Diction: Elevated and Grotesque.

Blog # 2: Diction

·       Throughout The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald utilizes elegant and over-the-top diction that portrays the high-class society that belongs to the “Egg” divisions. Nick Carraway, the narrator, displays his formal diction when he describes Jay Gatsby: "The truth was that Jay Gatsby, of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God—a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that—and he must be about His Father’s business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty” (95). The words “platonic” and “meretricious” connote a sense of higher education that the aristocracy of the time would say to establish a tone of utmost superiority. The word meretricious describes itself, gaudy and flashy and bogus. The language used clearly reflects the different social classes, as they differentiate between the levels of wealth.

·       Fitzgerald successfully creates a negative atmosphere when describing the valley of ashes. He not only employs diction, but he also incorporates figurative language to depict the devastation that is the valley of ashes. As Nick drives from East Egg to West Egg, he sees the valley of ashes and describes it as being a “grotesque garden” (19). The juxtaposition of grotesque gardens creates negating connotations. The narrator is painting the picture of a desolate, hideous garden that is essentially dividing two types of aristocracy (the East and West Egg). This further reveals Nick’s outward disdain towards this land that is left degraded by the industrial, urban society that is in moral decay.

·       The female primary protagonist is Daisy Buchanan, who eventually has an affair with Gatsby. Gatsby, as would any male be, has a natural affinity towards her, most likely caused by her voice that can be so enticing. Jay Gatsby describes her voice as being “full of money” (118). Stating that she is full of money has a positive connotation, as it creates the image that her voice chimes and clinks while exposing her obsession with wealth. Fitzgerald typifies her in this way to show why Gatsby constantly tries to impress her with parties that display his wealth. Furthermore, her mouth full of money lends itself to a sense, or tone, of assurance that she is financially stable and has high ranks on the societal level.