Nick Carraway's Diction In The Great Gatsby

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatspy, Fitzgerald uses a negative and formal diction. Although it may seem awkward at first, Fitzgerald uses it to represent the high social class in which the novel is set. As Arnold Rothstein explains, “The diction seems peculiar to the reader because of the formal tone which contrasts greatly with the sound of normal speech” (Rothstein). Through powerful word choice, Fitzgerald masterfully utilizes his morbid diction to express a negative tone. Nick Carraway, a friend of Jay Gatspy and the narrator, personifies Fitzgerald’s tone, and his outlook is revealed through this bold word choice. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald’s diction leaves a negative tone in all aspects of Nick Carraway’s journey, suggesting that a

Appearing multiple times in the novel, the “valley of ashes” represents the acrimony and poverty of New York in the 1920’s. Carraway describes this barren wasteland with words such as “grotesque” and “fantastic” (PAGE). By using the word grotesque, Fitzgerald portrays an ugly and distorted image of the contrasting world of lavish West Egg, and his tone is most prominently seen through this example. Shying from the masterful subtlety with which Fitzgerald employs his negative diction throughout the novel, “the valley of ashes” is given a simple yet effective description that harshly shows what Fitzgerald intends for the reader to understand. It is in Fitzgerald’s description of the “valley of ashes” that many differing opinions arise on Fitzgerald’s intentions. For example, as Charlie Crane