Question

(01.02 HC) Read the excerpt from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Then answer the question that follows. I lived at West Egg, the—well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them. My house was at the very tip of the egg, only fifty yards from the Sound, and squeezed between two huge places that rented for twelve or fifteen thousand a season. The one on my right was a colossal affair by any standard—it was a factual imitation of some Hôtel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden. It was Gatsby's mansion. Or, rather, as I didn't know Mr. Gatsby, it was a mansion inhabited by a gentleman of that name. My own house was an eyesore, but it was a small eyesore, and it had been overlooked, so I had a view of the water, a partial view of my neighbor's lawn, and the consoling proximity of millionaires—all for eighty dollars a month. Across the courtesy bay the white palaces of fashionable East Egg glittered along the water, and the history of the summer really begins on the evening I drove over there to have dinner with the Tom Buchanans. Daisy was my second cousin once removed, and I'd known Tom in college. And just after the war I spent two days with them in Chicago. How does the use of juxtaposition in this excerpt affect the meaning of the passage affect your understanding of the setting? It allows the reader to visualize only one side of the courtesy bay. It makes the reader think of how little eighty dollars is for rent. It illustrates a literal and figurative divide between two places. It gives insight into what happened after the war.

Answer 1

F. Scott Fitzgerald's use of juxtaposition in The Great Gatsby emphasizes the literal and figurative divide between West Egg and East Egg, highlighting the social and wealth disparities during the 1920s. The correct answer is option: a) It illustrates a literal and figurative divide between two places.

Step-by-step explanation:

The excerpt from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald uses juxtaposition to illustrate a literal and figurative divide between two places: West Egg and East Egg. This literary technique highlights the stark contrast between the narrator's modest dwelling and the grandiose estates surrounding it, emphasizing themes of wealth disparity and class differences. Furthermore, juxtaposition draws attention to the cultural and social rifts of the 1920s, as represented by the separate communities of East Egg and West Egg.

By placing the opulent lifestyle and palatial residences of the wealthy next to the more humble existence of the narrator, Fitzgerald provides a deeper understanding of the setting. This contrast not only paints a vivid picture of the two Eggs but also sheds light on the underlying tensions and pretenses of the time period. The reader gains insight into the extravagance of Gatsby's mansion versus the simplicity of the narrator's rented house, reinforcing the novel's exploration of the American Dream and its illusions.