What Is The Examples Of Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

The “Jazz Age” was a time in United States history when people used their tremendous wealth and carefree lifestyles to forget the times before them while others suffered under the weight of the great war. F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays this inconsistency in his novel, The Great Gatsby, through symbolism to show the gap that separates the classes. Fitzgerald 's use of the green light, the billboard, and the books in the library adds layers to the plot and enforces the theme about wealth and the evils that it can hold. One of the biggest examples of symbolism in Fitzgerald’s classic is the green light that shines across the lake visible from Jay Gatsby’s house. Gatsby, the title character, sees the light shining from Daisy Buchanan’s house and uses it as a way to be closer to her and feel connected when he physically can’t be. His feelings are shown through the light as something bright, unwavering, and unattainable. But when Daisy is actually with Gatsby it becomes apparent …show more content…
At Gatsby’s party when Nick and Jordan are looking for Gatsby they head into the library and stumble upon “Owl Eyes” a drunk man who is regarding the books with exclamations of shock. “Absolutely real-- have pages and everything. I thought they’d be a nice durable cardboard. Matter of fact they’re absolutely real,” (50). While it may appear to be just a drunk man babbling what he is saying is an example of subtle symbolism Fitzgerald uses to emphasize his theme of the rich liking to keep up appearances, the exact reason why Tom and Daisy are still together, and hide behind their money. By Gatsby having so many books the man assumed it was a ploy to make Gatsby seem educated, but the books are real and they represent the assumption of how the rich put up fronts to impress people. Fitzgerald uses this assumption to symbolize the lifestyle of the people he is writing about and describe how Gatsby differs from the