The Use and Effect of Imagery in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott FitzgeraldA vivid imagination is a wonderful endowment created from sparks of ingenuity. The fire that ignites these majestic sparks is sensational writing. It is evident that F. Scott Fitzgerald certainly has a vivid imagination in his novel “The Great Gatsby” due to the great beauty of the images applied. Every word Fitzgerald chose carefully and with the firm intention of stimulating the mood and tone of the novel. Thus, the sensory writing of Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" establishes mood and tone through the application of a multitude of motifs, detailed accounts of the setting, and complex descriptions of the characters. The clever use of motif is consistent throughout the novel. Fitzgerald included a wide variety of motifs in "The Great Gatsby", such as focusing on the elements of eyes, dreams, dust and ashes. As Nick Carraway begins the first chapter, he references Jay Gatsby and the "filthy dust" (p. 8) that "floated in the wake of his dreams" (p. 8) to foreshadow how Gatsby's brilliant plans were hounded by tragedy. . The tone given off by the motifs of dreams and dust is that of pity born from powerful words. Tom Buchanan's introduction parallels that of another motif, the eyes. Nick immediately takes a dislike to Tom at first sight (quite at odds with Gatsby's crush on Daisy) and describes him as having "arrogant eyes" (p. 12). Although a person cannot have arrogant eyes, Nick instantly notices a haughty look in Tom before a word is spoken between them that stabilizes a sarcastic tone and uncomfortable atmosphere. A tense mood is demonstrated by Nick's observations that Tom, Daisy and Jordan were...... middle of paper...... Scott Fitzgerald's use of sensory techniques enhanced "The Great Gatsby" appealing to the reader's knowledge and visualization of complex concepts to better understand the deeper meanings, subtle nuances as well as the overall intention behind the elaborate novel. Therefore, Fitzgerald's abstraction of uniform pattern, setting, and character description created a variety of moods and tones appropriate for each event throughout "The Great Gatsby." Work cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 2013. Print.