How Is Imagery Used In The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is one of the greatest American Novels, due to its focus on the imperfections and reality of a society, both in the 1920's and today. It plays with the topics of social status, gender roles, wealth, and addiction. ¨The Great Gatsby tells the story of a self made man whose dream of success, personified in a rich beautiful young woman named Daisy, turns out to be a fantasy in every sense: Daisy belongs to a corrupt society, Gatsby corrupts himself in the quest for her, and above all, the rich have no intention of sharing their privileges¨( Baym, et al. "F. Scott Fitzgerald, Winter Dreams 2015). A quote from The Norton Anthology American Literature that describes the constant ups and downs throughout this book, along with a sense

This use of the literary device imagery allows for the reader to grasp a deeper understanding of the individual characters, an example of this is in chapter two, when Myrtle, Tom, Nick and some of their acquaintances are all gathered to drink, and party. Here is a quote that demonstrates a changing of a character while using imagery; ¨Mrs. Wilson had changed her costume sometime before and was now attired in an elaborate afternoon dress of cream-colored chiffon, which gave out a continual rustle as she swept about the room. With the influence of the dress, her personality had also undergone a change. The intense vitality that had been so remarkable in the garage was converted into impressive hauteur¨ (Fitzgerald 30). This quote uses imagery to describe how Mrs. Wilson, also known as Myrtle, an unlucky, poor woman has simply put on a front to be something she is not. Here she is surrounded by wealthy, high-class people and with the slip of a beautiful cream-colored chiffon dress, she has become one of them. Here Mrs. Wilson is hiding her true self by putting on a materialistic item and changing her personality to match the sophistication and class of her dress. In this quote Fitzgerald is using imagery to describe the change in a character, Myrtle. However, it also demonstrates a theme of false identity and pretending to be something one is not. Constantly throughout The Great Gatsby, multiple characters pretend to be something they are not, for example, Jay Gatsby. Throughout the book, no one knows who Gatsby is, or the truth of his life. Here in the novel he lies about his life, especially the negative, frowned upon parts of it, mostly where he came from. Jay Gatsby was not always a rich, wealthy man, with an extraordinary name that seems to flow off the tongue. But, he once was a poor boy, who came from a hard-working, yet poor family. However Gatsby never