Diction In The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, “You don’t write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say.” Fitzgerald had something great to reveal to his readers in The Great Gatsby. To give some background, the novel is about a man, Nick, who is on the outside peering into the extravagant lifestyle of the terribly wealthy. His neighbor and valuable friend, Gatsby, has persistently worked for the past few years to become acquainted with Daisy once more after he woefully departed from her to battle in the war. In the influential bestseller, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald has something to say and he uses effective diction, symbolism, and characterization to convey his idea that Americans must ceaselessly work towards living

For example, Nick narrates, “gradually I became aware of the old island here that flowered once for Dutch sailors’ eyes- a fresh, green breast of the new world.”(189) Symbolism is demonstrated in the color green, representing ambition and greed. Here, the color expresses the hope and aspiration that it took for the Dutch to fulfill their American Dream. Earlier in the text, green is also incorporated through the light at the edge of Daisy’s dock on the opposite side of the sound from Gatsby’s house. To Gatsby, the light represents his substantial dream of possessing Daisy’s love. It represents how nearby he is to her. Jay Gatsby slaved for five years to flaunt his wealth in hope to be reacquainted with the woman of his dreams. After Gatsby and Daisy reunite with Nick’s help, Nick states, “Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it had seemed very near to her, almost touching her. It had seemed as close as a star to the moon. Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one.” Nick indicates the green light was formerly the only way Gatsby could remain close to Daisy, but now that they are reunited with each other, nothing is restraining Gatsby from striving to acquire her heart again. Gatsby no longer covets the reminder that Daisy is close because he has her back. The green light

On page 139, Gatsby says, “Just tell him the truth- that you never loved him….” Gatsby already has Daisy’s heart. That is all he has cherished ever since he laid his eyes on her for the first time, but now he demands that Daisy confess to Tom, her husband, that she never loved him. When Daisy confesses this to Tom, he starts to ask her, “‘Not at Kapiolani?’... ‘Not that day I carried you down from the Punch Bowl to keep your shoes dry?’... ‘Daisy?’” Daisy begins to choke up at the precious memories Tom brings up. She eventually cries to Gatsby, “‘Oh, you want too much!’... ‘I love you now- isn’t that enough? I can’t help what’s past.’... ‘I did love him once- but I loved you too.’” Daisy realized that she could not adhere to Gatsby’s expectations because they were too extreme. Gatsby then questions her, “You loved me too?” as if Daisy just extinguished his dream. Gatsby does not comprehend that he is asking too much of