In the passage on page sixty-one in chapter five of The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway is walking in New York City beginning to get used to the atmosphere of the city. Nick shows almost conflicting emotions in the passage, being excited by the busyness but almost relaxed by it as well. This provides a realistic approach to societies’ feelings toward their surroundings. Fitzgerald, by using unique choices of diction, imagery, and details, explores the complex and varying emotional responses that Nick has toward New York City. For a start, the diction in the passage has heavy contrast to display that Nick has different feelings toward the city. The author uses words such as “racy, adventurous, flicker, restless” to describe the city through Nick’s eyes. These words describe the excitement Nick has toward the city, showing how busy and full of never-ending work it is. A little afterwards however, Fitzgerald uses soothing words, particularly “fade, warm, walk” which imply a more peaceful outlook on the city. Nick, …show more content…
Nick speaks of the busy crowd racing around, never letting his eyes rest. The image of the busy crowd hustling about portrays one of Nick’s feelings of the city. He enjoys scanning the crowd and imagining that he is in certain people’s lives as they move from one place to the next. While walking in the city, Nick hears laughing and singing. These sounds of enjoyment make him want to join in with them and experience the same sensation. Ironically, Nick imagines being in a hurry with the other people, but in contrast to this, he also wishes to be partaking in the fellowship happening around him. Although being rushed does not seem very enjoyable, Nick wishes for it anyway. Carraway experiences multiple different sensations in the city, desiring both the relaxation that comes with spending time with others and the enthusiasm that comes with rushing to get to a