Deceiving personalities can effectively change the good qualities in a person. The central theme of deception is one of the many themes that can be carefully explored by various literary devices in The Great Gatsby. In F. Scott Fitzgerald 's classic novel, the theme of deception will be effectively explored through an in-depth analysis of the utilization of the literary devices, characterization and foreshadowing to reveal the untold stories of the character, Jay Gatsby. This will be proven through the characterization of Jay Gatsby with the false rumours that are told about him and the use of foreshadowing during various conversations acknowledging the mysterious personality of Jay Gatsby.
First of all, the character development allows readers …show more content…
Gatsby’s ethnicity is unknown, but his actions towards secrecy and his choice of isolation create a confusing impression about him, resulting in the characters to form their own judgements towards Gatsby. These false rumours create a shared speculation between the towns, thus reinforcing the fact that Gatsby is hiding something from his close friends, as he is not confirming or denying these rumours. Moreover, Gatsby’s life is incredibly mysterious which creates a suspicious undertone around his actions because his activities remain unknown. In addition, characterization insightfully enhances the theme of deception during the argument between Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. Jay’s character develops significantly during their argument because his personal life is revealed, which is seen when Tom says “I found out what your ‘drug-stores’ [are]” … “He and this Wolfsheim [bring] up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and [sell] grain alcohol over the counter…I picked him for a bootlegger for the first time I saw him, and I [was not] far wrong” (133). Tom reveals to the readers that Gatsby sells alcohol for a living; which is how he accumulated the substantial amount of money to throw elaborate parties and convey his wealth in West Egg. His character develops from a mysterious and rich gentleman to a lying “son-of-a-bitch” (175). Moreover, Gatsby is …show more content…
His smile reveals a caring personality which foreshadows to when Gatsby’s suspicious past is revealed. Whereas, Nick still thinks his true personality is present despite his participation in illegal activities. Gatsby is a caring and nice gentleman but with his mysterious past, the misconception of his real life is never revealed, which portrays the theme of deception because it is assumed that he truly cares for people, but this is contradicted later. The effective use of foreshadowing is seen during and after Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway’s conversation “‘I was brought up in America but educated at Oxford...and I [know] why Jordan Baker [believes] he [is] lying. He [hurries] the phrase “educated at Oxford,” or [swallows] it, or [chokes] on it, as though it [bothers] him before” (65). Mr. Gatsby quickly states this phrase which foreshadows to the end of the novel as it is revealed that he only attended Oxford for five months, contradicting to what he says previously, which contrasts his ‘high intelligence’. Therefore, Nick notices he says the phrase quickly as it bothers him, which reveals that he is lying and creating false rumours. Thus, creating speculation among the people because Gatsby is telling everyone something different and as a result, creating a deceiving impression of him. Since
First of all, the character development allows readers …show more content…
Gatsby’s ethnicity is unknown, but his actions towards secrecy and his choice of isolation create a confusing impression about him, resulting in the characters to form their own judgements towards Gatsby. These false rumours create a shared speculation between the towns, thus reinforcing the fact that Gatsby is hiding something from his close friends, as he is not confirming or denying these rumours. Moreover, Gatsby’s life is incredibly mysterious which creates a suspicious undertone around his actions because his activities remain unknown. In addition, characterization insightfully enhances the theme of deception during the argument between Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. Jay’s character develops significantly during their argument because his personal life is revealed, which is seen when Tom says “I found out what your ‘drug-stores’ [are]” … “He and this Wolfsheim [bring] up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and [sell] grain alcohol over the counter…I picked him for a bootlegger for the first time I saw him, and I [was not] far wrong” (133). Tom reveals to the readers that Gatsby sells alcohol for a living; which is how he accumulated the substantial amount of money to throw elaborate parties and convey his wealth in West Egg. His character develops from a mysterious and rich gentleman to a lying “son-of-a-bitch” (175). Moreover, Gatsby is …show more content…
His smile reveals a caring personality which foreshadows to when Gatsby’s suspicious past is revealed. Whereas, Nick still thinks his true personality is present despite his participation in illegal activities. Gatsby is a caring and nice gentleman but with his mysterious past, the misconception of his real life is never revealed, which portrays the theme of deception because it is assumed that he truly cares for people, but this is contradicted later. The effective use of foreshadowing is seen during and after Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway’s conversation “‘I was brought up in America but educated at Oxford...and I [know] why Jordan Baker [believes] he [is] lying. He [hurries] the phrase “educated at Oxford,” or [swallows] it, or [chokes] on it, as though it [bothers] him before” (65). Mr. Gatsby quickly states this phrase which foreshadows to the end of the novel as it is revealed that he only attended Oxford for five months, contradicting to what he says previously, which contrasts his ‘high intelligence’. Therefore, Nick notices he says the phrase quickly as it bothers him, which reveals that he is lying and creating false rumours. Thus, creating speculation among the people because Gatsby is telling everyone something different and as a result, creating a deceiving impression of him. Since