What Does The Color Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

Colors often give a certain richness and vitality to the world around us and onlookers see them to represent more than their appearance. For example, when you see the color blue you think of sadness and, similarly, red is seen as anger or rage. In the jazz age novel, The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald, color symbolism is very apparent and the associations with them are seen as well. Told through the eyes of Nick Carraway, the novel is about a successful, newly rich, man by the name of Jay Gatsby seeks his long adored love Daisy Buchannan. The only problem is she is married to another man by the name of Tom. The story follows his pursuit of a married woman of whom he loves. Colors play a discernible and important role that personifies various meanings throughout the novel. Color symbolism plays an essential role in the novel. The color white often symbolizes innocence and purity in the novel through characters such as Daisy and attributes such as wealth. For example, when Daisy says “our white childhood was passed together there” (Fitzgerald 24) it represents a child’s innocence and purity. Within a city full of corrupt and vile people that innocence is seldom seen in anyone except maybe Daisy. But with Daisy there’s a catch, as there is with nearly every character in this novel: she merely …show more content…
In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby is a man filled with the hope of being with his long lost love Daisy. Unfortunately, she has already found another man and husband by the name of Tom Buchannan. Gatsby tries unceasingly to get her back in this and remembers the moments they had together every time he looks at that green light across the bay. Colors play an important role throughout the novel such as green representing hope and gold representing richness and happiness. Colors often give a certain richness and vitality to the world around us and onlookers see them to represent more than their