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?

In this extract from chapter 2 of the Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses hyperboles to give an exaggerated description of what Nick witnesses in his surroundings which establishes a gloomy and chaotic mood in the opening of the pages of chapter 2.

In this extract, Fitzgerald mentions the “Valley of Ashes” when referring to the city. This is a hyperbole since it is an exaggeration of the conditions of the city which can be seen developed further in that paragraph for example when he says,“A fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens”. This is an exaggeration since it talks about how everything in the valley of ashes is made up of ashes, even gardens that have a positive and uplifting connotation. This use of hyperbole showcases the fact that the city is not as comfortable as compared to the rich neighbourhoods of the East and the West Egg which creates a mood of gloominess.

Fitzgerald also establishes a chaotic mood in the opening of the extract when Nick narrates “About half way between West Egg and New York the motor road hastily joins the railroad” where the use of the word “hastily” shows how busy and fast-paced the surroundings are since everyone here isn’t wealthy and needs to earn money which compared to the people from the West and the East Egg is quite different as everyone living there are rich and don’t have fast and chaotic daily lives.

• You can argue with the opening sentence
• I mention three examples
• The arguments made do not transition well
• The paragraph structure is also unnecessary

In this extract from chapter 2 of the Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses hyperboles to give an exaggerated description of what Nick witnesses in his surroundings which establishes a gloomy and chaotic mood in the opening of the pages of chapter 2. For example Fitzgerald mentions the “Valley of Ashes” when referring to the city. This is a hyperbole since it is an exaggeration of the gloomy and dull conditions of the city. This idea can be seen developed further in that paragraph when he says,“A fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens”. This is also an exaggeration since it talks about how everything in the "valley of ashes" is made up of ashes, even gardens that usually connote positivity and joy. This emphasis of the city sheds light on the fact that the city is not as comfortable as compared to the rich neighbourhoods of the East and the West Egg which further creates a mood of gloominess. Fitzgerald also establishes a chaotic mood in the opening of the extract when Nick narrates “About half way between West Egg and New York the motor road hastily joins the railroad” where the use of the word “hastily” shows how busy and fast-paced the surroundings are. Since everyone in this city isn’t wealthy and need to earn money. This shows the difference between the posh and rich lives and surroundings of the East and the West Egg where people live smooth and vibrant lives and how it is completely different to the city and the crowd working tirelessly and fast-paced to satisfy their needs, causing chaos.

+I think I did well with the transition here
+I also wrote in the appropriate paragraph structures.