The Great Gatsby: Atmosphere

Creating the Atmosphere:

“The lights grow brighter as the earth lurches away from the sun…high over the city our line of yellow windows must have contributed their share of human secrecy to the casual watcher in the darkening streets…“: This quote creates an ethereal and dreamlike atmosphere, emphasising the theme of illusion versus reality. The “line of yellow windows” appears to give off an artificial light which suggests deceit and pretence.
“In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.”: The use of light and dark imagery as represented by the twinkling stars and the moths in flight contribute to the magical, surreal atmosphere at Gatsby’s parties.

Atmosphere and Characters:

“Her laughter, her gestures, her assertions became more violently affected moment by moment…”: This quote conveys a frenzied, chaotic atmosphere that mirrors Daisy’s emotional turbulence, underscoring the correlation between the novel’s atmosphere and the characters’ emotional states.
“Gatsby, who stood alone by the marble steps and watched the lights die on his land…“ The atmosphere here is melancholic and desolate, reflecting Gatsby’s own feelings of loneliness and disappointment.

Atmosphere and Emerging Themes:

“The whole town is desolate. All the cars have the left rear wheel painted black as a mourning wreath, and there’s a persistent wail all night along the north shore…“ This creates a gloomy, sombre atmosphere, reinforcing one the key motifs in the text - the corruption and decay that lies beneath the opulence and glamour of the Jazz Age.
“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”: The atmosphere evoked here is one of hopelessness and futility, in line with the overarching theme of dashed dreams and unrealised desires.

Symbolism in Atmosphere:

“A thinning lustre of twilight spread behind him, rendering his white suit an eerie blue. His heart, filled with hopeless longing, cast an apparently eternal dusk on the world around him.” This quote illustrates how the atmospheric elements in the text are often symbolically charged, conveying psychological or thematic significance. The symbolism of the ‘eerie blue’ light represents Gatsby’s desperate longing for a past that is lost forever.
“The air is alive with chatter and laughter, and casual innuendo and introductions forgotten on the spot, and enthusiastic meetings between women who never knew each other’s names.”: The animated, lively atmosphere symbolises the superficiality and ephemeral nature of relationships and friendships in Gatsby’s world. The ‘enthusiastic meetings’ and ‘forgotten introductions’ highlight the volatility and transience of human connections in high society.