Color can influence our emotions, our actions, and how we respond to various people, things and ideas. Throughout literature, color symbolizes a variety of different things. In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nick Carraway tells us a tragic story of a helpless romantic, Jay Gatsby, desperately trying to get his long lost love back. Gatsby does everything in his power, such as becoming rich and throwing parties every weekend, just to get back Daisy Buchanan, a married woman who he is still in love with. The Great Gatsby contains many symbols, but color plays an important role in symbolism through the novel. White is associated with light, goodness, innocence, and purity. In The Great Gatsby we see the color white used to represent
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Nick, however, sees the true side of Daisy, as “the white flower – with the golden center” (Schneider) Gold, of course, is used to symbolize wealth and high quality. In The Great Gatsby, gold is used to represent the people of “old money.” (Samakanashvili) In contrast to the “purity” of Daisy symbolized by the white, the true color Daisy embodies is the golden or yellow color to show that she is rich, and nothing else really matters to her. Samakanashvili explains, “she is, Nick realizes, ‘high in a white palace the king’s daughter, the golden girl.’(Fitzgerald)” Jordan Baker, a girl who is also at first seen as an innocent woman who Nick Carraway seems to like, but ends up being just another person caught up with greed and money leading to the corrupt image of what she appears to be. Nick says, “With Jordan’s slender golden arm resting in mine.” (Fitzgerald 43) Cleary here, it is made present that Jordan is another “golden girl.” (Samakanashvili) Fitzgerald’s use of the symbol gold in the novel helps readers understand the people of “old money,” and their need for …show more content…
Everyone is quite familiar with “the green light” at the end of the Buchanan’s dock, this green light is used to represent the “orgiastic future,” the limitless promise of the dream Gatsby pursues to its inevitably tragic end. (Schneider) In The Great Gatsby many times we are shown the reference to the “green light.” In Gatsby’s first appearance in the novel, Nick glances at his mansion to discover him staring off into the distance and stretching his arms toward the sea Nick then says, “involuntarily 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 21) Once again, hope is being symbolized in the novel in chapter 5, when Gatsby makes a point to Tom in saying, “You always have a green that burns all night at the end of your dock.” (Fitzgerald) Tom and Daisy rarely even notice the green light at the end of their dock, but to Gatsby, this light meant so much more. Gatsby was just a hopeless dreamer, who could not give up his vision of the Daisy he used to love. Green is just a way to symbolize Gatsby’s hope for Daisy
Nick, however, sees the true side of Daisy, as “the white flower – with the golden center” (Schneider) Gold, of course, is used to symbolize wealth and high quality. In The Great Gatsby, gold is used to represent the people of “old money.” (Samakanashvili) In contrast to the “purity” of Daisy symbolized by the white, the true color Daisy embodies is the golden or yellow color to show that she is rich, and nothing else really matters to her. Samakanashvili explains, “she is, Nick realizes, ‘high in a white palace the king’s daughter, the golden girl.’(Fitzgerald)” Jordan Baker, a girl who is also at first seen as an innocent woman who Nick Carraway seems to like, but ends up being just another person caught up with greed and money leading to the corrupt image of what she appears to be. Nick says, “With Jordan’s slender golden arm resting in mine.” (Fitzgerald 43) Cleary here, it is made present that Jordan is another “golden girl.” (Samakanashvili) Fitzgerald’s use of the symbol gold in the novel helps readers understand the people of “old money,” and their need for …show more content…
Everyone is quite familiar with “the green light” at the end of the Buchanan’s dock, this green light is used to represent the “orgiastic future,” the limitless promise of the dream Gatsby pursues to its inevitably tragic end. (Schneider) In The Great Gatsby many times we are shown the reference to the “green light.” In Gatsby’s first appearance in the novel, Nick glances at his mansion to discover him staring off into the distance and stretching his arms toward the sea Nick then says, “involuntarily 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 21) Once again, hope is being symbolized in the novel in chapter 5, when Gatsby makes a point to Tom in saying, “You always have a green that burns all night at the end of your dock.” (Fitzgerald) Tom and Daisy rarely even notice the green light at the end of their dock, but to Gatsby, this light meant so much more. Gatsby was just a hopeless dreamer, who could not give up his vision of the Daisy he used to love. Green is just a way to symbolize Gatsby’s hope for Daisy