What Does The Color Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

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Color is an important symbol used in literature that helps us get a better understanding of the setting and characters in the novel. The color helps the reader grasp a deeper and more controlled comprehension of the characters that are in the novel. It applies to their thoughts, feelings, and actions; therefore, this makes color a small, yet important role in describing connotations in the story. The Great Gatsby is a great example, as its use of color shines throughout the novel in its settings and characters. Jay Gatsby, the title character in the novel, has many colors that helps describe who the character really is and explores how Gatsby really feels as the story progresses.
Jay Gatsby is a peculiar man that is arguably best described …show more content…

Without color, it would be very hard to really know what certain characters are really thinking or what the mood of the story is. Gatsby is a hard man to understand and the colors that are associated with him give us more detail about him than the man himself ever does in the story. His character is really a mystery for most of the novel and anything about him is really told by, the story’s narrator, Nick Carraway instead of Gatsby. However, that does not mean we can not infer on how he really feels and what his true thoughts are by using the color imagery. Each color serves a purpose in understanding who the man really is; they are not just placeholders to make the novel’s aesthetic more appealing to the readers. That is what makes Jay Gatsby the most interesting character because what surrounds the man is more interesting than the man himself. That is fascinating to think, if you consider that there is nothing concrete about him at all; Gatsby’s character is really carried by the colors in giving us the best description of who he is and what he wants. His actions are also connected with the colors and the similarities between them are truly staggering to …show more content…

Color is a desperate thing when it is used in novels, but with the right touch it can be masterfully done like it is in The Great Gatsby. In chapter 6, on pages 128 to 131, a quote of Gatsby’s can best be described by the color green when he says, “I’m going to fix everything just the way it was before,” he said nodding determinedly. “She’ll see.” Green could be the color that best describes this quote as his hope for a future with Daisy is wanting to be with her and will do anything he can to get it. His envy for wanting Daisy’s love and admiration is strong, passionate to the point where he will do anything to make it right with his one true love, even if it means he has to stand up to Tom. The other two colors do not have a specific quote that you can try to pinpoint with its relationship to Gatsby’s feelings, but the setting at which they are included in is able to still answer that question. Yellow surrounds Gatsby with his clothes, his house, his car, all of these things are brilliantly used to show his optimism. The optimism is for Daisy; however, not for him showing of his wealth for everyone to see. One day he is hoping she will casually stroll into his house where they can reunite and capture their old romance. Blue is used very briefly, yet it describes his depression and isolation towards everyone

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