Final answer:
Fitzgerald prepares the reader for Gatsby's death through foreshadowing, character development, and thematic buildup, with elements such as Gatsby's obsession with Daisy, his mysterious past, and his profligate lifestyle all creating expectation of his tragic end.
Step-by-step explanation:
The narrative trajectory of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby intricately prepares the reader for the tragic demise of the novel's titular character, Jay Gatsby. Fitzgerald forges a potent mood of impending tragedy through a combination of foreshadowing, character development, and thematic build-up. There are many instances of foreshadowing in the novel. One particularly prominent example is Gatsby's constant longing for a life with Daisy. His single-minded obsession and pursuit of a life with her, even though she is already married, prefigures his eventual downfall.
Gatsby's unrestrained desire for a beautiful but unattainable dream, much like Fitzgerald's own life, becomes symbolic of the doom that often accompanies such blind pursuit. Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda, like Gatsby, also lived a profligate lifestyle, squandering the money he made from his writing. This parallel with his own life subtly prepares the reader for a similar downfall for Gatsby.
Other elements such as Gatsby's mysterious past, his involvement in shady business deals, and his association with unsavoury characters, all contribute to an unsettling feeling of inevitable tragedy. Fitzgerald uses these narrative elements masterfully, making the final tragic denouement of Gatsby's death both surprising and yet,more importantly, narratively satisfying.
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