Diction

    The diction employed in the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is very high, and the tone that the diction creates is different for every character he discusses. When Gatsby discusses Gatsby, the diction creates a tone of affectionate admiration. In his very first description of Gatsby, the narrator, Nick Carraway, states that, “If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away,”(4). By using words such as “successful” and “gorgeous” it is obvious that he feels a special affection for Gatsby not only as a person, but as one of his only real friends. Throughout the novel, Gatsby is one of the only people who is truly honest to Nick, and in that society honesty goes a long way. The next character that Carraway meets in the novel is Tom Buchanen. He claims that Tom has, “Two shining arrogant eyes [that] had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward,”(7). Whenever Carraway describes Tom, it is apparent that he feels some sort of apprehension to Tom’s character. Most of the diction used has a negative connotation, like “arrogant”, “dominance”, or “aggressively”. By Tom’s appearance and stature, Nick has reason to be suspicious of his character, as Tom is the type to always want more in life and beat down anyone in his way. Finally, when Carraway meets Daisy again for the first time in years, he states that “She leaned slightly forward with a conscientious expression- then she laughed an absurd, charming little laugh, and I laughed too and came forward into the room,”(8). Daisy, as a character, has a certain way of intriguing and drawing people around her, as seen prior. Nick is no exception. Although Nick feels that he and Daisy are almost strangers, it is almost as if gravity pulled them together to share that one little laugh. By referring to her laugh as “absurd” and “charming”, a tone of infatuation is created. Much like Nick, the readers become infatuated with Daisy’s character because of this tone, along with the other characters previously mentioned. Diction play a very important role in this novel, as it sets up the tone for the audience to interact with the characters and truly make this novel great.