Famous author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, in these passages from his novel, The Great Gatsby, contrasts the qualities of Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan. Fitzgerald’s purpose is to illustrate the differences between the two men. He employs diction, imagery, and details to portray the contrast in the characters of Gatsby and Buchanan.
Fitzgerald’s use of connotative diction while describing Gatsby and Buchanan emphasizes their differing personalities. When introducing Gatsby, words such as “gorgeous” and “extraordinary” are used, while “arrogant” and “supercilious” are used in reference to Buchanan. Each of these words depict how success has had a positive effect on Gatsby’s personality, but a negative effect on Buchanan. Gatsby is characterized by the use of words such as “hope” and “romantic”; however, the words “power” and “dominance” are used to describe Buchanan. These words give a compassionate outlook on Gatsby and a cold depiction of Buchanan. The diction used illustrates Gatsby as a humble and soft-hearted man, while Buchanan is described as pretentious and egotistical.
Through his use of imagery, Fitzgerald characterizes the unique attributes of these two men in the novel.
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Fitzgerald states that Gatsby contains “an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness,” but provides insignificant details of Buchanan, such as his “rather hard mouth.” This establishes a greater level of importance and substance in Gatsby's character than Tom’s. Gatsby is said to have a “heightened sensitivity to the promises of life” and Buchanan is described as simply “establish[ing] dominance.” With these phrases, Gatsby is seen as sentimental, while Buchanan is emotionless. The emotional image of Gatsby and the detached image of Tom are further supported by the details included by Fitzgerald in these