Modernist Techniques in The Great Gatsby

Thirdly, impressionist descriptions, symbols, and motifs in the novel contribute to addressing Modernism's issues. Influenced by Joseph Conrad's language in Heart of Darkness, Fitzgerald opts for impressionistic, picturesque language, often using figures of speech. Examples include "Yellow Cocktail Music," "Velvet Dusk," "Blue Gardens," "Vividness," and Daisy's voice, described as "exhilarating" and engaging, with musical ups and downs.

Fitzgerald uses recurring symbols: The green light (hope), seen when Gatsby and Daisy reunite after five years; The clock (remaining time for Gatsby and Daisy) in the same scene; Daisy's destroyed letter from Gatsby (their resigned love's end); The blue light (sadness and melancholy); Gatsby's mansion (wealth and leisure, later solitude after his death); and The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg (negative connotations of American industrialization, foreshadowing terrible events). Cars represent industrialization, wealth, and corruption, seen in Myrtle's fatal accident, where Gatsby takes the blame for Daisy.

Motifs include the West Side (new rich, corruption) versus the East Side (old rich); The Valley of Ashes (industrialization's consequences, with ashes piling in spirals); and New York City (dynamism and loneliness). These motifs, like the Valley of Ashes, represent Modernist themes.

In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald employs Modernist techniques reflecting the 1920s' social and artistic influences. These include time shifts, a first-person narrator, and detailed descriptions, imagery, and motifs, addressing key Modernist themes.