The Great Gatsby- Aspects of narrative

cover the aspects of narravtive for  A(a) question for the AQA paper!!! :)

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  • Created by: lydia
  • Created on: 16-04-14 10:59

Chapter one-

Pin the story down:

Voice:

  • Intradiagetic narrator, Nick- part of th stroy and tells it.
  • Retrospective: "in my younger and more vunerable years..."
  • he is "resevring jusdgements" coupled with Nick as an intradiagetic narrator makes him trustworthy. But, then makes a judgement "... a sense of fundemtantal decencies is parcelled out unequally at birth".

Character:

  • Tom- Nick is in awe of Tom.. "enorumus" but, suggest too much so thing is dangerous.
  • "cruel body"- suggest Tom can be violent- chapter 2 breaks Mertyles nose.
  • dominant character-  he stood "wtih his legs apart on the front porch".
  • Daisy- is "charming" relfects how in awe Gatsby later of her chapter 8 "her voice is full of money".
  • She is described to be "buoyed up as though upon an anchored balloon", she is full of nonsenses- " p..paralysied with happiness"- prentence of innocence.
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Chapter one- cont.

Setting:

  • Gatsbys house- symbol of Gatsby himself, we learn about him without actualy being introduced to his charcater- represents new money.
  • house is "new", a replic of the "Hotel de ville in Normandy"- reflects Gatsbys fake identity revealed in chapter...
  • Buchanan's house- represents aristocrates- "Georgian Colonial mansion" an orginal old American family, WASP, house is connected to land "...when it reached the house drifting up the side in bright vines".
  • Divison of classes relfected though desciprtions of houses "seperated only by courtsy bay".  This highlights that Gatsby will never fit in with the Buchanas and in chapter... Daisy will choose Tom not Gatsby.
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Chapter 3-

Pin the story down:

Fitzgerald uses chapter 3 of TGG to introduce Gatsby durring one of his famous parties and develop his illousive character.

Voice: contrast between Gatsbys voice and that of his party guests.

  • Women at the party are shallow "I never care what I do, so I always have a good time".
  • Guests arent trustworthy: "dont you know who we are"
  • Contrasts Gatsbys repetition of "old sport" reinforces his term of education at Oxfrod, reinforces illusion.  Also shows kindeness contradicting rumors from guests "nephew to Von Hindenburg". - guests dont know Gatsby.
  • Gatsby is using the partys and its guests as an ilussion to find Daisy- discovered later.
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Chapter three- cont.

Character: descriptions to reveal more about the characters.

  • Gastby, awe: he had a "rare smile with a quatlity of eternal reasurance in it".- potrays Gatsby and Nicks future relationship, very close, chapter nine one of the only guests at the funeral and re-introdcues Gatsby with Daisy.
  • Jordan, superfical "held (his) hand impersonaly", reflects her as a modern women, her character had to cheat to win. Also descibes her as "golden" her familes place in society and wealth, later chapter... tries to impress her aunt.

Setting: reveals more about Gatsbys character, house reflects Gatsbys facade:

  • outside of house "amusement park" linked to happiness but private places insdie like the libary are "gothic", suggest gloomy, reflects perosnality.
  • When party starts "bar is in full swing" but when the party is over ther is a "sudden emptiness" suggests Gatsbys isolation- isolated also at the end, premempts the unachiveable dream.

 

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Chapter four- cont.

Setting: uses setting to show how subverted and disjointed soicety is:

  • start of chpater follows Gatsby and Nicks journey into New york.
  • Nick: "anythting can happen now"- contarsts cultres of the "eggs", normal rules of society are chnage/ adapted e.g. "white chauffer" drives "three modish negros".
  • Reflects Tom's affiar with Mertyle, Gatsby money as a bootlegger (chapter 7 and 9), and the events of chapter 7.
  • Modern society of city contratdicts tradtional background of Buchanans, challange of power pushes forward events and pre-emept chapter 7.
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Chapter five

Pin the story down:

Fitgerlqad uses chapter five of TGG to reunite the characters of Gatsby and Daisy. Although there is an expected climax this isn't met and may pre-empt Gastby's dream wont live upto realtiy.

Voice: to develop a warning of events later in the novel.

  • Nick has to follow "sound of her voice for a moment" (Daisy).
  • Daisys voice: "enchanting ripple", enchanting and siren like.- Gatsby drawn into her enchanting nature- pre-empts chapter 7 chooses to stay with Tom.
  • Nick not engroussed in action like in chpt. 2: " the owl-eyed man break into laughter", ghostlyreference creates distance.
  • Warns the reader that something will change in chpt. 7- and Gatsbys dream wont live to expectations.
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Chapter five- cont.

Time and sequence: to develop Gatsbys character

  • Repetition of time:Gatsby frequently "looked at his watch", creates anticpipation for the arrival of Daisy. Closer to Daisys arrival the more stressed he becomes: "Nobody's coming to tea! Its too late!".
  •  Daisy's arrival- anti-climatic due to awkwardness.
  • Gatsby was "running down like a clock", obbssed wiht the past,  unable to move on.
  • Time moves on even when Gatsby breaks clock- "immedtate decline of the brewer".
  • Dangers of trying to repeate the past- pre-empts actions of chpt 7.

Setting: describe Gatsbys personality:

  • Gatsbys house specticle: "blazing with light..  f.rom tower to cellar".- materlaism and obbsession wiht the dream.
  • "afraid for a moment that (Nicks) house was on fire" due to lights from Gatsbys- light spreading from Gatsbys house like Gatsbys beliefs onto Nick.
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Chapter six

Pin down the story:

Fitzgerald uses chapter six of TGG to reveal Gatsby's life story and reveal his obssesion, focusing on the social differnces between Gatsby and Daisy which suggests that they are not compatible.

Voice: uses narrative of Nick to finaly reveal Gatsbys true life story.

  • "James Gatz" has transformed himself- has a "platonic conception of himself"- he belives his is superior to everyone else.
  • Gatsby hailed as the "son of God"- Nicks elivated view of Gatsby and forshadow Gatsbys death- Jesus sacfired for humans, Gatsby for Daisy to cover for her actions in chpt. 7.
  • Truth revelad in chpt. 6, acts as warning pre-empting Gatsbys death.
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Chapter six- cont.

Time and sequence: to warn the reader of Gatsby's death.

  • Arrive at party in "twilight", danger and mystery.
  • Gatsby and Daisy kiss in the prefect past tense: "He knew that when he kissed this girl..."- belongs to the nostalgic past- rleationship wont last pre-empts sepeartion in chpt.7.
  • Nick might not be reliable as he is only recountign the events.
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Chapter seven

Pin the story down:

Fitzgerlad uses chapter seven of TGG to reveal the affiar between Daisy and Gatsby leading to a confronation with Tom, beginging Gatsbys downfall, and building to the car crash at the end of the chapter.

Voice: concludes to Gatsbys inevitable decline.

  • Jordan pre-empts Gatsbys death in chpater 8 : "life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall"- he will never fit in with Daisys class or ever have her.
  • Gatsbys descbes Daisys voice as "full of money"- his attarction for her- his dream is empty as he will never have her.
  • Gatsbys dream is empty, through Daisys empty phrases: "we'd better telephone for an axe"- empty Gatsby willl be disppointed with his dream at the end of the chapter Daisy chooses Tom, a symbol of strength (uses imperavties "you two").
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Chapter seven- cont.

Settings: helps to build to the climax at the end of the chapter and prempet the downfall of the characters.

  • juts before "fall", "amost the last... day of summer". - nature about to die like Gatsbys dream and him at the end of chapter 7.
  • "broiling" hot, tnesions build people are "impatent" and irriatble., vcausig the confrantion in the hotel.
  • Mertyle dies in the Valley of the Ashes- died because of infideltty "her left breats was swingin loose like a flap".- gtabsy will die because of his chace for his dream.
  • The accident caused "mingled her thick drk blood with the dust".- unable to escape her fate or achive her dream of moving in the social order- pre-empts Gatsbys failure chpt 8.

Character: change in character of Nick.

  • Chooses to stand "outside" from the Buchanans house at the end of  the chapter is disguseted with their actions( aciotns of the upper class) later expressed in reimaining chapters. Nolonger engroused in actions like in choater 2 and at Gatsbys parties.
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