1.The story starts out by Nick Carraway who is one the main characters in the story narrating the life he lived when he met Jay Gatsby. Nick is the narrator throughout the whole story. The story takes place in New York City and mainly around where Gatsby and Nick lived in the West Wing in Long Island. The inciting incident is when Nick meets Gatsby for the first time at one of Gatsby's lavish parties he throws. Nick and Gatsby become friends instantly in a weird kind of way. The rising action happens when Gatsby and Daisy meet for the first time. Nick sets up the date for them after Gatsby's request that he wishes to meet Daisy again. Daisy and Gatsby rekindle a secret romance that only Nick knows about. The climax occurs when Tom, Daisy's husband finds out about the affair with Gatsby and the whole situation blows up and ends up with Myrtle, Toms mistress being killed by Daisy's reckless driving which Gatsby covered up for her. The falling action happens when Daisy starts drifting away from Gatsby and falling back towards Tom but Gatsby still tries to keep Daisy but all his efforts fall though because she feels guilty for having an affair with Gatsby and realizes she has loved Tom. The resolution is when George, Myrtle's husband kills Gatsby because he believes Gatsby to be the one to kill his wife, but really it was Daisy. Everybody who were supposedly "friends" with Gatsby didn't show up to his funeral. The one person that should've, Daisy, was leaving town with Tom and her daughter. The only person who has been there for Gatsby the whole time was Nick. Who never left his side and grew very close to Gatsby after he heard his real story about how he grew up. Nick was the only one with Gatsby's father and a few other people who attended his funeral. Nick was the only one who ever knew the truth about Gatsby and believed him to be the greatest and strongest man he ever knew.
2. The theme of the book is know the story to know the person. I mean "story" by someone being able to know the background and the truth about someone too actually know why they are the way they are. For instance Gatsby, nobody ever knew the truth about him besides Nick and that's why Nick saw him as the greatest man he knew. Daisy too she is portrayed as this sweet vulnerable woman who has many insecurities and never likes to address conflict. She tries to avoid being seen as a bad person and wants to please everyone but really shows her true colors and that all she ever really loved was her wealth and image.
3.Nick has a very cynical tone throughout the story. He reserves judgment on the characters, but still manages to criticize through his tone. In Chapter 1, when Nick is hanging out with the Buchanan's and Jordan for the first time, “I love to see you at my table, Nick. You remind me of a of a rose, an absolute rose. Doesn't he?” She turned to Miss Baker for confirmation "An absolute rose?” “This was untrue. I am not even faintly like a rose. She was only extemporizing, but a stirring warmth flowed from her, as if her heart was trying to come out to you concealed in one of those breathless, thrilling words.” Then suddenly she threw her napkin on the table and excused herself and went into the house.” Nick may be aware of the ridiculousness of certain social circumstances, but he's also aware of the seductive quality of the upper class. The tension between the two produces this cynical tone, where it's almost as though he's mocking himself for being taken in by it. “Untrue,” he says: "I am not even faintly like a rose." At the same time, he responds to her words, seeing them as “stirring” and “thrilling.”
4. Character foils: Daisy and Myrtle. Myrtle was more of a flapper, as a person in the working class that wore a variety of colors to show a sense of freedom. Daisy, on the other hand, was a person of the upper class, wearing white, to show her wealth. They both marry people related to their class, but try to look outside of it. Myrtle looked towards Tom, a person who had riches, while Daisy looked towards Gatsby, a person who worked for his wealth.
Foreshadowing: In Chapter 1, Gatsby was staring and stretching his arms out to the green light at the end of Daisy's dock. This foreshadows Gatsby's later meeting with Daisy.
Imagery: Chapter 5- "Gatsby, pale as death, with his hands plunged like weights in his coat pockets, was standing in a puddle of water glaring tragically into my eyes."
You can imagine seeing him standing hunched over with sad eyes.
Irony: Situational Irony in chapter 8, when Wilson kills Gatsby it is unexpected because you would expect Tom to kill him due to the fact that Gatsby was having an affair with Daisy.
Simile: In chapter 4 "With fenders spread like wings we scattered light through half Astoria..."
The fenders are being compared to spread out wings using the word like.
Metaphor: In chapter 3"...I went over to his lawn a little after seven, and wandered around rather ill at ease among swirls and eddies of people I didn't know..."The people were being compared to "swirls and eddies" without the use of "like" or "as".
Symbol: The "Green Light" at the end of Daisy's dock symbolizes Gatsby's dream for the future of him meeting Daisy again.
Characterization
1. Examples of direct characterization Tom and Nick. First Tom portrays himself as this character that's all high and mighty and gets what he wants which Fitzgerald tells the audience through his diction. Nick is more of a subtle person who has a good heart and sticks by Gatsby's side throughout the whole novel. He honest and believes that people should be given a second chance which shows through how Fitzgerald writes about him. Examples of indirect characterization are Daisy and Gatsby. On the outside you can't really figure out what is going on in their mind. Gatsby is a very secretive and quiet man who know what he wants but is timid to go after Daisy but starts to express himself more through his words and actions as the story progresses. Daisy is sweet and innocent and indecisive who thinks she wants one thing but believes she joule choose another and she has good intentions but horrible timing and judgement.
2. The authors diction and syntax does change as he focuses on each character. For example when he talks about Daisy his syntax become more fluid and his diction acts more innocent. If he talks about Myrtle it's harsher and short lived. For Gatsby and Nick their diction is more precise and the syntax is longer because they are two of the main characters and he chooses to give a lot of background and insight into their actions and thought processes.
3. The protagonist is dynamic. Nick starts out from being this quiet little guy not from the city who is coming into a new life and not knowing what to expect. To meeting different people who change life and lead his journey down a different and more bumpy path that he would've never expected. He would've never imagine becoming so close and living exactly next to Gatsby and Daisy who is his cousin being past lovers with him. So he was connected to many different people on many different ways and the people around him and the city started to mold him into a person that he never expected to become.
4. I came away feeling sad for Gatsby because I knew everything he went through. From remaking himself to the heartbreak all to live a better life and for a girl I love him back just as much as she loved him. One thing or symbol that connected to me was the green light. The book started with it and ended with it and was slightly mentioned in between. That was a sign of hope for Gatsby, his dream to love again and feel like he was whole. He shortly lived that dream with Daisy but that has his heart broken all over again but didn't know it because he was killed for a crime he didn't commit. Gatsby did get involved with a lot of wrong people and lied his way to the top but he did this for himself and the love of his life and he would've done anything to protect the people he cared about most. Nobody besides Nick and of course myself as the reader knew that Gatsby was really the strongest and most sane person in the book.
