Imagery In The Great Gatsby

Imagery is a vital component to any successful and popular literary work. By using his imagistic style, Fitzgerald brought the setting of The Great Gatsby to life. This descriptive language not only brought the novel to life, but also helped establish certain motifs in key points of the story. The diction that Fitzgerald applies allows the reader to mentally reach a new level of understanding of The Great Gatsby. When combined, these techniques allow Fitzgerald to explore and convey different atmospheres, different societies, and different worlds. At the beginning of the novel, Nick is exposed to a sense of wonder when he visits the Buchanan’s palace for the first time. It is otherworldly, alluring, and sensual. The front of the house is …show more content…
These patterns can still be seen in modern society, but they were especially apparent during the 1920s. In Tom’s world of old money, daily life is marred by a strict set of expectations. The Buchanans rest assured in the fact that their money is secure and established. They live a padded lifestyle and do not need to worry about their future. The people associated with old money are considered elegant and the epitome of classiness. This group is upheld to prim and proper social standards that dominates every public decision made. However, Daisy and Tom are classic examples of the hypocrisy present in East Egg, the community of old money. The environment of old money is often strained and rigid; therefore, this environment is almost always tyrannized by a stressful and expectant mood. Although there are certain social expectations, there are no moral expectations. According to Nick, “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made…” Nick perfectly explains the hypocritical lives of the Buchanans. Since they were at the top of the social pyramid and were wealthy, Daisy and Tom felt entitled to be exempt from the supposed petty lives and problems of the people below them. The mood set by East Egg made the Buchanans feel like they were royalty. West Egg, however, is the community of new money. It consists of sparkling people who have not known wealth for an extended period of time. Therefore, the people of new money are usually happier and more relaxed. They are not yet restrained and held taut by the shackles of old money entitlement, so the mood of their gatherings is much more playful and merry. The