After finishing reading “The Great Gatsby”, I find there are always detailed descriptions about a new character whenever he or she comes into our reader’s eyes. The author, however, doesn’t spend much ink on weather descriptions. And we learn from the story that Nick, as the narrator of the novel, chooses to “reserve all judgments”, so we don’t know exactly what Gatsby thinks about and how he feels. But we could still get a better understanding about it through weather descriptions, which are separated skillfully into this novel. These weather descriptions works like a barometer, reflecting Gatsby’s feelings—when Gatsby tends to be nervous or unhappy, it rains; when he becomes happy or excited, it shines; when he calms down at night, the weather then is clear and quiet.
The weather when Daisy is invited to Nick’s house reveals Gatsby’s inner world feelings. For instance, “The day agreed upon was pouring rain.”(Page81, The Great Gatsby) Though it is a short sentence, it indicates a lot. Gatsby hasn’t met Daisy for almost five years. He doesn’t have any idea of how Daisy would react when they meet each other, though he never stops thinking about Daisy. So his inner world is struggling. On one hand, he is afraid that Daisy may have a cool attitude toward him or even worse. On the other hand, he keeps telling himself that Daisy still loves him. This unusual struggle put him under high pressure like the pouring rain. This explains why “he was pale, and there were dark signs sleeplessness beneath his eyes.”(Page 81) we readers can’t see Gatsby’s pressure, but we could feel it when we see these words “the day agreed upon was pouring rain.”(Page 81)
Here is another good example. “After half an hour, the sun shone again.”(page86) Now it is a fine day and every thing goes fine, including Gatsby and Daisy. They two have finished a short conversation when Nick comes in again. At this time, Gatsby is happier, more excited than ever, and there’s no nervous, embarrassing any more. Because he has confirmed that Daisy still loves him. Besides, he is rich now, “fully able to take care of her” (page142). Nor does he have to consider whether he has a “comfortable family standing behind him”. (page142) So he thinks he still have plenty of chances to win daisy back. Not only that, it is a dream he has chased for almost five years. And now it’s time! This also can explain why “he literally glowed” (page86).
The weather when Gatsby spends all night outside Tom’s house shows Gatsby’s mood too. After the car accident, Gatsby waits all night, worrying that Tom may “tries any brutality” (page137). The weather says like this--“him standing there in the moonlight—watching over nothing” (page139). We at least know from these words that it is a clear and quiet night, because the moon is in the sky. As Gatsby used to think, when “he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way” (page25), and “a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock” (page25), it should be a night when he and Daisy stay together or walk in the quiet moonlight shadow, enjoying happy time. And now he doesn’t think about that any more. He has calmed down (because when Gatsby and Tom argue who Daisy loves, both two men seem to be over excited), and actually I believe his inner world should be quiet or we may say he has accepted everything which is happening. And he has made up his mind to protect Daisy and all he cares about is her. If she “turns the light out and on again” (page137), he would get in Tom’s house and probably take her far away. Or if the policemen call, he is going to say it is he who drives the car and kills Mrs. Wilson. As Gatsby sees it, everything is under control.
Through the analysis of the three examples above, we’d have a clearer image about Gatsby as well as his inner world feelings. Gatsby’s mood develops from being afraid, nervous to being happy to being quiet and calmness, and the weather changes also from raining to shining to being clear and quiet at night. These changes in the weather reflect the development of Gatsby’s mood. So it is obviously that the weather plays a role of vital importance in this novel, which looks just like a barometer whose degree changes according to the temperature.
written by Ocean Lu walkeith@163.com http://ocean6.yo2.cn/