Quotation Analysis

     "He snatched the book from me and replaced it hastily on its shelf, muttering that if one brick was removed the whole library was liable to collapse" (Fitzgerald 46).

     In this quotation, Fitzgerald uses foreshadowing to allude to the extravagant image Gatsby has built up for himself, and ultimately, its demise. Gatsby had created this persona for himself, building it upon lies and false stories while running from his true past. If one "brick" or lie falls through, then the whole masquerade would come tumbling down. Later on in the story, this is exactly what happens. By hiring people to investigate Gatsby, Tom exposes him as a bootlegger. This causes Daisy to end her relationship with Gatsby, ending the chances of Gatsby fulfilling his dream and ultimately leading to his murder.

     "He smiled understandingly--much more than understandingly. It was on of those rare smiles with a quality of external reassurance in it, [...] It faced [...] the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood., believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey" (Fitzgerald 48).

    In this passage, Fitzgerald uses the quality of Gatsby's smile to characterize his personality as a whole. The emphasis on the word "you", implies that when Gatsby placed his attention solely on one person, they felt as if they were the center of the world. His smile had a quality about it that made people feel very important. Through words such as "rare", "irresistible" ad "assured", Fitzgerald characterizes Gatsby as very charismatic and charming. Gatsby's smile also divulges a quality about himself he hopes to convey. Fitzgerald states that his smile, "...assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey" (Fitzgerald 48). Throughout his entire adult life, Gatsby had attempted to create this facade of wealth and sophistication. Just as his smile assured others that he thought of them exactly how they wanted to be thought of, Gatsby hoped to be seen by others as how he was trying to present himself.