Once again this chapter sees the use of a lot of creative description and metaphorical language, such as the references to ashes in the first paragraph, and the mentions of 'T J Eckleberg', who is compared to Tom later on in the novel. Moreover, Sundays seem to be a key day in the novel, and the majority of this chapter seems to happen on a 'Summer Sunday afternoon'. Sunday is generally seen as a religious day, or a day to rest, so the fact that the people of New York use this day to party (and in Tom's case see his mistress) shows how they have no concept of religious days, and are very care free.
Once again there is a lot of emphasis on Tom's personality, and this chapter highlights how rude he is when Myrtle wants to buy the dog. Tom continually interrupts the salesman, often undermining what he has just said. The fact that none of this goes unnoticed by Nick also shows how observant he is, and how everything that is included, down to the small details, are important in the novel.
Nick sometimes seems to lose his grip on reality, and in this chapter it is made clear in the way that time keeps jumping backwards and forwards, and that only particular moments stand out to him, such as when Tom breaks Mrs Wilson's nose. This is written in a very blunt way: 'Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand', which is a significantly different style that Fitzgerald's usual descriptive sections. This may show how quickly the narrator feels it happened, and how blunt Tom was when doing it.
Finally, there is a lot of mention of 'Ashes' and how people were in a 'daze'. This may show how the people of New York are very insular, and their lives revolve around being social and going to parties, almost as if they are in limbo.
The moment of violence is summed up well. The idea of being in limbo is interesting and needs to be considered a bit more as you read on.
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