Blog Topic #2: Diction
Throughout
the novel, The Great Gatsby,
Fitzgerald incorporates a surplus amount of witty word choice to slyly express his cynical
tone toward the problematic mindset of America at the time. When speaking to
Nick and Jordan about her infant daughter, Daisy tells them that she hopes
"she'll [Daisy's daughter] be a fool" (17). A "fool" is
someone who acts unwisely and imprudently. For Daisy to wish for her daughter
to become a "fool," it shows how the women's ideal values have
changed drastically, from docility and loyalty to frivolousness and
pleasure-seeking. This supports the author's cynical tone because it reveals
how the women's morals and ethics of the time have completely flipped 180
degrees, from being well-educated to being a "fool" - something that
will only degrade America's integrity and morality.
When
describing the area between West Egg and New York, Nick relates it to "a
valley of ashes" (23). Fitzgerald decides to incorporate the term,
"ashes," to give the reader a sense that although America at the time
was so prosperous and progressive,
impediments and obstructions were still present. During the time the novel was
written, a "boom" in economics and living conditions took place; but,
by describing the area between two cities as "a valley of ashes," the
author implies that this "boom" has ended and foreshadows that failure
in America will come.
While taking
a look at Wilson's garage, Nick illustrates him as "spiritless" and
"anemic"(25). This specific choice of words describing Wilson's
dispassionate feelings even with all his wealth supports the fact that money
cannot buy happiness; since the terms "spiritless" and
"anemic" denote something as lacking a certain value. These
"spiritless" emotions were not only felt by Wilson, but by a majority
of Americans as well, which goes onto show that the "American Dream"
truly is not the kind of dream we want to be in.
When Fitzgerald describes the wasteland between West Egg and New York, he titles it, “the valley of ashes.” Your insight on the foreshadowing of the Great Depression yet to come to a currently “booming” America is immensely laudable. Personally, I interpreted it as the consequence of American growth in cities and such, thus transforming a once tranquil, luscious, lively, green valley into a dumpster of American waste. However, I believe your analysis is thorough and original, and is an intelligent extension to my own. The decay of the valley may be foreshadowing or is a mirrored image of the decadence of American society yet to come.
ReplyDeleteI found the Fitzgerald's word choice to be an interesting addition to the plot in Great Gatsby. Just as Biblical names contain symbolic meaning, the "Valley of Ashes" present in the novel portrays a stark contrast to the wealth present in the Eggs. The trendy names of "West Egg" and "East Egg" are juxtaposed by this "Valley of Ashes". I feel that the author's purpose naming this area in such a dreadful manner evokes Biblical parallels to the "Valley of Death" or the "Valley of the Dry Bones" present in the Old Testament. As a symbol, this "Valley of Ashes" may portray the moral decadence felt during the 1920's, as the American Dream leads to American Greed.
ReplyDelete-Andrew Wickes