Fitzgerald's Use Of Synesthesia In The Great Gatsby

Throughout the scene depicting Gatsby’s party, Fitzgerald uses various stylistic elements to showcase the legendary reputation of these lavish affairs and the influence they had on Gatsby’s many guests. Fitzgerald uses varied syntax of lengthy sentences which allows the reader to understand the complexity of the party itself. Fitzgerald also makes use of synesthesia to connect the readers’ senses with vivid imagery that recalls the night’s events. Through Nick’s perspective and Fitzgeralds detailed speech, the reader is able to get a good understanding of what the guests were feeling and experiencing in the moments as the party unfolded. All of these literary components work together to exhibit the overwhelming extent of the opulence that the

For instance, Fitzgerald features an illustration of the excess amount of food, which was needed in order to provide for the hundreds of guests, by saying, “ a fortnight of caterers came down” and “buffet tables, garnished with glistening hor d'oeuvres, spiced baked hams crowded against salads of harlequin designs.” Gatsby did not just provide his guests with any ordinary meal but with multiple elaborate courses. Along with the extensive amount of food, a generous amount of alcohol is also supplied to the guests. The vast descriptions of alcohol included everything from “stocks of gin and liquors” to “cocktails permeated the garden”. The alcohol’s strong presence within the passage is included

As Nick witnesses the beginning of the party Fitzgerald uses a personification of “the air is alive” to show the prevalent free spirit of gossip and laughter that was maintained by all of Gatsby’s guests. Nick was lost for words as the event unfolded. Fitzgerald therefore depicts the scene as a surreal experience for him as he sees all sense of reality becoming lost among the intoxicated guests. As the guests drink more heavily everything starts to be depicted differently as “the lights grow brighter” and “the opera of voices pitches a key higher.” The “yellow cocktail music” that is played is a form of synesthesia that Fitzgerald incorporates to explain the background music that added to the commotion of the people as the party began. Along with this music Fitzgerald says, “laughter is easier minute by minute spilled with prodigality, tipped out of a cheerful word” to show as the party reached full swing all inhibitions that the guests had once possessed were now let loose. As all restraints are released Fitzgerald compares the guests, through an extended metaphor, to an ocean tide saying they would become “the center of a group, and then, excited with triumph, glide on through the sea-change of faces and voices and color.” This is an example of a lengthy, complex sentence that