What Does Pink Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

Colors are a major part of literature, used in countless books and movies to help depict symbolism and themes. In The Great Gatsby, colors are used in abundance. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses a multitude of colors ranging from grey to pink. However, three colors are used more frequently: green, gold, yellow, and pink. Fitzgerald uses a large amount of green, a color used in literature to represent money and fortune. However, throughout The Great Gatsby, green continuously represents hope and dreams. Fitzgerald also uses a surplus of yellow and gold throughout the book. Yellow typically symbolizes happiness and joy, but in The Great Gatsby yellow represents failure and death. In using gold, Fitzgerald represents fortune and power. The third

Pink throughout the story represents Daisy and Gatsby’s love for each other. One major example is Gatsby’s pink suit. “‘Like hell he is! He wears a pink suit’” (Fitzgerald 122). Gatsby wears a pink suit when he meets with Daisy, exemplifying his love and passion for her. Further, Gatsby only wears the pink around Daisy. Pink is also used to demonstrate Gatsby’s love even after he loses her, “I could think of nothing except the luminosity of his pink suit under the moon” (Fitzgerald 142). Fitzgerald includes pink in the scene to show that even though Gatsby’s chances with Daisy are over, he still has a strong passion for her. Fitzgerald also shows that Gatsby is willing to risk his own safety to conserve and indemnify Daisy’s safety. Pink can also be seen during Daisy and Gatsby’s ephemeral moment of love. When Gatsby and Daisy first reunite Daisy states, “I’d like to just get one of those pink clouds and put you in it and push you around” (Fitzgerald 94). Fitzgerald includes this pink refrence to demonstrate to readers the love and passion between Daisy and Gatsby. The color appears again in the story when Daisy’s room contains a pink glow (Fitzgerald 144). In this situation, pink shows the reader there is still a passion between the two even though the relationship is dead. Although Gatsby ultimately failed in reuniting with Daisy, pink still represented the love and passion between