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The Great Gatsby- Chapter 8
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This is a comprehensive linguistic analysis of Chapter 8 of the Great Gatsby
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The Great Gatsby: Chapter 8- Throughout this chapter we see Nick’s allegiance to Gatsby. Although Gatsby was guilty of
having an affair with a married woman, he was also a victim of Daisy and Tom’s moral
carelessness. Gatsby’s aspirational idealism and adherence to the pursuit of his dream is a
redeeming quality in Nick’s eyes.
- Through the use of the sickness imagery, “I tossed half sick” there is a prophetic sense that
the level of decadence and moral carelessness that characterised the age cannot continue
- There is a suggestion that Gatsby’s dream is ending, “savage, frightening dream.” Gatsby’s
death is inevitable following the waning of his dream
- The assonance, “dust everywhere and the rooms were musty” emphasises the decay and
death of the dream. The decline of Gatsby’s house symbolises the decline of the dream
- The imagery, “Jay Gatsby’ had broken up like glass against Tom’s hard malice” suggests the
ultimate fragility of the dream against the realness and power of the established wealth
- The reader is given an insight into the pre-history of Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship
- The fact that Gatsby is not simply seduced by Daisy, “he had never been in such a beautiful
house” tarnishes / debases the ideal quality of the dream
- The mercantile imagery, “it increased her value in his eyes” suggests that the dream of Daisy
is intrinsically bound up with her wealth
- The evocative paradox, “took her because he had no real right to touch her hand” suggests
the social structure of the time- there was little social mobility and society was rigid,
hierarchical and static
- The Arthurian language, “following of a grail” suggests that the dream almost became a
religious pursuit- Daisy to Gatsby was both precious and unattainable
- The marital imagery, “He felt married to her” emphasises the contrast between Gatsby’s
dedication to Daisy and casual nature of Daisy’s affair with Gatsby
- Daisy is associated with metals, “gleaming like silver.” This is evocative of her wealth and
power
- The insincere affectation of Gatsby’s speech, “I can’t describe to you how surprised I was to
find out I loved her, old sport” contrasts with Nick’s perspective as narrator which extols
Gatsby’s story with poetic and Romantic eloquence
- The altruism of Gatsby in the war, “He did extraordinarily well in the war” elevates
sympathy for Gatsby (Gatsby as a hero) It also gives veracity to his version of the past
- The fickleness of Daisy is emphasise, “She was feeling the pressure of the outside world”
- The metallic details, “a hundred pairs of golden and silver slippers” suggests the affluent
world of money in which she operates and the elegant refinement of Daisy’s world
- The verbal patterning, “half and dozen dates a day with half a dozen men” emphasises the
fickleness of Daisy. This contrasts with the constant steadiness of Gatsby
- The selfishness of the wealthy is emphasised, “She wanted her life shaped now,
immediately.”
- The evocative list of 3, “of love, of money, of unquestionable practicality” emphasises her
motivation for her marriage to Tom
- Gatsby’s poignant but pointless pilgrimage back to Daisy’s house implies the aimlessness of
the lost generation after the war
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