Use Of Green Light In The Great Gatsby

The author uses so many literary devices throughout the entire book but one of the most common device Fitzgerald uses is symbolism. The novel focuses on two main symbols, the green light and the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg's. The green light quote “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…” This symbolizes the desire Gatsby feels for Daisy. It tells the reader that Gatsby and Daisy live on opposite sides of the island where along Daisy’s dock on the “old money” part of town there lies a green light. Gatsby reaches his arm out as if to claim and

or get to Daisy but isn’t able to. The last sentence of the quote “minute and far away…” literally means impossible to reach. In this quote “But above the grey land and the spasms of bleak dust, which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic- their retinas are one yard high. They look out of no face, but instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose…But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground.” it talks about Doctor T. J. Eckleburg's eyes. The people in the valley of ashes believe that the billboard are the eyes of god, that he sees everything and is always watching. Later in the novel a couple named Myrtle and George prove the quote above. George furiated after discovering his wife’s affair with Tom Buchanan said, “God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!” stating that the eyes symbolize God.
Imagery is another device used and was very popular in the book.

Examples are something as simple as the description of the characters brunch to something as complex as the detail of Gatsby’s parties and even the characters themselves. Fitzgerald writes “a rosy-colored porch open toward the sunset where four candles flickered.” The reader will imagine a porch where the sunset projects a rosy-color as candles flickered out on the deck. It is no surprise that the twenties were all about parties and Gatsby knew how to throw a great party. Fitzgerald took the normal imagery of a party and made it vivid and detailed by saying “'The lights grow brighter as the earth lurches away from the sun, and now the orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music, and the opera of voices pitches a key higher.” This quote creates the image of bright lights, crowds of people from all over, and music so people can dance all night. The reader can imagine Gatsby’s mansion lighting from tower to cellar. The author is also very unique in the characterization of his characters. Nick Carraway Talks about Gatsby saying “He had 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 as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself.” , meaning that he is a brilliant man and it would be an honor to be his

friend.
However, along with symbolism and imagery there is also irony. They are when Gatsby is killed, Tom Buchanan is losing both of his women, and when Gatsby is shot for killing Myrtle when it was Daisy who did. This quote “‘Well, I tried to swing the wheel-’ He broke off, and suddenly I guessed at the truth. ‘Was Daisy driving?’ ‘Yes,’ he said after a moment, ‘but of course I'll say I was.’” tells how Daisy was the one who was driving uncontrollably and hit Myrtle with the car that killed her instantly. Gatsby loving Daisy so much wanted to take the blame, he knew she shouldn’t be driving since she was an emotional wreck, but he believed it would take her mind off it. Instead she was driving way over the speed limit and couldn’t stop the car in time. Tom, Daisy’s husband, believed Gatsby murdered his mistress on purpose and had George, myrtle’s husband, kill him which is ironic since it was really Daisy. Another example is “His wife and his mistress, until an hour ago secure and inviolate, were slipping precipitately from his control.” Daisy was ready to run away with Gatsby and Myrtle was moving west and he was losing everything right at his fingertips. This is ironic because Tom Buchanan the cheater, is now the cheated. The last ironic situation is when Gatsby is killed and has a funeral. This is ironic because even though he threw such large parties and everyone came to them, no one came to his funeral. Only Nick Carraway and Gatsby’s father attended. This shows that people only wanted him for his large parties, alcohol, and money. And despite the fact that he seemed loved by many people, but to most he was just a name like a figment of someone’s imagination. He was alone after all this time of fighting for Daisy and trying to be a different person. Nick was one of Gatsby’s only friends and cared for him more than people will ever know. He says “I found myself on Gatsby's side, and alone...it grew upon me that I was responsible because no one else was interested”.
Another literary device is similes. Nick Carraway describes an event while visiting Daisy in her home: “'For a moment the last sunshine fell with romantic affection upon her glowing face; her voice compelled me forward breathlessly as I listened--then the glow faded, each light deserting her with lingering regret like children leaving a pleasant street at dusk.” From this you can conclude that Daisy has such a beautiful delightful face that any source of light wouldn’t want to leave it. "A fantastic farm where the ashes grow like wheat." is talking about the valley of ashes and how is was such a grotesque place where all of the ashes consumed men, buildings almost as if they were hiding behind it. So, basically this is saying that there is so much ash that it resembles a field of wheat. Another one occurs in chapter 7, when Nick says, “Daisy and Jordan lay upon an enormous couch, like silver idols, weighing down their own white dresses against the singing breeze of the fans.” Daisy and her best friend Jordan, during on the the opening scenes in the earlier chapters, are both laying on a couch and talking when Nick enters the room seeing what he did. He views them as very elegant women who were idols and admired by many women in town. The place setting is to show that they are very rich idealistic women.
Lastly, the novel uses many metaphors. Again with the green light, like I said, this appears all throughout the novel and is very important. Fitzgerald writes,”Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever.... Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one.” This means that he has lost Daisy forever and realizing that everything seemed to lose its significance. Nothing would be the same again and sets a depressed mood. The valley of ashes is described as an extended metaphor. “This is a valley of ashes – a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of ash-grey men, who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air.” Again, it talks about the people who were the same color as the ash and working with coal and trains to which the rich chose to ignore and the poor or less fortunate people hide behind in shame. In Chapter 3 a metaphor occurs quoting “In his blue garden men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.” It is saying people are like moths. They are attracted to light and for the people that equals champagne, music, dancing, and spirit. They resemble the moths that are desperate to get to the light as the people are to parties. Most of this excitement was due to the prohibition which took tolls on many adults causing them to be reckless and mindless. Daisy uses a metaphor to describe Nick in chapter 1 when she says, “You remind me of a- of a rose, an absolute rose.” Obviously she doesn’t think Nick is an actual rose more like she is warmed and charmed to see him at her dinner table.