F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby and displayed the emptiness of the “Gilded Age” of America, that is the wealthy and affluent attempting to cover the poverty of those who couldn’t enjoy their luxury by excessive decadence during the 1920s, and just as the “Gilded Age’s” name holds more meaning that its nine letters conveys, there is a wealth of symbolism and dual-meaning in his book. To begin, Fitzgerald chose to use colors to convey meaning, such as the green light as a symbol of rebirth, or goodness, or the gold flowers around Gatsby’ house to represent his wealth; furthermore, the use of grey of in the Valley of Ashes conveys the dreariness of the area. The green light of Daisy’ dock hold meaning beyond its color choice, and the …show more content…
main and important supporting characters, to leave out Nick, can be attached to one of the Seven Deadly Sins by their beliefs and actions, more on this and how it relates to Fitzgerald later. Finally, the “eyes” of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg can be symbolic of either the oppressive nature of the rich toward the poor in that era or perhaps a higher being, again more on this later and how it relates to Fitzgerald. The amount of symbolic meaning many of parts and items of The Great Gatsby holds is astonishing; however, I wish to only discuss only the most interesting and profound ones. The colors have always played a role in the expression of ideas and emotions, e.g. white to purity, red to anger. Fitzgerald made a great piece of literature through the usage of color symbolism. The following colors examples in The Great Gatsby were just a part of what plenty of other objects could be, but I felt these showed the most expressive and deep allusions. First off, the green light off of Daisy’ pier stood as a sign for Gatsby and became his attention, even before the Daisy and Gatsby meet again on their date. Its color stands for the bright welcoming hope that a love with Daisy will provide in Gatsby’ mind, and this theory is strengthened throughout the book , as it draws his focus in first chapter, as he looks over the water, and is mentioned to Nick and Daisy later in the book. The green light could also represent a place of safety and stability, which for Gatsby attempting to fake his life must be important.
It would make sense he would like some place of stability or constant nature in his life of lies, and this lighthouse in his inner storm would seem right. He would be looking for something to himself down to, and his past lover would provide that sense of security or love; that is, it reminds of a simpler time, one where he didn’t have to buy house across the bay just to see her or where he has to break the bonds of marriage of Daisy and Tom to get his love. Perhaps the most intriguing theory is the idea that the light represents happiness and joy. Gatsby represents man, and the bay represents life and its obstacles. With this, man tries to get close to happiness. However, life and its struggles block you from achieving bliss. This theme is illustrated throughout the book with the Gatsby-Daisy and Tom-Myrtle relationships. The color gold is often symbolic of wealth or power and is often used in the book’s imagery to either convey this message subtly or …show more content…
bluntly. For example, we see Nick’s “dozen volumes on banking and credit and invest securities and they stood on my shelf in red and gold like new money from the mint, promising to unfold the shining secrets that only Midas and Morgan and Maencenas knew.” The gold binding is symbolic of the wealth that comes with the field, both in your dealings and your profit, and this proven when he says that the books will reveal the secrets of Midas, a mythological king with the powers to turn anything he touches to gold. It would make sense to reason that gold is symbolic of wealth, and the red, the color of blood, possibly could represent how cut-throat the business is or how it much death, i.e. Jay Gatsby, there might be as Nick’s life as a bondsman. Next, we see that a large number of items in and around Gatsby’ mansion are described in a gold color, e.g.
the windows in the morning, the turkey, and the flowers surrounding Gatsby’ mansion. This could be interpreted to the “Gilded Age” of America, a name coined for the period that extended from Reconstruction to about 1900. The idea of it, even though it had past, is so similar to Gatsby indulgences for the sake of entertainment and enjoyment show the gold layer outside. The inside is shown when realize that it is Gatsby’ attempt to find a lost lover, a forlorn hope, and see how sad and miserable the idea of attempt is. This is the “Gilded Age”; a place where the happiness and glee is guise for the sadness and despair that is hidden
beneath. Finally, the Valley of Ashes goes back to the sadness of the poor and non-wealthy, as they aren’t able to enjoy the pleasures that people like Gatsby host every week. The grey and otherwise neutral palette used in describing the valley gives it an empty and almost desolate sense; furthermore, when Fitzgerald uses the metaphor of the wind to “ash-grey men,” it seems to allude to ghosts, and this is further suggests the vast, emptiness of setting. These factors make the valley seem to represent the side of the of the society that was shoved under the rug. Fitzgerald’s usage of colors to portray emotion was pure genius, as we see the rich symbols they create. His choice in this makes a seemingly inconspicuous idea and object connected through profound symbolism. This is only seconded by the numerous Christian, particularly Catholic, ideas in the book, It is important to note that is interesting due to Fitzgerald’s generally quiet religious life in his adulthood despite his early Catholic upbringing. The eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, as previously mentioned, seem to represent some kind of upper authority. Secularly speaking, the eyes could seem to represent the oversight of the rich over the poor, as they attempt to push out the thought through partying and gluttony.
F. Scott Fitzgerald uses many colors as symbols in his book, The Great Gatsby. Among them: silver, gold, and green are all colors that represent Gatsby. Not only that, but they also connect Gatsby to a major theme of the novel, The American Dream. Silver symbolizes and relates to Gatsby through his glamour, his mysteriousness, and his distinguished nature. Gold signifies Gatsby through his enormous amount of wealth, and how extravagantly he shows it off. Green has to do with Gatsby by illustrating his desires. The Great Gatsby is a great book that has endured for almost a century, and is a classic about the Jazz Age. It is filled with symbols and themes, describing what were the great times and hardships of the 1920s.
Gatsby holds extravagant parties every weekend hoping that his love of his life visits. Gatsby has a blue gardens where “men and girls came and went”(Fitzgerald 39). Gatsby hopes to see Daisy walk through his gardens at one of his parties, but his fantasies do not come true. Gatsby’s blue gardens symbolize his loneliness and inner depression because he dreams about Daisy having fun at one of his parties, but his dreams never come true. Another thing that symbolizes Gatsby’s sadness is the bay that separates east and west egg. This blue body of water symbolizes Gatsby’s sadness because it separates him from Daisy, his one and only true love. Most nights, Gatsby looks across the bay at Daisy’s green light wishing that he could be with Daisy again, but they are separated by the “blue lawn” that is impossible to cross (Fitzgerald 180). The color blue symbolizes Gatsby’s inner depression and sadness because of the separation of him and
Symbolism is immensely spread through this novel, as well as an immerse amount of color. For example, the green light gatsby strives for. Gatsby states that the "single green light" on Daisy's dock that Gatsby gazes wistfully at from his own house across the water represents the "unattainable dream," the "dream [that] must
F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby, captures a fine description of how life was in America during the Jazz Age. The Jazz Age signaled an end to traditional American values and a movement towards new ones. The purpose of The Great Gatsby was to show how traditional American values were abandoned and how the pursuit and desire for wealth could lead to the downfall of one’s dreams and goals in life. Happiness obtained from money is only an illusion, money has the power to corrupt and obscure one’s mind and lead one down the path of failure and misery. By using symbolism, imagery, and character personalities and traits, F. Scott Fitzgerald manipulates language to fulfill the purpose of The Great Gatsby.
The story of Jay Gatsby is a romantic one that actually began years before. However, his romantic story turns into a troubling one when we realize that he is not the man he seems to be. The story of Jay Gatsby is not only filled with romance, but with secrecy, obsession, and tragedy. The symbol of Jay Gatsby's troubled romantic obsession is a green light at the end of the dock of Daisy Buchanan, a woman to whom he fell in love with five years earlier. The green light represents his fantasy of reuniting with Daisy and rekindling the love they once had. This light represents everything he wants, everything he has done to transform himself, and ultimately everything that he cannot attain.
for the future of the world. Light symbolizes hope and dreams. The dream is for Daisy. Gatsby buys the house across the bay so he can see the Buchanan light. Later in the story when Gatsby has Daisy the importance of the light.
Gatsby can achieve his dream once he marries Daisy Buchannan, a young woman he met in Louisville, where he falls in love with the opulence that surrounds her. Throughout the book, the motifs of the green light and fake facade are used to signify Gatsby's hope and never ending lust for status respectively. Gatsby's obsession with restructuring his past leads to his failure. Fitzgerald uses these motifs of the green light, fake facade and past to showcase Gatsby's objectification of his American Dream. The green light at the end of Daisy Buchannan's dock signifies both hope and the difficulties Gatsby encounters while pursuing his dream.
The green light which is situated at the end of Daisy’s dock symbolizes Gatsby’s hope to be together with Daisy. Nick noticed how Gatsby often stared at "a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock” (Fitzgerald 25).
The green light at the end of the Buchanan’s dock symbolizes Gatsby’s lust for wealth and power, and also his dream of having Daisy. The interpretation that stands out the most of any is that green is the color of money, therefore Gatsby’s motivations are fueled by the wealthy status of someone on the East Egg that he would wish to have as well. However, just like his dreams, the light is very “minute and far away” (30). Gatsby throws lavish parties, lives his life in luxury, and fools himself into believing he is upper c...
“Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever.” (93). Jay Gatsby spent his time at night looking at green light that glimmered across the bay on East Egg. Gatsby seemed to cherish this light, almost as if it was his enchanted object that he relished everyday. The green light had meant jealously to Gatsby, but now that Daisy was at his side he saw the green light as if it was telling him to go. Gatsby had never felt so close to Daisy, even though the distance between them wasn’t so far at all. But now the green light was just another light at the end of the bay. His count of cherished items had diminished by one.
The lavish items that he buys are not for his happiness though, he is trying to attract Daisy. His house was picked solely because it is directly across the bay from Daisy 's house. At night her house can be seen by the green light that flashes at the end of her dock. The green light is a recurring symbol in the book and is stated that "In his own private world past and future can be held captive in the present"(Fitzgerald 117). The green light symbolizes Gatsby 's attempt to retrieve his past love for
Gatsby’s dream of winning Daisy has been deferred for long enough, that it seems impossible to everyone else around him. He pursues the past while he is in the future. He pines for Daisy after losing her to another man. Gatsby’s elaborate parties were all thrown in hopes that someday Daisy would wander inside. Nick finds out Gatsby’s intentions when he says, “Then it had not been merely the stars to which he has aspired on that June night. He became alive to me, delivered suddenly from the womb of his purposeless splendor” (Fitzgerald 83). All the extravagant spending, the house, the new identity, the illegal activities, were all for Daisy. He throws everything he has into this charade as he tries to adapt to Daisy’s world of high society. The problem is that Gatsby is so close, but yet so far away, “he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way... I glanced seaward- and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock” (Fitzgerald 25). Gatsby tries to embrace the light that emits from the end of Daisy’s dock. The light is something that he cannot hold, just like he cannot hold Daisy Buchanan in his arms. He attempts to pursue his dream that is nothing more than an illusion. Despite being blinded with his infatuation with her, “He hadn’t once ceased looking at
Nick Carraway, the narrator of the novel, first sees Gatsby standing outside of his mansion, “standing with his hands in his pockets regarding the silver pepper of the stars” (20). He is standing with his arms outstretched towards a green light. Nick says “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” (20). Gatsby is staring at the light on the end of Daisy’s dock as it is later revealed. Gatsby is standing there, with his arms stretched out, to welcome the love of Daisy and to give his love to her. He is reaching toward her, trembling because of the power of his love and the pain from their years of separation. The light represents how close Daisy is to him, but still so far away, in separate worlds. It could also be thought of in the sense that his love is still burning bright for Daisy. “Green is the color of hope” (Einem), and can represent “Gatsby’s hope to meet Daisy again and a chance to win her back” (Einem). Gatsby has been separated from Daisy for many years, but he still loves her deeply. When Daisy and Gatsby later reunite, they are standing in Gatsby’s bedroom, looking out across the bay. Gatsby points out the green light and says “If it wasn’t for the mist w...
Jay Gatsby is first introduced staring off into the distance underneath a tree with the solid stance of a man who believes in a future of the past, a life without death. In the distance, the narrator Nick Caraway describes something that he might share in viewing with Gatsby, seeing a “single green light” which he assumes to be the end of a dock. There are several theories out there on what exactly this green light could stand for: the past, the present, the future. One of the more agreeable theories is that it resembles Daisy Buchanan, “the unattainable dream,” Gatsby's lost lover (Siminoff, Shmoop; Symbolism, Allegories & Imagery). Gatsby once loved this girl with all his heart and received love in return; it was all a tender moment of his ...
Symbolism provides an imagery that helps facilitate a deeper understanding. Taking place in the 1920’s, The Great Gatsby, is set during a time when society, put up facades while also striving to achieve wealth and elite social status. This classic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald uses subtle multiple symbols throughout the novel to expose the controversial issues that existed with society at that time. His ultimate goal with this novel is to emphasize the class struggles and reveal the objectives needed to achieve the American dream. In The Great Gatsby, the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, uses the infamous green light, the metaphor of an egg, and pearls to demonstrate and support the overall theme of the American Dream.