Lecture notes
The Great Gatsby-Chapter 4
- Institution
- CCEA
This is a comprehensive linguistic analysis of Chapter 4 of the Great Gatsby
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The Great Gatsby: CHAPTER 4- There is a contrast between the outside world “church bells” and the world inside Gatsby’s
house, “the world and its mistress returned to Gatsby’s house”
- There are various rumours that surround Gatsby and his wealth, “One time he killed a man”
- Fitzgerald criticises society, “Those who accept Gatsby’s hospitality and paid him the subtle
tribute of knowing nothing whatever about him.” The guests at Gatsby’s party happily
accept his hospitality yet do not care to know the truth about him
- The excessively protracted list emphasises the proliferation of the guests at Gatsby’s parties.
The sense of largeness of the party contrasts with the lack of attendance at Gatsby’s funeral
at the end of the novel.
- The satirical names of the guests evoke the loose morals and the various forms of careless
behaviours that existed at the time. For example, “Blackbuck” suggests money acquired
through ill-gotten gains
- The list of names connotes the celebrity society of the time. Fitzgerald himself was familiar
with the celebrity culture of West Egg
- Exaggeratingly satirical names- satire works through exaggeration
- Despite the fact that, “All these people came to Gatsby’s house in the summer” by the
Autumn, Gatsby is deserted and isolated
- There is a sense of Nick’s relationship with Gatsby developing, “I had gone to two of his
parties, mounted his hydroplane and at his urgent invitation, made frequent use of his
beach.”
- However, Nick is also a pawn for Gatsby, “You’re having lunch with me today” and is told
what to do (similar to Tom)
- There is a sense that despite his material wealth, Gatsby is not content with his present life,
“He was never quite still”
- The description of Gatsby’s car is exaggerated to excess, “a rich cream colour, bright with
nickel, swollen here and there in its monstrous length with triumphant hat boxes and super-
boxes and toolboxes.” The car was relatively new technology in the 1920s. It was a status
symbol and a signifier of work. However, in the novel it also acts as an agent of death
- Nick is initially disappointed that behind Gatsby’s veneer there is nothing, “found to my
disappointment, that he had little to say.”
- Gatsby, through the device of Nick, seeks to give his version of himself, “I don’t want you to
get a wrong idea of me from all the stories you hear.” Nick relates Gatsby’s version of
himself but it is controlled by him a narrator (multi-layered narration)
- There is irony when Gatsby says “I’ll tell you God’s truth”
- Gatsby unwillingly exposes a flaw in his story when he gives a detail in his story that is
geographically incorrect, “What part of the Middle West...San Francisco.” The truth and
veracity of Gatsby’s story is called into question.
- Gatsby portrays and exaggeratingly Romantic version of his past, “After that I lived like a
young rajah in all the capitals of Europe.” It is so exaggerated that Nick almost laughs at this
version “I managed to restrain my incredulous laughter”
- The war levelled class barriers as the war allowed for equality of opportunity. This is an
autobiographical detail as the war allowed Fitzgerald to meet Zelda.
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