How Far Does Fitzgerald Allow Us to Sympathise with Gatsby?
How far does Fitzgerald allow us to sympathise with Gatsby?
Throughout the novel Fitzgerald allows our sympathy to increase as Gatsby’s dream of Daisy falls apart. I will be looking at and analysing the techniques used by Fitzgerald to allow us to sympathise with Gatsby.
Even from the very beginning of the book on pg56, the reader begins to sympathise with Gatsby when he is described as isolated in society: “...with complete isolation the figure of the host, who stood on the porch, his hand up in a formal gesture of farewell.”
Nick, the narrator, states that Gatsby stands in “complete isolation” even when surrounded by his extravagant guests. “Isolation” shows that Gatsby is detached from everyone else due to his inability to socialise and the reader begins to realise that he is in fact alone and isolated even though he is so ‘great’. It is also shown on pg51 that Gatsby is completely unattached from anyone: “...no one swooned backward on Gatsby and no French bob touched Gatsby’s shoulder...”
The use of two negatives emphasises the fact that Gatsby is unaccompanied, even at his own party. Fitzgerald allows us to sympathise because to the reader it seems as though Gatsby has no romantic interest.
In chapter4, pg76, Fitzgerald allows us to sympathise with Gatsby when Jordan relays to Nick Gatsby’s proposal: “He wants to know... if you’ll invite Daisy to your house some afternoon and then let him come over.”
We can sympathise with Gatsby because we can tell that he’s thought about it a lot because “let him come over” shows that he does not want Daisy to see that it has been arranged and he wants it to seem like a coincidence. The reader could also sympathise with him because it could be seen that Gatsby’s so worried and scared to talk to Daisy without reason and he is scared to ask Nick himself to organise the meeting so he has to go through Jordan, who seems to be the only person Gatsby can trust. However, some might argue that he takes the coward’s way
Throughout the novel Fitzgerald allows our sympathy to increase as Gatsby’s dream of Daisy falls apart. I will be looking at and analysing the techniques used by Fitzgerald to allow us to sympathise with Gatsby.
Even from the very beginning of the book on pg56, the reader begins to sympathise with Gatsby when he is described as isolated in society: “...with complete isolation the figure of the host, who stood on the porch, his hand up in a formal gesture of farewell.”
Nick, the narrator, states that Gatsby stands in “complete isolation” even when surrounded by his extravagant guests. “Isolation” shows that Gatsby is detached from everyone else due to his inability to socialise and the reader begins to realise that he is in fact alone and isolated even though he is so ‘great’. It is also shown on pg51 that Gatsby is completely unattached from anyone: “...no one swooned backward on Gatsby and no French bob touched Gatsby’s shoulder...”
The use of two negatives emphasises the fact that Gatsby is unaccompanied, even at his own party. Fitzgerald allows us to sympathise because to the reader it seems as though Gatsby has no romantic interest.
In chapter4, pg76, Fitzgerald allows us to sympathise with Gatsby when Jordan relays to Nick Gatsby’s proposal: “He wants to know... if you’ll invite Daisy to your house some afternoon and then let him come over.”
We can sympathise with Gatsby because we can tell that he’s thought about it a lot because “let him come over” shows that he does not want Daisy to see that it has been arranged and he wants it to seem like a coincidence. The reader could also sympathise with him because it could be seen that Gatsby’s so worried and scared to talk to Daisy without reason and he is scared to ask Nick himself to organise the meeting so he has to go through Jordan, who seems to be the only person Gatsby can trust. However, some might argue that he takes the coward’s way