Diction

Blog Topic #2: Diction

            In the novel, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald incorporates a multitude of elevated language to stress his view on the sophisticated lifestyle the characters of the book were succumbing to. This civilized yet modern tone becomes permeated throughout the duration of the novel.  The author develops the attitude of the narrator to be tolerant and also nonjudgmental, yet he views people as having “fundamental decencies [being] parceled out unequally at birth”(2). Other prominent words such as “uniform” and “privileged” briefly describe the sophisticated manner of Nick Carraway, as well as help the reader judge this class of people that live up to the preferred lifestyle. Nick gives off strong reactions towards his experiences after moving to the East and later returns back home. On his journey he comes to find that Jay Gatsby stands out as the only exception to his moral standards as “there was something gorgeous about him” (2).  Nick admires Gatsby, despite that he is everything that he had previously stated as “snobbish,” but refers to Gatsby as being an “intricate machine” having a “heightening sensitivity”(2).  Fitzgerald is continually using elegant diction to give his perspective on the upper-class society, but Gatsby proves to be a challenge to Nick’s customary standards, as he has to come to grips with reality and learn you can’t judge a book by its cover. This general concept is relevant throughout the majority of the novel, until the reader reaches the concluding chapters. Finalizing the story, the reader soaks up the idea that money doesn’t actually buy happiness and it can in fact lead to corruption and devastation.  At first the author uses fancy word choice and elevated language to glorify certain aspects of living a fruitful life; but in the end, he uses the same type of word choice to prove that living in a sophisticated manner was disgraceful and demeaning. The narrator refers to Wilson as being “deranged by grief,” (164) where the reader can clearly see how Fitzgerald is demeaning the previously ornamented and sophisticated tone. This volta of tones quickly shifts to that of shame and disgrace. This newfound tone sets a moral example that friendship lasts longer and is more valuable than money will ever be. When no one arrives to Gatsby’s funeral, the author demonstrates the reality that friendship can’t be bought.  Even though there is a sudden shift in tone created by the author, Fitzgerald maintains his straightforward, cultivated manner while instilling his words of wise wisdom into the minds of the readers. Life isn’t about becoming the follower who becomes lost in a sea of people just like them, it’s about standing out as an individual and as John Wooden said, “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”