Color Symbolism In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is drenched in symbolism. It’s there in colors and objects, sometimes bluntly stated, and other times more hidden. One example of color symbolism is on the final page of the book. In the last several paragraphs, Fitzgerald makes the point that everyone falls into the blue despair of the past, and everyone hangs on to the eventually futile green hope of tomorrow.

Throughout the book, and especially emphasized in the last page, is the idea that green is full of hope for the future. The green light that Gatsby gazes out at represents his dream of life with Daisy. On the last page, the “fresh, green breast of the new world” is mentioned, full of hope for the people landing their ships on the east coast centuries ago. Even the green interior of Gatsby’s car, earlier in the book, promotes this symbolism, as Gatsby has been hanging on to hope for the future, keeping this inside his flashy yellow exterior for so long. But for his hope to become reality, he must first overcome the hopelessness in his way.

When the European explorers came to the fresh new world, they first had to cross the terrifying blue waters of the ocean. Similarly, Gatsby had to look out across the waters of the Sound to see his green light. Tom’s car is blue, as Tom is the source of Gatsby’s despair as the only thing in the way of his being with Daisy. In the conclusion, Gatsby’s lawn is described as blue, as everything he had hoped to achieve led to his place in West Egg was disappointing in the end because it didn’t get him to where he wanted to be. And, impossible to forget, is the fact that Gatsby died in his pool, a man-made collection of the symbolic