Rhetorical Strategies

·    Simile: “For a moment the last sunshine fell with romantic affection upon her glowing face… the glow faded, each light deserting her with lingering regret, like children leaving a pleasant street at dusk” (14).

·     Personification: “It was one of those rare smiles… it understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that… you hoped to convey” (48).

·    Paradox: “I came into her room… and found her lying on her bed as lovely as the June night in her flowered dress—and as drunk as a monkey” (76).

·    Simile: “He looked… as if he had ‘killed a man’” (134).

·    Euphemism: “It grew upon me that I was responsible, because no one else was interested—interested, I mean, with that intense personal interest to which every one has some vague right at the end” (164). 

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, rhetorical strategies are applied to add an intimate style to Fitzgerald’s work. Narrated through the eyes of Nick Carraway, the novel tells the tale of Jay Gatsby, a man who rose out of poverty to be with Daisy Buchanan, the girl he loved. When Nick first sees Daisy, there is “a moment [when] the last sunshine fell with romantic affection upon her glowing face… [until] the glow faded, each light deserting her with lingering regret, like children leaving a pleasant street at dusk” (14). This simile, that compares fading sunshine to young children, creates a naïve, innocent tone that surrounds Daisy’s character in the book. By having sunshine and children assist in the description of Daisy, the reader feels drawn to her lovable naïve character. Being a neighbor of Mr. Gatsby, Nick is quick to become acquainted with him. On his first encounter, Carraway observes that Gatsby has “one of those rare smiles… [that] understood [one] just as far as [one] wanted to be understood, believed in [one] as [one] would like to believe in [oneself], and assured [one] that it had precisely the impression… [one] hoped to convey” (48). The personification of Gatsby’s smile illuminates Gatsby as a genial and amiable character in Fitzgerald’s novel. These characteristics, seen in Gatsby’s smile, contribute to the intimate style of F. Scott’s writing for the reader becomes enthralled with the pleasing attributes of the character. As the story of Gatsby and Daisy’s romance is revealed, Nick learns that while Gatsby was away at war, Daisy looses faith in him and plans to marry another. However, right before her wedding, Daisy is “found… lying on her bed as lovely as the June night in her flowered dress—and as drunk as a monkey” (76).  The paradox of Daisy’s character reveals the internal turmoil that her love for Gatsby has caused. Daisy wishes to continue her love for Gatsby, but she concludes that she needs a man who can support her in life. Through the use of a paradox, Fitzgerald adds depth to Daisy’s character that the reader can personally associate with. When Gatsby learns that Daisy has married another because of his poverty, he sets out to earn a living and prove to Daisy that he can provide her support. Gatsby avoids directly stating what his source of income is, but his smiling face will occasionally turn to one that looks “as if he had ‘killed a man’” (134). This simile produces a mysterious tone that surrounds Gatsby. His mannerisms seem amiable and friendly until that ‘look’ passes his face. These contradicting characteristics propose intensity in Gatsby’s character that was not there before, resulting in Fitzgerald’s individual style of his characters. The novel concludes with Gatsby’s death and Nick finds himself responsible “with that intense personal interest to which every one has some vague right at the end” (164). The euphemism used to express Jay Gatsby’s death, shows Fitzgerald’s style. Instead of stating that his main character had died, F. Scott uses “at the end” to depict Gatsby’s death. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s style, in The Great Gatsby, forms an intimate relationship between the reader and the characters.