Welcome to West Egg: Reading 'The Great Gatsby' as a Writer

Hello there! Welcome to your study guide for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Since we are looking at this for the Reading as a Writer section of your OCR A Level, we aren't just reading the story to find out what happens. Instead, we are "looking under the hood" of the book.

Think of it like this: if a baker eats a cake, they don't just say "this is yummy." They try to figure out how much flour was used, why the icing is so smooth, and what temperature the oven was. That is what we are going to do with Fitzgerald’s writing. We want to see how he uses narrative techniques to make us feel specific emotions and understand his big ideas.

1. Narrative Perspective: The Eyes of Nick Carraway

The most important choice Fitzgerald made was choosing Nick Carraway to tell the story. Nick is a first-person narrator, but he is also a peripheral narrator. This means he is watching the main action (Gatsby’s life) from the sidelines.

Why did Fitzgerald do this?

By using Nick, Fitzgerald creates a sense of mystery. If Gatsby told his own story, we would know all his secrets immediately. Because Nick tells it, we only learn about Gatsby as Nick does.

Key Term: The Unreliable Narrator
Nick starts the book by saying he is "inclined to reserve all judgements." However, as you read, you’ll notice he judges people constantly!

Real-World Analogy:
Imagine your friend is telling you about a massive argument at a party. Your friend says, "I'm being totally fair," but then spends the whole time calling one person a "jerk." You are seeing the event through their bias. That is exactly what Nick does with Gatsby and the Buchanans.

Quick Review: Nick’s Narrative Role

  • Point of View: First-person ("I").
  • The "In-Between" Status: Nick is both "within and without." He is part of the wealthy world but also feels like an outsider.
  • Effect: It makes the reader feel like an investigator alongside Nick.

2. The Shape of the Story: Narrative Structure

Fitzgerald doesn't tell Gatsby’s life story in a straight line from birth to death. Instead, he uses a non-linear structure.

The Delayed Reveal

We hear rumors about Gatsby (that he killed a man, that he was a German spy) long before we actually meet him in Chapter 3. We don't find out his true past as "James Gatz" until Chapter 6.

Don't worry if this seems tricky at first! Just remember that Fitzgerald withholds information to build tension. By the time we find out Gatsby was a poor boy from North Dakota, we are already hooked on the "Great Gatsby" legend.

Flashbacks and Time

Fitzgerald uses analepsis (that’s just a fancy word for a flashback). For example, Jordan Baker tells the story of Daisy and Gatsby’s romance in 1917. This breaks the flow of the present-day story to give us context.

Key Takeaway:

Structure isn't just the order of events; it's how the writer controls the release of information to keep the reader interested.

3. Language Choices: Lexis and Symbolism

As a "reader as a writer," you need to look at the specific words (lexis) Fitzgerald uses to create a mood.

The "Gatsby" Style

Fitzgerald is famous for lyrical and poetic prose. He uses lots of adjectives and metaphors to make the world of the 1920s feel magical and sparkling, but also hollow.

Symbolism: Objects with Big Meanings

A symbol is just a "thing" that represents a "big idea."

The Green Light:
At the end of Daisy’s dock. To Gatsby, it represents his hopes and dreams for the future.
Analogy: It’s like a "loading" bar on a video game screen—it’s the thing you are waiting for and reaching toward, but you haven't touched it yet.

The Valley of Ashes:
A grey, dusty place between the wealthy suburbs and the city. It represents the moral decay and the people left behind by the "American Dream."

Memory Aid: The "Three S's" of Fitzgerald’s Writing

  • Sensory: He uses sight, sound, and smell (the "yellow cocktail music," the "blue gardens").
  • Symbolic: Objects like the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg represent God or judgement.
  • Social: The language changes depending on who is talking (Tom sounds aggressive and "husky," Gatsby sounds formal and fake with his "old sport" catchphrase).

4. Context: The Jazz Age and the American Dream

The syllabus asks you to show awareness of contextual factors. This means understanding the world Fitzgerald was writing in.

The "Roaring Twenties" (Production Context)

  • Prohibition: Alcohol was illegal. This is how Gatsby made his money (bootlegging).
  • The New Woman: Characters like Jordan Baker represent "Flappers"—women who were more independent, played sports, and drove cars.
  • The American Dream: The idea that anyone, no matter how poor, can become successful through hard work. Fitzgerald uses the novel to ask: Is this dream actually possible, or is it a lie?

Did you know?

Fitzgerald actually struggled with money and felt like an outsider among the super-rich, just like Nick Carraway. Many of the parties in the book were based on real parties Fitzgerald attended on Long Island!

5. Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Treating the book like a history textbook: While context is important, always bring it back to the language. Don't just talk about the 1920s; talk about how Fitzgerald uses language to describe the 1920s.

2. Forgetting Nick is a character: Students often think Nick is just a "voice." Remember, he is a person with his own flaws. He likes Gatsby, so he might be making Gatsby look better than he actually was!

3. Ignoring the "Writer" part: In your exam, use phrases like "Fitzgerald constructs..." or "The writer employs...". This shows you understand the book is a crafted piece of art, not a real-life diary.

Summary Checklist

Quick Review Box:
- Can you explain why Nick is the narrator? (Perspective)
- Can you identify one flashback in the book? (Structure)
- What does the Green Light represent? (Symbolism)
- How does the 1920s setting affect Gatsby's "business"? (Context)

You’re doing great! Keep looking at the text as a series of choices made by a writer, and you’ll master Component 03 in no time.