How does Fitzgerald use details of setting and imagery to establish a mood in the opening pages of chapter 2?

How does Fitzgerald use details of setting and imagery to establish a mood in the opening pages of chapter 2?

Fitzgerald uses hyperbole and juxtaposition to establish a dull and discomforting mood.

Firstly, this can be seen when the author says "Grotesque gardens". The use of this juxtaposition creates an unsettling tone for the reader as usually gardens are seen as beautiful and elegant. Gardens create a very fresh image in your mind since they contain a lot of greenery and bright colours. This contrasts with grotesque as this adjective is normally used to describe ugly and filthy which is completely the opposite of a garden. Therefore by the Fitzgerald pairing the "Grotesque" and "Gardens" it suggests to the reader that something is off or abnormal. It sets a mood for the rest of the paragraph as the reader can predict that the opening pages of chapter 2 are not set in the same environment as the rest of the book.

Secondly, a dull mood can be seen when the author says " valley of ashes". The use of this hyperbole establishes the image of an extreme amount of colourless ash everywhere in a massive field to the reader. The extreme exaggeration highlights to the reader that everything is dull and lifeless in this part of the chapter. Ashes are also something that can be associated with the dead as when someone is cremated their body is turned into ashes. This adds onto the lifeless feeling that is created when using " valley of ashes". Therefore when there isn't a feeling that people are living somewhere it creates a dull environment as emotions such as happiness can not be found. As a reader this helps establish a better image in their head of what this place looks like and why it is so different from any of the other locations in the book.

• you can argue with my opening statement
• a feeling of direction
• split my argument into multiple parts
• integration of quotes

Fitzgerald uses hyperbole and juxtaposition to establish a dull and discomforting mood. This can be seen when the author says "Grotesque gardens". The use of this juxtaposition creates a feeling of discomfort for the reader as typically gardens are described as beautiful and elegant. Gardens normally create a very refreshing and happy image in your mind since they contain a lot of greenery and bright colours. This contrasts with grotesque as the adjective is generally used to describe ugly and filthy things which is completely the opposite of a garden. Therefore by the Fitzgerald pairing the words "Grotesque" and "Gardens" it suggests to the reader that something is off or abnormal. It also sets the mood for the rest of the paragraph as the reader predicts that the opening pages of chapter 2 are not set in the same environment as the rest of the book. Also when the author says " valley of ashes" it further identifies to the reader a dull mood. The hyperbole establishes an image of an extreme amount of colourless ash everywhere in a massive field. The extreme exaggeration highlights to the reader that everything is dull and lifeless in this part of the chapter. Ashes are also something that can be associated with the dead as when someone is cremated their body is turned into ashes. This adds onto the lifeless feeling that is created when using " valley of ashes". Hence the lifeless feeling that is created in this environment where there are no emotions and everything is dull, helps establish a better image in the readers head of what this place looks like and why it is so different from any of the other locations in the book.

I think I've given my paragraph a better feeling of direction and I've made it more cohesive but I feel that my integration of quotes is not very good yet.