3 RULEBREAKING ELEMENTS

STYLE: Past-Tense

An example of style rulebreaking in chapter 9 of The Great Gatsby is the past-tense nature of its writing. Taking place after the death of Jay Gatsby, chapter 9 focuses on his funeral, told from the perspective of Nick Carraway. Rulebreaking arises in the way in which this chapter fits with the rest of the book- instead of taking place in the present tense like the rest of the story, chapter 9 is told in the past tense, with Nick telling the reader that it takes place 2 years after the events of the rest of the book. This choice, to make the last chapter a retrospective, isn’t very common, and allows for a unique retelling of the events that conspired at Gatsby’s funeral. Nick gives us a more accurate account of what happened, as he had time to piece together where all of the story’s core characters went or did after or during the funeral, like how Tom and Daisy got back together and Gatsby’s act of calling Daisy was in vain. 

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STYLE: Perspective

Another example of rulebreaking is the perspective from which the story is written. Although the story is titled The Great Gatsby and is almost entirely about Jay Gatbsy himself, events in his life are observed from the perspective of Nick Carraway, instead of a first-person narrative. This offers a unique view- we can hear Gatsby’s perspective on events, but also get Carraway’s interpretation. It also allows for the story to continue post-mortem- once Gatsby dies, Carraway’s perspective continues the story and we, as readers, learn what happened afterward, like how characters reacted, or not reacted: when Nick “[called them three times”, stressing it was “very important”, the operator told him “I’m afraid no one’s there.” Because it’s told from Carraway’s view, we also gain a secondary opinion, and in a way, he represents the reader in the story. 

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CONTENT: No Attendants of Gatsby's Funeral

A more content-focused example of rulebreaking is the unfaithfulness of his friends. Nobody, other than Nick Carraway, Gatsby’s father, and a few servants were present at the funeral. The convention established throughout the rest of the book is that Gatsby will host an elaborate, loud, and large party at his house, many will attend, and many more will want to attend. Breaking away from this convention, though, is Gatsby’s funeral. Instead of the event being large and full of people from his social circle, his funeral is empty, except for the before-mentioned attendants. Not even the locals who knew him were present, and people like Tom and Daisy had moved away and left no indication of where they went or a means of contacting them. The funeral of Gatsby is a lonely, solemn, and empty event, a stark contrast to the upbeat and extravagant parties of the rest of the story.