· “I wanted to get out and walk eastward toward the Park through the soft twilight, but each time I tried to go, I became entangled in some wild, strident argument which pulled me back, as if with ropes, into my chair. Yet high over the city our line of yellow windows must have contributed their share of human secrecy to the casual watcher in the darkening streets, and I was him too, looking up and wondering. I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life” (35).
The author’s use of complex sentences mirrors the confusion Nick feels in the scenario and aids in showing the readers one of the varieties of city life. He is distraught over how Tom can lead a double life and how everyone behaves in such a rude and selfish way. Nick also observes that to people walking on the street, the lights from their windows seem mysterious, but mentally, he is also one of them, even though he is physically in the room, since he is lost in a maze of words and foreign behaviors. By contradicting himself and saying he is “within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled,” the notion that the people he is with inside the hotel suite are symbols of duality and disorder is denoted by the author.
· “Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it had seemed very near to her, almost touching her. It had seemed as close as a star to the moon. Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one” (93).
Fitzgerald’s use of anaphora and short sentences in the excerpt serve the purpose of not only characterizing Daisy, but also allowing the readers to better understand the emotions that Gatsby has towards her. By using diction such as “star,” and “enchanted,” Daisy is portrayed as a woman who Gatsby sees as dream-like; someone who is alluring and the embodiment of infatuation and innocence. Using the repetition of “it had,” the author establishes that before Gatsby had the courage to talk to Daisy, she was a fantasy of his that seemed out of reach and impossible to attain. In addition, the simplicity of the sentences reflect the modest and pure love Gatsby has for Daisy, and by using lucid language, the author is able to get his point across clearly and effortlessly. This subtle use of syntax directly correlates to Daisy’s character and Gatsby’s passion, and Fitzgerald effectively depicts the simplicity and enchantment that envelops their relationship.
I agree with your first analysis and admire how well you describe what Fitzgerald is doing. However i disagree with your second excerpt. At that point in the book, I thought that the author was trying to convey how no matter what Daisy did, Gatsby was so in love with the "idea" of her, that he would forever be in love with his vision of Daisy. The short sentences mirror the narrator's mood of just observing the couple.
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