Setting in the Great Gatsby
The settings and backdrops in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, are essential elements to the formation of the characters, symbolic imagery and the overall plot development. Fitzgerald uses East and West Egg communities to portray two separate worlds and two classes of people that are technically the same their status, but fundamentally different in their ideals. The physical geography of the settings is representative of the distance between classes of the East and West Eggers. Every setting connotes a different tone and enhances the imagery of story line. From the wealthy class of the "eggs", the desolate "valley of ashes", to the chaos of Manhattan. The imagery provided by Fitzgerald becomes an important tool in establishing the characters and their story.The separation between the east and the west shows the division between the people who are from each side. Generally, the West Coast represents a more laissez-faire attitude and is seen as the "new" land or world. Many people have dreamt of "going west" in search of a new life or vast treasures in the "wild" lands. Fitzgerald associates these qualities of the West with the characters Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby, who live on the West Egg. On the other side o
The weather also plays a part in the overall setting and tone of the story. The scene of the city is presented in a confusing manner during hot weather. It is set as the stage for the confrontation of Gatsby with Tom. The hot weather and the atmosphere of the city often leads to a confrontation. In Tom's secret apartment that he shares with Myrtle, they host a party where Tom breaks Myrtle's nose. In the case of the confrontation of Tom to Gatsby, the weather is also hot. The weather plays the part of creating a physical manifestation of tension between everyone in the hotel room in the city scene. It hangs over the characters creating a daze and irritability in everyone. In other cases, the weather emulates the mood of the story. For instance, when Gatsby is standing outside in the rain with his hands in his pockets, Gatsby is depicted as a saddened figure. When he returns outside with Daisy, the sun comes out and the atmosphere is pleasant. Fitzgerald uses the weather and the seasons as a reflection of the story line and its current stage. The Great Gatsby starts out in the springtime, a time of new growth and beginning. The story takes place until the end of summer and beginning of autumn. As spring and summer pass by, steady improvements, it seems, are occurring in Nick and Gatsby's relationship. Gatsby's death is synonymous to the death in autumn. Falling leaves and dying shrubbery coincide with Gatsby's own death. The progression of the story is parallel to the changing of the seasons. The reflection of the tale can be seen through the weather and changing seasons. The physical settings establish the identities of the characters through their weal
Some common words found in the essay are:
Tom Gatsby, West Eggers, East Eggers, Nick Gatsby's, Nick Carraway, Myrtle George's, West Egg, East West, Georgian Colonial, George Wilson, valley ashes, east west, west egg, hot weather, west eggers, nick carraway, eggers money, seasons reflection, story line, social class,
Approximate Word count = 1134
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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