Anlaysis of Ominous Signs in the Great Gatsby
‘Analysis of Ominous signs and symbols in the Chapter 8’
Chapter Eight presents the time before Gatsby death. During this chapter, Fitzgerald uses various ominous symbols to form warnings in the reader’s mind that something a tragedy will occur. The events at the start of the chapter occur at night which seems to be a very mysterious setting for the start of the chapter. Especially when the reader learns of how Nick ‘couldn’t sleep’. Fitzgerald then uses sound to add to the uncomfort by referring to the sound of the fog horn as ‘groaning’. This adjective creates the image of a person in pain or close to death dying. This is a very ominous sign regarding the death of Gatsby. Nick is ‘half-sick between grotesque reality and savage, frightening dreams.’ This line describes how Nick can no longer find a place of peace in his dreams of in reality. This shows the reader that something seems to be troubling Nick. A few lines after the readers suspicions are confirmed when Nick feels ‘that I had something to tell him, something to warn him about’. Through out this paragraph, the pace is very slow and this creates a contrast to when Nick ‘jumped out of bed’. He feels obliged to ‘immediately’ warn him. This sense of urgency is seems to be an ominous sign as Nick knows that something is going to happen very soon. This is confirmed later on in the chapter when Nick says ‘I didn’t want to leave Gatsby’. When Nick meets Gatsby, he is ‘leaning…heavy with dejection or sleep’. It is clear that Gatsby has had a similar night to Nick. The upright posture and finesse he has had in many of the other chapters has disappeared and he seems to have withered. This is another ominous sign as this description of Gatsby shows that the hope that Gatsby always seemed to hold onto has slowly been diminished. Gatsby re-tells the events of last night after nick had left and says ‘she came to the window…and then turned out the light’. This is another ominous sign as it seems as if because of
Chapter Eight presents the time before Gatsby death. During this chapter, Fitzgerald uses various ominous symbols to form warnings in the reader’s mind that something a tragedy will occur. The events at the start of the chapter occur at night which seems to be a very mysterious setting for the start of the chapter. Especially when the reader learns of how Nick ‘couldn’t sleep’. Fitzgerald then uses sound to add to the uncomfort by referring to the sound of the fog horn as ‘groaning’. This adjective creates the image of a person in pain or close to death dying. This is a very ominous sign regarding the death of Gatsby. Nick is ‘half-sick between grotesque reality and savage, frightening dreams.’ This line describes how Nick can no longer find a place of peace in his dreams of in reality. This shows the reader that something seems to be troubling Nick. A few lines after the readers suspicions are confirmed when Nick feels ‘that I had something to tell him, something to warn him about’. Through out this paragraph, the pace is very slow and this creates a contrast to when Nick ‘jumped out of bed’. He feels obliged to ‘immediately’ warn him. This sense of urgency is seems to be an ominous sign as Nick knows that something is going to happen very soon. This is confirmed later on in the chapter when Nick says ‘I didn’t want to leave Gatsby’. When Nick meets Gatsby, he is ‘leaning…heavy with dejection or sleep’. It is clear that Gatsby has had a similar night to Nick. The upright posture and finesse he has had in many of the other chapters has disappeared and he seems to have withered. This is another ominous sign as this description of Gatsby shows that the hope that Gatsby always seemed to hold onto has slowly been diminished. Gatsby re-tells the events of last night after nick had left and says ‘she came to the window…and then turned out the light’. This is another ominous sign as it seems as if because of