Literary Devices used in
The Great Gatsby
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A passing reference to someone or something
of historical, social, or literary value.
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“…I participated in that delayed Teutonic
migration known as the Great War” (3).
In this quote, Nick Carraway is referencing
World War I, commonly known as either “The
Great War,” or “The War to End all Wars.”
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A symbol is something used to stand for or
represent something else.
Symbolism is the use of symbols in art and
literature.
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West Egg/East Egg – symbolic of the
juxtaposition of wealth in 1920’s society
White, green, blue – Fitzgerald uses colors to
indicate money, power, purity, hope, etc.
The eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg – could be used
to represent the watchfulness of a supreme
being or the judgment of society on the moral
depravity of the flappers
Valley of Ashes – could be used to signify the
depravity of society
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Appealing to the five senses
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White – appeals to sight
Glistens – appeals to sight
“…high, mincing shout…” (31) – appeals to
sound
“…jug-jug-spat!...” (68) – appeals to sound
“…sparkling odor of jonquils and the frothy
odor of hawthorn and plum blossoms and pale
gold odor of “kiss-me-at-the-gate.” (90) –
appeals to both sight and smell
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the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like,
in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice,
folly, etc.
The use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like
to make fun of a society, a government, or a
group of people because of their vices, follies,
etc.
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“ ‘Civilization’s going to pieces,’ broke out
Tom violently…It’s up to us, who are the
dominant race, to watch out or these other
races will have control of things.” (12-13)
“There was dancing now on the canvas in the
garden, old men pushing young girls
backward in eternal graceless circles, superior
couples holding each other tortuously,
fashionably…” (51)
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A harsh discordance of sounds
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Unpleasant sounds, words, or phrases
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“The sharp jut of a wall accounted for the
detachment of the wheel…a harsh discordant
din from those in the rear had been audible for
some time and added to the already violent
confusion of the scene.” (58)
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Pleasing sounds to the ear; agreeableness of
sounds
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“…the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in
it, the jingle of it, the cymbals’ song of it…High
in a white palace the king’s daughter, the
golden girl…” (127)
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The state of being close together, side by side
The act of placing close together, especially for
comparison
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Tom and Myrtle’s relationship
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East Egg and West Egg
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The two Eggs and the Valley of Ashes
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a statement or proposition that seems selfcontradictory or absurd but in reality expresses
a possible truth.
a self-contradictory and false proposition.
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“I enjoyed the counter-raid so thoroughly…”
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Two separate realities
A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and
practices that constitutes a way of viewing
reality for the community that shares them,
especially in an intellectual discipline.
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division into two parts, kinds, etc.; subdivision
into halves or pairs.
division into two mutually exclusive, opposed,
or contradictory groups: a dichotomy between
thought and action.
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A comparison between two seemingly different
things WITHOUT the use of “like” or “as”
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A comparison between two seemingly different
things WITH the use of “like” or “as”
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The formation of a word, as cuckoo, meow,
honk, or boom, by imitation of a sound made
by or associated with its referent.