The Great Gatsby: Structure Of Novel Influenced By Foreshadowing And Flashback Essay, Research Paper

The Great Gatsby: Structure of Novel Influenced by Foreshadowing and Flashback

” ‘Suppose you met somebody just as careless as yourself.’ ‘I hope I

never will,’ she [Jordan] answered. ‘I hate careless people. That’s why I like

you.’ ” (Fitzgerald, pg. 63) Jordan is explaining to Nick how she is able to

drive badly as long as everyone else drives carefully. This quote represents

the writing technique of foreshadowing, which is being used in one of its

finest form. Fitzgerald is foreshadowing to chapter seven where Daisy kills

Myrtle Wilson because of her reckless driving. Fitzgerald uses foreshadowing

to strengthen the plot of his book. In chapter nine, Nick begins to recall the

past and relive his old memories. His must relieve his lingering thoughts of

the past. During the chapter, Nick uses a flashback to tell about Gatsby’s

funeral for the readers to know what happen the day Gatsby was shot. Flashback

in The Great Gatsby also helps to give the reader background information about

the characters. In The Great Gatsby, the structure of the novel is influenced

by foreshadowing and flashback.

Fitzgerald utilizes foreshadowing to the best of its ability to help

organize the novel. “Luckily the clock took this moment to tilt dangerously at

the pressure of his head, whereupon he turned and caught it with trembling

fingers and set it back in place. ‘I’m sorry about the clock,’ he said. ‘It’s

an old clock,’ I told him idiotically.” (Fitzgerald, pg. 92) This quote is the

first use of foreshadowing which is in chapter five. It pertains to all of the

trouble Gatsby causes as he tries to win Daisy back. The past is represented

by the clock and how Gatsby wants to repeat it with Daisy. (Eble, pg. 963)

This quote foreshadows to the end of the novel when Nick is left to tell the

story of the dreamer whose dreams were corrupted.

(Eble, pg. 963) “they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back

into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them

together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.” (Fitzgerald,

pg. 188) In chapter six, Fitzgerald focuses on the first moment of

disillusionment which Gatsby has. (Magill, pg. 90) ” ‘Can’t repeat the past?’

he cried incredulously. ‘Why of course you can!’ ” (Fitzgerald, pg. 116) This

quote is clearly foreshadowing almost the entire book. It foreshadows

Gatsby’s attempts to woe Daisy for Tom and tries to make things the way they

were before he left for the army . It also alludes to the fact that he must be

rich and powerful to do that. Overall, it shows that he destroys himself trying

to get Daisy back from Tom Buchanan. In the beginning of chapter eight

Fitzgerald foreshadows the death of Gatsby. “I couldn’t sleep all night; a fog-

horn was groaning incessantly on the Sound, and I tossed half sick between

grotesque reality and savage frightening dreams. I heard a taxi go up Gatsby’s

drive and immediately I jumped out of bed and began to dress- I felt that I had

something to tell him, something to warn him about and morning would be too

late.”

(Fitzgerald, pg.154) This quote definitely foreshadows the death of Gatsby.

Fitzgerald also foreshadows Wilson’s involvement when his wife died. ” ‘He

murdered her.’ ‘It was an accident, George.’ Wilson shook his head. His eyes

narrowed and his mouth widened slightly with the ghost of superior ‘Hm!’ ”

(Fitzgerald, pg. 166) This quote clearly tells the readers that George is not

going to let the person who he thinks killed his wife get away with it.

Foreshadowing is sparingly displayed though out the novel and especially in the

last chapters.

Flashback is used quite often in The Great Gatsby. Jordan begins to

remember when she met Gatsby with Daisy for the first time and how they were in

love. “One October day in nineteen- seventeen…..The largest of the banners

and the largest of the lawns belonged to Daisy Fay’s house. She was just

eighteen….His name was Jay Gatsby and I didn’t lay eyes on him again for over

four years.” (Fitzgerald, pg. 80) As the reader can clearly see, Jordan begins

to narrate about the first and last time that she saw Gatsby with Daisy which

was four years ago. In chapter eight, Nick flashes back to the night of

Myrtle’s death and begins to tell the story of what went on after her death.

“Now I want to go back a little and tell what happened at the garage after we

left there the night before.” (Fitzgerald, pg. 163) Nick tells the reader about

how Wilson thought he had figured out who had killed his wife. Nick follows

step by step as he walks all the way to Tom Buchanan’s. Nick then describes

Wilson killing Gatsby in the pool and then Wilson killing himself.

In chapter nine, another flashback is told by Nick. Nick recalls the

night of Gatsby’s death, and the next day, when all the policemen were at

Gatsby’s house. “After two years I remember the rest of that day, and that

night and the next day, only as an endless drill of police and photographers

and newspaper men in and out of Gatsby’s front door.” (Fitzgerald, pg.171)

Nick then proceeds into another flashback where he is trying to get people to

come to Gatsby’s funeral. During this flashback Nick finally meets Gatsby’s

father, Mr. Gatz, who came to his son’s funeral. “Next morning I sent the

butler to New York with a letter to Wolfshiem which asked for information and

urged him to come out on the next train. [for Gatsby's funeral]…When the

butler brought back Wolfshiem’s answer I began to have a feeling of

defiance…..The third day that a telegram signed Henry C. Gatz arrived from a

town in Minnesota…It was Gatsby’s father.” (Fitzgerald, pg. 175) In the last

sentence of the novel the reader realizes the story is being told as seen

through the eyes of a Dutch sailor which transports the reader into the past.

(Magill, pg. 91) “Boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the

past.” (Fitzgerald, pg. 189)

As one can see, the book came to life through the use of flashback and

foreshadowing. These two main ingredients in this novel made it possible for

the reader to be able to understand Gatsby the way Fitzgerald does. It also

helps one to understand Gatsby’s relentless pursuit of the American dream.

These two elements of the novel were weaved into a great book that was read and

adored by millions of readers and school students.