Oxford Royale's Use Of The Weather In The Great Gatsby

Writers often use weather to highlight important moods of their novels. Oxford Royale defines this use as a pathetic fallacy; “A literary device in which human emotions are attributed to aspects of nature, such as the weather” (Oxford Royale). Pathetic fallacies are often utilized in the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, to help highlight important scenes. Fitzgerald uses the weather to both reflect and emphasize the interactions between Gatsby and the other characters to help the reader further understand the mood of the situation.
In the novel before Gatsby and Daisy reunite at Nick’s house, it is raining. Gatsby is very anxious and he is unable to calm down. The rain can symbolize Gatsby’s inner torment with himself when it comes to him reconnecting with a married Daisy. The rain leaves him frantic and seemingly withdrawn from the real world. He ignores Nick’s comments and paces throughout the house as he waits for Daisy to …show more content…
On that day, Nick comments “The night had made a sharp difference in the weather and there was an autumn flavor in the air” (Fitzgerald 153). In Autumn, the leaves change color and die, making a parallel to Gatsby’s death. At this time in the novel, Gatsby wishes to go swimming in his pool for one last time even though there was an “Autumn flavor in the air”. He wishes to swim in his pool before it closes for the season despite the chill in the air; hoping to make one last attempt to stop time and restore his relationship with Daisy to the way it was before, since he expects her to call him at least one last time. The “sharp difference in the weather” shows the quick change in Gatsby’s relationship with Daisy. She no longer calls him as often as she used to, and now they have drifted apart. Unfortunately, Daisy never calls Gatsby, and Gatsby is eventually killed by Wilson, falling into his pool like the dying leaves of