘bleak dust’, ‘dimmed’, ‘paintless days’, ‘small foul river’ and ‘dismal scene’. Fitzgerald possibly uses this to reflect Nick’s mood in having to have lunch with Tom Buchanan. It portrays to the reader his dislike towards this character, or even indicating to the reader the unwanted meeting with Tom’s mistress, Myrtle Wilson. Fitzgerald perhaps uses this to interest the reader into questioning the reference to the weather and the setting at the start of the chapter in relation to Nick’s emotions and asks why does Nick feel so ‘grey’, ‘bleak’ and just generally pessimistic and negative towards this event as an introduction to Chapter 2, giving indication to the reader of the plot further on in the chapter.

Fitzgerald has once again attributed much importance to the difference in society in this chapter. The ‘Valley of Ashes’ comes across as a poor American settlement, sandwiched between New York and the two Eggs. Nick goes on to say, “Ashes take the form of houses and chimneys and rising smoke,” – this gives a picture of the real America to the reader. The pathetic state of George Wilson’s garage and his appearance convey the poverty in which the inhabitants of the Valley of Ashes lived in. Also, poor though they may be, their aspirations and desires are no less than that of an East or West Egger; given a chance, they can enjoy the life the rich are exposed to, as we see with Mrs Wilson. Her desperation to “fit in” and be one of the elite crowd reflects upon her actual life back in the garage.

Symbolism plays a major part in Chapter 2 of the story. The character of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg has been used by Fitzgerald as a medium to induce the feeling of being “watched upon” – almost as an authoritative person would do. “The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic; their retinas are one yard high. They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a non-existent nose.” His presence may not seem obvious at first, but he plays an extremely important role – he symbolises God, who is always looking upon his mortals and what they were doing.

Another matter of significance is how Fitzgerald tells the event of Tom Buchanan hitting Myrtle. It generates shock and surprise to the reader, as such behaviour from men is considering completely inacceptable on any occasion, let alone at a well-attended party. Nick narrates, ‘Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand.’ The sentence structure is short and more like a statement rather than a long explanative description. This adds effect to the narrative, as the length of the sentence matches the sudden and unprecedented impact it has on Myrtle. Fitzgerald manipulates the surprising action by making impact on the sharpness of the short description of this, contrasting to Fitzgerald’s other descriptions to events and settings which he tells to the reader in great amounts of detail with poetic and romantic language rather than this quite simple sentence, in order to contribute in creating a great impact of horror felt by the reader of this event.

A different technique the author uses to tell the story in this chapter is that Fitzgerald matches the events with the narration. With increase in the number of drinks Nick helps himself to; his narration ceases to make sense and turns confusing in his drunken stupor. ‘I was standing beside his bed and he was sitting up between the sheets clad in his underwear, with a great portfolio in his hands. ‘Beauty and the Beast...Loneliness...Old Grocery Horse...Brook ’n Bridge...’ Then I was lying half asleep in the cold lower level of the Pennsylvania Station, staring at the morning Tribune, and waiting for the four o’clock train’ this description is quite a unique way of narrating the story, it adds to the realism of Fitzgerald’s writing and Nick’s capability of reliable narration. The reader can clearly imagine Nick’s night in their head with the sleek and thought out technique of writing.