Fitzgerald and the Roaring Twenties

Question 6 • BT 26-27 English Language Arts 11 B

Which excerpt from The Great Gatsby is the best example of foreshadowing?

Answer

. . . he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward — and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock. When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness.

Of course I knew what they were referring to, but I wasn’t even vaguely engaged. The fact that gossip had published the banns was one of the reasons I had come East. You can’t stop going with an old friend on account of rumors, and on the other hand I had no intention of being rumored into marriage.

I said lightly that I had heard nothing at all, and a few minutes later I got up to go home. They came to the door with me and stood side by side in a cheerful square of light. As I started my motor Daisy peremptorily called: “Wait!”

“Her family is one aunt about a thousand years old. Besides, Nick’s going to look after her, aren’t you, Nick? She’s going to spend lots of week-ends out here this summer. I think the home influence will be very good for her.”

Explanation

Foreshadowing hints at events or ideas that will matter later in the story. In excerpt A, Gatsby reaches toward a distant green light, introducing a mysterious symbol connected to his longing for Daisy and the future he hopes to reclaim. The other excerpts mainly describe gossip, a conversation, or plans for someone’s visits rather than planting a significant hint.

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