The title of a novel creates the first ideas and pictures of Gatsby before any word is read; great describes Gatsby in simple language and places him on a pedestal before the events of the novel unfold for the reader. Fitzgerald gives the first example of Gatsby’s greatness when describing his mansion as “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,” (Fitzgerald 5) but the diction chosen also creates an oxymoron between a great house that is simply a new imitation. For the reader, this brings up the possibility of Gatsby’s facade while also setting the stage for further exploration of outward …show more content…
At the first dinner party Nick attends, Tom must excuse himself to answer the phone and Jordan tells Nick that “Tom’s got some woman in New York;” (Fitzgerald 15) Daisy is not in the room when Jordan and Nick have this discussion, and Tom uses the phone in private to keep his affair from his wife while also keeping up with Myrtle. At the first Gatsby party Nick attends, Gatsby must excuse himself right after he introduces himself because “a butler hurried toward him with the information that Chicago was calling him on the wire;” (Fitzgerald 48) usually when an individual says there is someone on the phone, the speaker uses a first or last name, but here Fitzgerald uses the name of a city which creates a mystery around the caller and the business that entails. After Nick attempts to reach Wolfsheim with a letter delivered by the butler, he is upset when “neither a wire nor Mr. Wolfsheim arrived;” (Fitzgerald 165) the letter he sends instead contains vague remarks and excuses as to why he cannot come to Gatsby’s funeral. Fitzgerald implies less than meritorious human interaction occurs over phone calls or letters in these cases because an extramarital affair and shady business deals occur on private connections while avoiding an acquaintance's death …show more content…
Beginning in the twenties, Clarence E. Mulford wrote the twenty-eight book series based in the American West (Hopalong); Gatsby was born in North Dakota and this piece of his childhood allows the reader to imagine what he was like as a child. With the knowledge of some of Gatsby’s early adult life and a piece of his childhood, the reader can see further into the facade he creates in his adult life. Gatsby’s printed schedule on the back shows his determination to “get ahead” (Fitzgerald 173) as his father says, but also his plans to better himself with goals listed under resolves. A few of his resolves align with those of Hopalong Cassidy: “no more smokeing [sic] or chewing” (Fitzgerald 173) characterizes Gatsby under the idea of the all-American man. Fitzgerald’s use of a distinctly American series brings specific characterization to Gatsby while also revealing how much he worked to cover his past with his new, glamorous