Color Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

Different colors have different physiological meanings, they can affect your mood and what you do. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, colors are used to express and symbolize people's inner thoughts and feelings. Colors such as green and white are used to find someone's true feelings and true thoughts, while other colors are used to hide their true personality and allow them to camouflage into other types of crowds. Color symbolism is used to convey a deeper message to us and help us understand the characters true colors. The color green throughout the novel represents Jay Gatsby's different choices through his lifetime. The symbol used to express green through the novel is money, healing and greed. “Not only does green …show more content…
“the color white typically symbolizes innocence and purity,” many characters may use white to show innocence and purity but truly not being innocent and pure. Daisy and Jordan Baker are seen wearing white and are connected to the color white. "They were both in white" (p. 13), Daisy is seen as innocent and youthful when wearing white. Although these women may use the white as a reason to act childish and irresponsible. “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy--they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together…” (Fitzgerald 187). Daisy tricks people into thinking she doesn’t know what is right and what is wrong, when is reality she is hiding her snobbishness she portrays. Daisy understands her actions but acts carefree because her husband's wealth protects her from not being disliked. Jordan Baker acts very superior to others, although like Daisy she hides her true conceited self behind the pure and innocent color of white. “She was extended full length at her end of the divan, completely motionless and with her chin raised a little as if she were balancing something on it which was quite likely to fall. If she saw me she me out of the corner of her eyes she gave no hint of it—indeed I was almost surprised into murmuring an apology for having disturbed her by coming in.” …show more content…
Fitzgerald shows Myrtle's array of colors by changing her personality is different environment. She seems to change depending what type of group she is around.“Her face, above a spotted dress of dark blue crepe-de-chine, contained no facet or gleam of beauty…” (Fitzgerald 28). This shows how Mrytle being around her husband so much she doesn't care on how she looks around him. Myrtle does not like her husband at all, so she will where any colors to show how she does not have any love for him. When going to New York with her friends she tends to dress more in a middle class manner, trying to fit in with the class that she will be around. “She had changed her dress to a brown figured muslin, which stretched over her rather wide hips as Tom helped her to the platform in New York.” (Fitzgerald 29). While she is in New York she wants to be fit in with society and accepted by the higher classes. When they go to Tom's apartment she goes to change her dress because they are going to be having high class over Tom’s apartment. “Mrs Wilson had changed her costume some time before, and was now attired in an elaborate afternoon dress of cream-coloured chiffon, which gave out a continual rustle as she swept about the room.” (Fitzgerald 33). Myrtle goes around and starts interacting with her higher class friends. When she changes her outfit her whole personality changes. With her higher class friends