The Great Gatsby- midwest to east
In "Chapter 9" of The Great Gatsby, Nick decides to move back to the Midwest. Before he leaves, he sees Tom and asks him what he had told Wilson after Myrtle's death. Tom admits he told Wilson that Gatsby owned the yellow car which causes Wilson to shoot Gatsby and then himself. Nick comes to terms with Tom and Daisy when he realizes that they represent all that he feels disdain for. Fitzgerald uses diction and imagery in this scene to suggest that location shapes the behavior and the morals of his main characters that all have moved from the Mid-west to the East in order to express his own opinion of wealth and opportunity. Fitzgerald's imagery contrasts the nature of the East to the Midwest. The Midwest is a symbol of morality, conservatism, and pragmatism. Nick describes the west as a "winter night and the real snow, our snow, began to stretch out beside us and twinkle against the windows, and ... a sharp wild brace came suddenly into the air . . . We drew in deep breaths of it . . . unutterably aware of our identity with this country for one strange hour before we melted indistinguishably into it again. That's my middle-west" (184). Snow represents purity and integrity. Fitzgerald clarifies that in the Midwest one knows thei
r uniqueness and purpose in relation to America. The word "brace" represents a supportive and compassionate environment that is the Mid-west. In contrast, the East is a symbol of shallowness, carelessness and corruption. Fitzgerald describes the East as "night scene by El Greco: a hundred houses, at once conventional and grotesque, crouching under a sullen, overhanging sky and lusterless moon" (185). Fitzgerald's harsh description of the East portrays his opinion of it. He shows the hypocrisy of the East because it tries to appear conventional but it really is an unusual place. He uses morose images such as "lusterless moon," "sullen" sky and "grotesque" houses to show that the East has lost its appeal for Nick. Fitzgerald compares the East and the Mid-west to night and day. He favors the Mid-west by presenting images that represent serenity and honesty. He shows his disapproval of the East through his description of its repugnant and gloomy features. Fitzgerald's comparison of the East and West describes the real world implication of the changing generation of the 1920's. The twenties was considered a lost generation in both its values and its instability. This new generation signified all that was
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 815
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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