Essay about Great Gatsby: How Does Fitzgerald Tell the Story in Chapter 7

Submitted By erinlc98
Words: 681
Pages: 3
Open Document
How does Fitzgerald tell the story in Chapter 7?
The Great Gatsby is a tragi-romance novel that was written by F.Scott Fitzgerald after being influenced by his wife, Zelda’s, frequent breakdowns. Fitzgerald writes the novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ to be narrated in the perspective of the character Nick Carraway who writes about his past summer in New York of 1922. However, he is an unreliable narrator to the novel as he tells the story of events where he wasn’t present-this links into a theme in the book: that is a ‘story about telling stories’. However, occasionally in the novel Fitzgerald adopts the voice of another character; for example, in chapter 7 he adopts the voice of the character Michaelis (who runs a coffee shop in the Valley of Ashes next to George Wilson’s garage). He appears little in the novel but is so influential to the events in the destination of the novel as he witnessed the hit and run of Myrtle Wilson by the ‘car of death’. Fitzgerald adopts the voice of Michaelis for a little while in chapter 7 because he is the only witness to the death of Myrtle Wilson and gives his opinion at trial. Chapter 7 is the climax to the ‘tragic’ bit to the ‘tragi-romance’ novel as Fitzgerald brings all the events that he had already established together. To add, this chapter is not told in chronological order because Fitzgerald sets it out in an episodic fashion because of myrtles death and the use of different narrators in this chapter.
The establishment of this chapter begins with Nick describing having lunch at Daisy’s with Jordan, Gatsby and Tom. Nick describes the afternoon as being ‘broiling’ and Fitzgerald’s use of pathetic fallacy suggests the anticipation of violent and heated emotions that come in the climax of this chapter. The first foreshadowing sign of an argument is seen in the first few moments of Nick entering the house, when Daisy moves over to Gatsby and kisses him on the mouth. This adds tension to the scene as Tom is only in the other room and kissing someone in the 1920’s time period is seen as ‘making love’. The reader soon sees Tom’s realisation of his wife’s affair with Gatsby and ‘that he was astounded’. Knowing Tom has a violent temper – previously seen when he lashes out at Myrtle – the reader fears trouble. After Tom’s exposure of Gatsby as a bootlegger, Gatsby’s sinister criminal activities prove to be the cause of Daisy’s ‘lost voice’ and Gatsby’s loss of Daisy as he loses control over himself; the quote “he looked as if he had just killed a man” signifies to us, the reader, that he has killed his
Show More

Related Documents: Essay about Great Gatsby: How Does Fitzgerald Tell the Story in Chapter 7

Gatsby Practice Essays

Exam preparation – text response to The Great Gatsby Notes from Barron's: Great Gatsby (1984) by Anthony S. Abbott, Davidson College Professor of English. 1. Is Gatsby a "hero?" Discuss. Everyone wants to admire someone. Do you admire Gatsby? Is he a hero to you? If so, why? If not, why not? This essay gives you a wonderful opportunity to take sides. From one point of view, Gatsby is a crook, a bootlegger, a vulgar materialist. From another point of view, he is a dreamer, faithful to his dream…

Words 2834 - Pages 12

Great Gatsby Essay

The Great Gatsby Study Guide Questions Answers Chapter 2 1. The valley of the ashes looks like a massive trash dump and represents the rotting American dream. 2. Myrtle has great vitality within her and Mr. Wilson loves and cares for Myrtle. They are of middle class and certainly do not fit into the life of the rich. 3. Nick establishes himself as a person inclined to reserved judgment. Nick in this chapter proves that he cannot hold his liquor well and as he was quick to pass judgment…

Words 1633 - Pages 7

Zahrah Gatsby Essay Marked

Essay for English How are women portrayed in Chapter Seven of The Great Gatsby? The Great Gatsby is a novel of triumph and tragedy, noted for the remarkable way its author captures a cross-section of American society. In this essay I will talk about how the women are portrayed in chapter 7 of The Great Gatsby. The three women I will be analysing are Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker and Myrtle Wilson. In chapter 7 of The Great Gatsby Daisy is the most mysterious, and perhaps most disappointing, character…

Words 2083 - Pages 9

The Great Bat stool Essay

The Great Gatsby Essay Prompts 1. The American Dream--as it arose in the Colonial period and developed in the nineteenth century--was based on the assumption that each person, no matter what his or her origins, could succeed in life on the sole basis of his or her own skill and effort. The Great Gatsby is a novel about what happened to the American dream in the 1920s, a period when the old values that gave substance to the dream had been corrupted by the vulgar pursuit of wealth. What Fitzgerald…

Words 1001 - Pages 5

Lol Wat Essay

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Study Guide Chapter 1 1. Explain what Fitzgerald achieved by using Nick’s point of view to tell Gatsby’s story? Nick gives us the reader an unbiased view. 2. What do we learn about Nick Carraway in the introductory section of the novel? Trained to be nonjudgmental but later it becomes an issue with other certain characters. 3. In discussing East Egg and West Egg, Nick states, “To the wingless a more arresting phenomenon is their dissimilarity…

Words 3152 - Pages 13

F. Scott Fitzgerald and Passionate Gaze Gatsby Essay

Chapter 7 1. Gatsby wants to be alone with Daisy. This is what he has always wanted. The parties were only so Gatsby could get nearer to her. Gatsby even replaces his servants so they will be more discreet. 2. By the time Tom clues in, Daisy and Gatsby are trying to hold back on the public affection. Gatsby, Jordan, Nick, Tom, and Daisy are lunching at Tom and Daisy's mansion. They discuss going into town and Tom notices the passionate gaze Gatsby gives towards his wife. Things really…

Words 2149 - Pages 9

Death in wh Essay

Lies that characters tell are fundamental to the plot of A Streetcar Named Desire and The Great Gatsby. Compare the significance of deceit in the two texts. Williams and Fitzgerald both accentuate the effect to which self-delusions are used by wealthy individuals to create a superficial adequate world. Many forms of deception are used by all characters throughout both texts, elaborate pretences are created then linked to social issues present in the early 20th century. It is quickly presented that…

Words 2178 - Pages 9

The Great Gatsby Analysis Essay

Introduction “The Great Gatsby” is a novel by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. First published in 1925, it is set on Long Island's North Shore and in New York City from spring to autumn of 1922. The novel takes place following the First World War. American society enjoyed prosperity during the “roaring” as the economy soared. At the same…

Words 5604 - Pages 23

Great Gatsby Conflict Quotes

War. The word does not always mean armed conflict between nations. War can be conflict within an individual and their emotions. In a romantic relationship, love makes people do or say certain things that simply do not make sense. In any example, war never makes sense in the end; for the ones involved are hurt. In this world there are many examples of how in relationships, things can take a negative turn if not properly taken care of. Taking a look at the two novels The Great Gatsby and the Things…

Words 1273 - Pages 6

The Great Gatsby Essay

1 English 3 College Prep. 9 April 2011 The Main Character Even though Fitzgerald has named his book, The Great Gatsby, it is really about Nick Carraway and his educational process. Nick says that his tolerance for not judging other people has a limit after his experiences in the east. He also learns how to judge properly by the end of the story because of the whole situation with Gatsby. The second part of Nick’s educational process is his understanding of excessive desire and its consequences…

Words 754 - Pages 4