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Use Of Diction In The Great Gatsby

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Fitzgerald uses diction to characterize Jay Gatsby as a person fond of luxuries and desiring of being old money. In contrast to Nick’s measly housing situation, he describes Gatsby’s mansion as a “factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville” with a tower that is “spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy” (Fitzgerald 5). These two phrases utilize diction in the form of oxymorons that illustrate Gatsby’s aspirations to overtly demonstrate his wealth in front of everyone. Something that is “factual” indicates that it concerns a subject that is actually accurate, and something that is an “imitation” is a copy of a subject (Fitzgerald 5). The juxtaposition of these two words underlines Gatsby’s effort to make a carbon copy of a luxurious mansion

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