Chapter 2: This chapter is full of sexual themes and imagery that while not obvious at first glance, fills the entire chapter with a sexual connotation. The biggest example of these sexual themes is the valley of ashes which seems to be an metaphorical comparison to the...private parts of a women. Textual evidence of this can be seen with lines such as "fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys", a symbolic comparison to pubic hair to gardens and wheat, both things that grow like plants. There's also the " eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg" which Nick Carraway describes in great detail, perhaps giving a look into Nick's own sexuality as he describes the look of the eyes on the billboard. Hints at Nick's sexuality are also given throughout the chapter whenever Nick describes a woman versus a man, as his descriptions of women seem to focus on their personalities more so than their physical appearances, being more critical than his descriptions of men in which he describes them in a completely different way. For example he describes Mr.Wilson's wife as "shrill, languid, handsome and horrible" but describes Mr.McKee as a "pale feminine man", going on to discuss in detail the "white spot of lather" on his face, describing the man in a considerably kinder fashion. Another huge piece of evidence for Nick being gay comes not only from his fixation on Mr.McKee over the course of the party but in particular later on in the elevator as a flirtatious atmosphere fills the scene. Remarks are made such as "Keep your hands off the lever" and "we groaned down in the elevator", lines that seem to point to Nick being gay and likely having some sort of attraction/relationship with Mr.McKee. Why do they point to this? Because of the sexual undertones in words such as "lever" and "groaned", that while they could simply be being used in a different context, appear to be used by Fitzgerald for a reason. The rest of the chapter, when it isn't filled with sexual innuendos, serves as a setup for the atmosphere of the setting of the story, introducing the characters we will soon have involved in their own individual scandals.
Chapter 3: This chapter is our first look into the lavish lifestyle of Jay Gatsby and the compulsive obsession that Nick seems to have with him. Nick describes the lavish parties that Gatsby has on a frequent basis, using vivid imagery as he says how the parties have "enough colored lights to make a Christmas tree of Gatsby’s enormous garden", using metaphors such as that one to express his desire to be part of this lavish life that Gatsby lives. One day Nick is brought an invitation to one of these parties, to which Nick gladly attends and spends the night searching fervently for Gatsby, meeting up with Jordan along the way. Nick talks with some of the party guests about the many rumors they had heard about the elusive man, some claiming that he was a "German spy during the war" or that "he killed a man". Jordan is called to have a talk with Gatsby, eventually returning to tell Nick that she had "just heard something extraordinary." The two part for the night, and then Nick goes on to describe his attraction to Jordan despite her dishonesty, claiming that it "made no difference to me". I think this talk of dishonesty and of the lavish allure of the mysterious Gatsby in this chapter is Fitzgerald's way of describing the exciting appearance of the city life but the different reality. Gatsby if painted as a mysterious man that seems unreachable by Nick, but slowly Nick will discover the real Gatsby and have his perception of him changed drastically, just like perhaps Fitzgerald had his perception of city life in his own personal experience.
Chapter 4:
Chapter 3: This chapter is our first look into the lavish lifestyle of Jay Gatsby and the compulsive obsession that Nick seems to have with him. Nick describes the lavish parties that Gatsby has on a frequent basis, using vivid imagery as he says how the parties have "enough colored lights to make a Christmas tree of Gatsby’s enormous garden", using metaphors such as that one to express his desire to be part of this lavish life that Gatsby lives. One day Nick is brought an invitation to one of these parties, to which Nick gladly attends and spends the night searching fervently for Gatsby, meeting up with Jordan along the way. Nick talks with some of the party guests about the many rumors they had heard about the elusive man, some claiming that he was a "German spy during the war" or that "he killed a man". Jordan is called to have a talk with Gatsby, eventually returning to tell Nick that she had "just heard something extraordinary." The two part for the night, and then Nick goes on to describe his attraction to Jordan despite her dishonesty, claiming that it "made no difference to me". I think this talk of dishonesty and of the lavish allure of the mysterious Gatsby in this chapter is Fitzgerald's way of describing the exciting appearance of the city life but the different reality. Gatsby if painted as a mysterious man that seems unreachable by Nick, but slowly Nick will discover the real Gatsby and have his perception of him changed drastically, just like perhaps Fitzgerald had his perception of city life in his own personal experience.
Chapter 4: