Daisy's Use Of Heat In The Great Gatsby
Heat can be described as the increase in temperature until it becomes intolerable or unbearable. In literature, many authors use heat as a symbolic device to represent elements such as love, confusion and anger. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald also uses the sweltering heat to enhance the mood and setting of the novel. The novel starts in spring but the climax occurs during the hottest days of the summer. In this essay, I will attempt to show that Fitzgerald effectively uses heat to show the passion between Daisy and Gatsby, the increasing tension between Gatsby and Tom and the difference between the wealthy and the poor classes. The sweltering heat represents the love and passion between Gatsby and Daisy. In chapter five, Nick secretly arranges
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In chapter seven, there is a built up of tension and conflict between Gatsby and Tom as Tom slowly realises that there is something going on between Gatsby and Daisy. The building up of tension can also be related to the building up of heat, as the temperature becomes hotter in the afternoon. The whole build-up eventually culminates in a confrontation between Tom and Gatsby. Gatsby tells Tom that Daisy never loved him and she is going to leave him. On the other hand, Tom fights back by revealing that Gatsby is a bootlegger. At the end of the confrontation, Tom is victorious, as he knows that Daisy will never see a criminal. Meanwhile, in the Valley of Ashes, a similar situation takes place. George Wilson, who loves his wife deeply, finds out that she is having an affair behind his back. He locks her in the attic in order to prevent her from escaping. This shows readers that George is very angry because he used to listen to everything that Myrtle says and obeys all her orders. The dramatic change in George’s personality can also be related to the change in the weather; the transition from spring to summer. Myrtle, on the other hand, does not give in easily; she breaks down the attic door and runs out of the house while calling George a coward. This sudden burst of anger might also be due to the sweltering heat that must have built up in the attic. Therefore, Tom and Gatsby’s confrontations as well as George ad Myrtle’s argument show that the sweltering heat fuels the anger in all the
In chapter seven, there is a built up of tension and conflict between Gatsby and Tom as Tom slowly realises that there is something going on between Gatsby and Daisy. The building up of tension can also be related to the building up of heat, as the temperature becomes hotter in the afternoon. The whole build-up eventually culminates in a confrontation between Tom and Gatsby. Gatsby tells Tom that Daisy never loved him and she is going to leave him. On the other hand, Tom fights back by revealing that Gatsby is a bootlegger. At the end of the confrontation, Tom is victorious, as he knows that Daisy will never see a criminal. Meanwhile, in the Valley of Ashes, a similar situation takes place. George Wilson, who loves his wife deeply, finds out that she is having an affair behind his back. He locks her in the attic in order to prevent her from escaping. This shows readers that George is very angry because he used to listen to everything that Myrtle says and obeys all her orders. The dramatic change in George’s personality can also be related to the change in the weather; the transition from spring to summer. Myrtle, on the other hand, does not give in easily; she breaks down the attic door and runs out of the house while calling George a coward. This sudden burst of anger might also be due to the sweltering heat that must have built up in the attic. Therefore, Tom and Gatsby’s confrontations as well as George ad Myrtle’s argument show that the sweltering heat fuels the anger in all the