- Imagery
- Voice
- Time
- Dialogue and characterisation
Imagery: The main image that sticks in my head from that chapter is the 'high gothic library' where Nick runs into Owl Eyes, the drunk gentleman using the library as a place to sober up. The ideas of 'carved english oak' and 'transported complete from some ruin overseas' not only creates a vivid image of Nick's surroundings, but also gives us an idea of Gatsby as a person, showing how eccentric he is, and how he enjoys the material things in life. We also get colours and sounds implied throughout the chapter, for example, I get the idea of deep purple/blue colours, and the sound of the Charleston covered my muffled voices and the clink of glasses.
Voice: Nick observes every little detail, and everything that is included in the narration seems to be of importance to the novel. For example, meeting Owl Eyes in the library, this may not seem to be of any benefit to the story, however he's involved in the car crash when leaving the party, and cars seem to be a key element of the book. The fact that Nick observes everything also shows his alienation, and how he doesn't seem to fit in with the people at the party. The quote 'I am one of the few honest people I've ever met' shows how he feels like he can't trust anybody.
Time: Due to Nick being very drunk at the party, the time jumps around a lot, hours just seem to disappear, and before we know it half of the party has passed by. This may be because Nick sees everyone and everything at the party as the same (showing how fake he feels they are), so only pays attention to the events that stick out to him as strange.
Dialogue and characterisation: The dialogue between characters is very materialistic, and mainly based on rumours about the party's host - Gatsby, who is nowhere to be seen for the majority of the chapter. This dialogue shows how fake, yet eccentric the people who go to these parties are.
Very good comments. Good on details to support character analysis.
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