The Syntactical Sentiments of Nicholas

Throughout the historical fiction The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald depicts the appropriate sentiments of the narrator (Nick Carraway) in different settings of the plot. At certain moments, the character is in awe of the extravagance of wealth in the mansions in the countryside of New York, the awkwardness that takes place during tense situations in the rising action, and the bored disinterest that Carraway portrays to demonstrate the author’s need to emphasize the apathy he feels toward the hackneyed preoccupations of the ignorant rich societies; these states of being within the book are represented by the clever manipulations of sentence structure.

• ·      The author illustrates the luxury of the homes in the novel through a continuous use of polysyndeton and elongated sentences. At the start of the novel, Nick Carraway describes the neighborhood he has recently moved into and recalls that the house on his right is “a colossal affair by any standard—it [is] a factual imitation of some Hôtel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden. It [is] Gatsby’s mansion” (5). The dash before the description of the house allows for an interruption of the narrator’s train of thought, and it is a symbol that calls for the reader’s attention to the appearance of the mansion. The repeated utilization of the conjunction extracts a feeling of incredulity as it asserts each individual aspect of the house’s outward physical characteristics. Another example of the incredible décor and wealth of a residence is displayed through the retelling of a party at Gatsby’s house and the narrator explains every detail, even the “the orchestra,… no thin five-piece affair, but a whole pitful of oboes and trombones and saxophones and viols and cornets and piccolos, and low and high drums” (40). The mention of every single instrument in the ensemble conveys the author’s enthusiasm towards the celebration. With the addition of the polysyndeton when identifying the instruments makes the sentence more complex and draws the attention to the reader. The repeated conjunction makes the sentence sound like the author is raving, implying that he is very fascinated with the band and desires his readers to feel the same as him. These syntactically long sentences and repetitive utilization of the term “and” clearly accentuate the author’s admiration of the affluence of the narrator’s neighbor.
• ·      F. Scott Fitzgerald’s regular use of long, awkward sentences establish the main character’s inability to engage in conversation with his peers comfortably. When Nick has just heard the telephone ring in the Buchanan mansion, “among the broken fragments of the last few minutes at table [he] remember[s] the candles being lit again, pointlessly, and [he is] conscious of wanting to look squarely at every one, and yet to avoid all eyes” (15). The author writes with a plethora of commas, establishing the narrator’s minimal communication skills. The interrupting clauses (such as “pointlessly” and “broken fragments”) create a tone of uncertainty, as they avoid the theme of the sentence and frustrate the reader with the confusingly described situation. Again, when the narrator is socializing with his friends on a particularly sweltering day in New York, the argument of where to spend the day “ended by herding [them] into that room that eludes [him], though [he has] a sharp physical memory that, in the course of it, [his] underwear kept climbing like a damp snake around [his] legs and intermittent beads of sweat raced cool across [his] back” (126). While Nick is complaining about the heat with his long descriptions and the imagery-filled conditions of his state of being, he also shows his reluctance to reveal this information as he states unnecessary clauses leading up to these descriptions. This emphasizes the character’s unpleasant sentiments toward his current condition with his close friends.
• ·      The narrator also illustrates his sarcastic disinterest towards those of equivalent economic class to himself and he shows this with relatively short dialogues and polysyndeton. When talking to an acquaintance about vacation and the horrible relationship between Daisy and Tom Buchanan, Nick simply states, “It’d be more discreet” for the couple of Tom and Myrtle Wilson “to go to Europe” (34). As Catherine elaborates on vacations to Europe, Nick replies boringly, “Really” and “Stay long?” (34). The narrator’s lack of effort to put forth in the conversation displays his isolation from the seemingly tedious discussions of the wealthy class. While at a party with those of the West Egg at Gatsby’s house, Nick states that he is used to the many crowds that attend the get-togethers and he has met a group of girls but has “forgotten their names—Jaqueline, [he] think[s], or else Consuela, or Gloria or Judy or June” (63). The repeated use of the term “or” displays the author’s lackadaisical (and possibly intoxicated, since he is at a party) attitude toward the people. The names he offers as possible options are so diverse and wide ranged that they further implicate the narrator’s indifference towards those around him.