Question

re-read and examine nick’s description of gatsby:

he smiled understandingly—much more than understandingly. it was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. it faced—or seemed to face—the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. it understood you just so far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey. precisely at that point it vanished—and i was looking at an elegant young rough-neck, a year or two over thirty, whose elaborate formality of speech just missed being absurd.

identify something you find interesting about this description: __________

identify something you find confusing about this description: __________

identify something you want to find out more about: __________

Explanation:

1. Identify something interesting:

The description of Gatsby’s smile having “eternal reassurance” and the idea that it makes others feel understood and assured is interesting. It uses vivid imagery to show how a simple smile can create a deep emotional connection, making the reader curious about how Fitzgerald crafted such a powerful description of a character’s trait.

The phrase “the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor” is confusing. It’s unclear how the smile can shift focus from the external world to the observer and what “irresistible prejudice in your favor” precisely means in this context—does it mean bias or a favorable disposition, and how does the smile create this?

I want to learn more about F. Scott Fitzgerald’s writing techniques in describing characters, specifically how he uses physical traits (like a smile) to convey complex emotional and psychological dynamics between characters. This would help understand his narrative style and character development methods.

Answer:

The description of Gatsby’s smile as having “eternal reassurance” and its ability to make others feel understood/assured is interesting, as it uses vivid imagery to highlight a character trait’s emotional impact.

2. Identify something confusing: