There is no denying the fact that colors are everywhere. In everyday life, people often associate colors with different feelings or emotions. In literature, colors can be used to symbolize more than just the way something looks. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby, a hopeful young man chasing the American Dream, tries for years to win back his old love Daisy Buchanan by becoming rich. Throughout the novel, color symbolism plays many important roles. The color green is used to symbolize hope and money. One of the most symbolic objects in the novel is the green light at the end of Tom and Daisy Buchanan’s dock. To Gatsby it is the center of his universe, but to Daisy it is just a warning light. The first time Gatsby
…show more content…
There are many people who are not fond of Gatsby and red “is inevitably associated with the violence caused by the human animals who prey upon Gatsby” (Schneider). When Gatsby and Daisy are in the car “Daisy runs down Myrtle, whose “thick dark blood” mingles with the dust” (Schneider). Gatsby did not want Daisy, “his innocent beautiful bride”, getting in any trouble so he took the blame for Myrtle’s death (Samkanashvili). Myrtle’s husband George therefore thought Gatsby was the one driving the car that hit his wife. Seeking revenge, George murders Gatsby who falls into the pool, leaving “a thin red circle in the water” (Fitzgerald 162). Often in the novel, “The beautiful reds become a color of carnage”, however this is not always the case because “red symbolizes the violent reality as well as the glittering dream” (Schneider). Tom and Daisy live in “a cheerful red-and-white Georgian Colonial mansion” (Fitzgerald 6). Inside the mansion is “a bright rosy-colored space… [with a] wine-colored rug” (Fitzgerald 7-8). The Buchanan’s are immensely rich and the red coloring within their house represents that. Gatsby at one point describes himself to Nick as a collector of jewels, especially rubies. The color red “stands for the dream because it is one of Gatsby’s romantic universe” (Schneider). Gatsby thinks that if he is the perfect prosperous man Daisy will come running back to him and they will have the love they once had …show more content…
F. Scott Fitzgerald uses different colors to develop a deeper meaning and add emphasis to objects and people in The Great Gatsby. Without using such intricate detail this story would not be “one of the most “colorful” and “visual” works in literature” as Ph.D. student Maia Samkanashvili stated in her article (Samkanashvili). Creative and ingenious uses of colors make for interesting
There are many people who are not fond of Gatsby and red “is inevitably associated with the violence caused by the human animals who prey upon Gatsby” (Schneider). When Gatsby and Daisy are in the car “Daisy runs down Myrtle, whose “thick dark blood” mingles with the dust” (Schneider). Gatsby did not want Daisy, “his innocent beautiful bride”, getting in any trouble so he took the blame for Myrtle’s death (Samkanashvili). Myrtle’s husband George therefore thought Gatsby was the one driving the car that hit his wife. Seeking revenge, George murders Gatsby who falls into the pool, leaving “a thin red circle in the water” (Fitzgerald 162). Often in the novel, “The beautiful reds become a color of carnage”, however this is not always the case because “red symbolizes the violent reality as well as the glittering dream” (Schneider). Tom and Daisy live in “a cheerful red-and-white Georgian Colonial mansion” (Fitzgerald 6). Inside the mansion is “a bright rosy-colored space… [with a] wine-colored rug” (Fitzgerald 7-8). The Buchanan’s are immensely rich and the red coloring within their house represents that. Gatsby at one point describes himself to Nick as a collector of jewels, especially rubies. The color red “stands for the dream because it is one of Gatsby’s romantic universe” (Schneider). Gatsby thinks that if he is the perfect prosperous man Daisy will come running back to him and they will have the love they once had …show more content…
F. Scott Fitzgerald uses different colors to develop a deeper meaning and add emphasis to objects and people in The Great Gatsby. Without using such intricate detail this story would not be “one of the most “colorful” and “visual” works in literature” as Ph.D. student Maia Samkanashvili stated in her article (Samkanashvili). Creative and ingenious uses of colors make for interesting