Diction

       F. Scott Fitzgerald, in chapter 9 of The Great Gatsby, expresses Nick's thoughts of the East after the death of Gatsby. In this passage, the author uses a combination dark words and descriptions to establish the melancholy tone that makes up most of the chapter. Words like, "sprawling" and "swollen" are one of the many choices implemented into this passage to depict Nick's depressing image of the East, referencing to a paining by El Greco. The author also writes, "a hundred houses...crouching under a sullen, overhanging sky and a lustreless moon" (176). Describing the night sky as "sullen" with a "lustreless" moon establishes a depressing and gloomy atmosphere. In addition, the author writes, "...four solemn men walk with a stretcher on which lies a drunken woman..." (176). Calling the men "solemn," who are also alongside an unconscious intoxicated woman, further establish the despondent depiction of the East. Fitzgerald also denotes through Nick, "no one knows the woman's name, and no one cares" (176). By using the phrase "no one," the author further establishes the dark tone by using the negative pronoun to imply the pessimistic thoughts in Nick's mind. It can also be noted that the author uses the words "sprawling," "swollen," "sullen," and "solemn" to describe the setting, all beginning with the letter "s," which adds alliteration to further constitute Fitzgerald's tone. Thus, the straightforward denotation of Nick's image of the East is composed of several dismal words and phrases, and is used to express the author's pensive and melancholy tone.