The Great Gatsby Analysis

Diction: In the Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald utilizes a heavily elegant and sometimes superfluous diction which reflects the high class society that the reader is introduced to within the novel. The speaker Nick Carraway talks directly to the reader. The diction is extensively formal throughout the novel using high blown language the borders on being bombastic. An example of this formal language is seen when Nick states,"The truth was that Jay Gatsby, of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God—a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that—and he must be about His Father's business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty." The words "platonic" and "meretricious" elucidate a sense of the education of the speaker it also has a tone of almost superiority. The diction seems peculiar to the reader because of the formal tone which contrasts greatly with the sound of normal speech. Color and light imagery saturate the entire novel allowing the reader to see things in a new light or draw conclusions through different connotative innuendos. Irony is also observed through the use of this opulent diction because it contrasts with the character of Gatsby. Before Gatsby got into "business" he was a normal middle class man and he will always be that man no matter how many material objects he obtains. The language used in this novel reflects the speakers social class very clearly and the reader can see that most of the characters are part of the higher levels on the social ladder. There are also a few references to religious association scattered throught he book with characters such as the eyes of Dr. Eckleberg and the valley of ashes. Most of the novel is long and flowing with a euphonous rhythm. Fitzgerald uses much poetic language literary devices in this book making some sections sound profound.

Syntax: In the Great Gatsby, the narration by Nick Carraway predominantly uses complex and