Color In The Great Gatsby

According to most surveys, it is known that blue is America’s favorite color and although the eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleburg, Tom Buchanan’s coupe and Jay Gatsby’s gardens were all colored blue, F. Scott Fitzgerald wasn’t thinking of the people’s favorite color when writing The Great Gatsby. Instead, Fitzgerald uses the color blue to symbolize sadness and the higher class. Additionally, whenever the color blue is mentioned Gatsby, a member of the higher class, is almost always around. By themselves, blue and heat seem to have no similarities because heat represents Gatsby’s growing love for Daisy while blue represents sadness and unhappiness. However, since Gatsby can be represented through the color blue and heat represents Gatsby in terms of

Before Myrtle Wilson bit the dust, she had an affair with Tom Buchanan. Wilson lived in the valley of ashes and Tom was up to his knees in cash so the two could not, or would not, divorce their existing spouses marry each other because in the world of The Great Gatsby, it’s all about retaining your social status. That did not mean that Tom couldn’t visit Myrtle in secret and buy her gifts. For example, the first time Nick met Myrtle she was wearing a “spotted dress of dark blue crêpe-de-chine,” given to her by Tom (25). Myrtle’s blue dress was bought by Tom, a member of the higher class, exhibiting how the color blue is seen around those in the higher class. Shortly after Myrtle’s death, George accused Tom of being the driver who ran her over. When the policeman asked Tom what color his car was, Tom replied “It’s a blue car, a coupé,” (140). His blue car also shows that the color blue is always around members of the higher class like

Throughout the novel, the color blue can almost always be found near Gatsby. The first mention of this is when Nick goes to one of Gatsby’s parties for the first time. The first thing Nick sees are, “his blue gardens,” and all the different people dancing on the front lawn of Gatsby’s house (39). When Daisy finally agrees to meet with Gatsby, he tries to impress Daisy by showing her how wealthy he had become. Gatsby shows Daisy and Nick all of his expensive shirts, “with monograms of Indian blue,” and starts throwing the shirts at Daisy (92). However, Gatsby did not always have those expensive shirts to throw. Before he came to West Egg, Gatsby was considered a poor man even though he tried to convince Nick of his wealthy upbringing. The second time Gatsby’s gardens are mentioned are after his death when Nick is reminiscing his time West Egg. Nick realized that Gatsby, “had come a long way to this blue lawn,” (180). Although Gatsby and Tom were both of the higher class, Gatsby worked his way up whereas Tom had his money bequeathed to him. Blue represents the higher class but it also encapsulates Gatsby and how he worked hard to get to where he wanted to