the great gatsby

irony

Fitzgerald uses irony to show what Gatsby does in order to get Daisys attention. He does this because he wants his audience to understand the relationships between the characters in the novel. An example of irony in the novel is how gatsby throws such magnificent parties that include dancing, singing, and drinking just to get daisy's attention (Fitzgerald 41). The ironic part is that Gatsby just does this to show Daisy that he is very wealthy and has a mansion. Unfortunately the readers know that this is not what Daisy actually needs. Fitzgerald shows this type of irony to illustrate the love that Gatsby has for Daisy and his goal to achieve his American Dream. This makes the American Dream elusive because Daisy does not really accept Gatsby's love. Another way irony is used in The Great Gatsby is when Gatsby arranges a "date" with Daisy for the first time in five years (Fitzgerald 86). Gatsby wants to show Daisy how wealthy he is and how much he has achieved in those five years so she can come back to him. The irony is that Gatsby knows that he cannot be part of them because he was not born in wealth. This irony illustrates that Gatsby believes he can win Daisy over with money. In reality Daisy is looking for a man that has both wealth and social standing. Fitzgerald uses irony to display how ironic it is if Gatsby actually loves Daisy for who she is or does he just do it to impress someone.

flashback

Flashback is used throughout Fitzgerald's novel to provide background information about all the characters, especially Gatsby. Nick who is the narrator of this novel tells the reader's how gatsby fell in love with daisy and where they first met (Fitzgerald 148). Fitzgerald uses this device so the readers can know how everything actually came along. This is very important to know because gatsby and daisy are a big part of this novel. He uses flashback to prove that Gatsby did love Daisy from the beginning. Even though Daisy did love Gatsby, she chose wealth over love which was her American dream. In addition, flashback is also used by Fitzgerald at Gatsby's funeral. When nick is trying to get people to come to Gatsby's funeral he goes into a flashback "the third day that a telegram sign[s] Henry C. Gatz arrive[s] from a town in Minnesota...It was Gatsby's father" (Fitzgerald 175).This is used to help the reader know more about a certain character. Flashback helps understand Gatsby's constant pursuit his dreams. Even though Gatsby died at the end of this novel, till the end he kept trying to reach his goal of the American Dream.

setting

The different locations in the novel are evidenced through the use of setting. Setting is used to show all the different characters that are placed in these various different locations in the novel. Each location represents something. The Valley of Ashes represents poverty, where all the poor individuals live. East Egg represents "old" money which means individuals that have had money from many generations. West Egg represents "new" money or people who are new to wealth (Fitzgerald 14). This shows how Fitzgerald wants to set all the individuals is the story in many different places because he wants to illustrate to his readers how they are divided in each location. In addition, Fitzgerald also uses setting to provide an explanation to his readers that wealth is not the only thing that is needed in order to survive (Smith 2). The reason why Fitzgerald uses setting is to show that even if you live in a middle class, or a wealthy society you are able to put limitations not only on yourself but others as well. Gatsby who lives in West Egg and Daisy who lives in East Egg are both limiting themselves because of wealth. These limitations can be seen when Daisy tells gatsby her true feelings. When Gatsby tells Daisy to tell Tom that she never loved him, Daisy thinking of wealth says that gatsby doesn't have enough money to keep her happy. Fitzgerald uses setting to show how the characters are limiting others but also limiting themselves.

imagery

lastly, Imagery is used in many different ways in The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald uses colors to express the wealth of a character in the novel or certain clothes a individual wears in the novel (Fitzgerald 84). In the novel Gatsby wears a silver shirt and a gold tie which illustrates the color of money to show how wealthy he is. Fitzgerald also uses the mansion that Gatsby lives in to show how he's a really rich man but he also says that he is really lonely in that mansion. Fitzgerald shows the color of the dresses that the girls were wearing at Gatsby's party to be very important. The colors symbolize something. White symbolizes honesty, and, innocence. Yellow gold and brown indicate corruption. Blue represent a romantic bliss. Imagery is shown to illustrate the American Dream. Furthermore, imagery is also used in the setting of the novel as well. It is used to describe the Valley of Ashes. The Valley of Ashes is described by Nick as "a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges.....operations from your sight (Fitzgerald 23). This is used because Fitzgerald wants to create and illustration of all the different settings in the novel. Imagery is one of the most important devices Fitzgerald uses in this novel. It helps the reader create a better image of the characters such as Gatsby, Daisy and ,Tom's living style.

symbolism

symbolism is used throughout Fitzgerald's novel to show how each part of the novel is connected to the characters. The "green light at the end of Daisy's dock" (Fitzgerald 35) symbolizes Gatsby's dream and hopes. It is certainly the most important symbol in The Great Gatsby. It represents both dreams of American society and Gatsby's single-minded goal of winning Daisy's heart- His American dream. The green light is connected to Gatsby in so many ways. His dream is to get daisy back and his hope is to get daisy to start liking him again so they can start a new life together. But unfortunately that doesn't end up happening. Furthermore, the use of symbolism describes the different moods of the characters shown in the novel. The use of weather symbolizes the way such character feels that moment (Fitzgerald 95). When Daisy felt sad and wanted to cry the weather was rainy and dark. On the day of gatsby's funeral the weather was rainy, gloomy, and, dark. Fitzgerald wants to show how the weather is affected by each of the characters moods throughout the novel.

conclude

to conclude my presentation, what I have learned through reading this novel is that Gatsbys American Dream is the green light that is at the end of Daisy's dock. Where America was recognized as a land of opportunity with limitless possibilities, which could be gained by courage and hard work. Gatsby's dream is to repeat the past and reunite with Daisy. He wants Daisy to leave Tom and come with him. Basically he is forcing himself onto Daisy. Do you think the American Dream is really elusive? Well, unfortunately it was for Gatsby. The main points of the novel are that Gatsby's dreams are really powerful yet he never actually really ends up fulfilling them. Another main point is that Fitzgerald uses such devices to let the reader understand what he's trying to tell them.