The analysis of Extract 4

The fourth extract from the first chapter of the novel pays special attention to
the mansion, presumably belonging to Mr. Gatsby. Returning home after meeting
Tom and Daisy, Nick sees the silhouette of a man standing not far from him. Then
he learns that it was none other than Gatsby. Nick Carraway draws attention to G.'s
confident pose, his relaxed movements when he looks into the distance, admiring
the starry sky.
However, after a moment, Mr. Gatsby, who has stretched out his hands to
the dark water, begins to tremble. He incredibly focuses his gaze on the green light.
This light, in the midst of the universal darkness of the night that surrounds him,
looks like a dream, the goal he is striving for and which he so desperately wants to
make a reality. Millions of stars shimmer over his head, but they all pale in
comparison with that alluring light that elusively shines to him from the other
shore.
Nick considers “something in Gatsby’s leisurely movements” and “the
secure position of his feet on the lawn” to be its main features. The epithet
"leisurely" emphasizes the calmness of Gatsby, and the epithet "secure" speaks of
his willingness to resist the recklessness around and a firm decision to achieve his
goal.
The romantic atmosphere is created by the description – “alone under the
silver pepper stars”. Gatsby is portrayed mysteriously. Nick doesn’t understand
what he is doing.
The words “emerge” and “vanish” are used here as a semantic opposition to
just “appear” and “disappear”. They convey the idea of illusion and suddenness,
because one can’t find from where Gatsby appears and disappears. Another
important fact is that the scene is set on the longest day of the year – the 22 nd of
June, the summer solstice.
The symbolism of the green light is also worth mentioning. On the one hand,
it expresses Gatsby’s hope for the better future with Daisy, but then, in the fifth
chapter of the novel, it acquires the meaning of danger.
 This chapter marks our first encounter with one of the most important
symbol in the novel – the green light at the end of Daisy's dock, to which Gatsby
attaches an almost indescribable value. This light symbolizes everything that has
driven him over the past five years: the desire to be with Daisy, the search for
money to marry her, and the delusion that she was obsessed with him as much as
he was her.