Rhetorical Analysis Of The Great Gatsby

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An author’s style one of the most distinguishing characteristics of any novel, it is what makes an exceptional book stand out above the rest. F. Scott Fitzgerald has a very unique and developed style that is easily recognizable by anyone that is familiar with his writing. In his book, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald utilizes extensive description, denotative language, as well as powerful choices in diction in order to convey the story of Mr. Gatsby and his quest to win over Daisy from Tom Buchanan. Throughout this passage, as well as the rest of the book, Fitzgerald structures the passage in such a way that mirrors the thought process of Nick Carraway, presenting one idea, but then interjecting a side thought. An example of this is when Nick is …show more content…

Nick Carraway is aware of how ridiculous many of the social norms in the upper class are, but Nick simultaneously cannot help being seduced by the extravagant life of the upper class. This is the type of feeling Nick has towards Jordan Baker, as he reveals that “At first I was flattered to go places with her, because she was a golf champion and everybody knew her name.” (p. 57) Nick’s, and by extension Fitzgerald’s, tone provides a window into Nick’s dilemma about the true nature of a person’s life in the upper class. Nick’s impartial nature, his continual reservation of judgement, creates a tone in which the reader can nearly forget that the story is from a first person point of view. This character trait of Nick’s ensures that many people tell him their stories, and he is around to witness these stories unfold. This is a stroke of genius on Fitzgerald’s part, as he has created a character whose purpose in the the story is to narrate the story. Nick Carraway could be completely removed from The Great Gatsby with little alteration to the plot of the story, but Fitzgerald chose to include him as the narrator that occasionally contributes his opinion, but for the most part just recounts the story of Jay …show more content…

In this particular passage alone, there are two sentences that are nearly 50 words in length, and yet there are others that have only four or five words. It is a literary feat that Fitzgerald can write sentences that are so lengthy and simultaneously pull the reader along through the story with minimal confusion. Fitzgerald manages this through his use of commas and dashes that separate the many ideas in the sentence. Such is the case in this sentence, where Nick is speculating about Jordan Baker’s deceptive