Great Gatsby Symbolism Essay

F. Scott Fitzgerald uses symbolism in The Great Gatsby to contrast the difference of being poor and wealthy. Fitzgerald wants to portray the idea that Gatsby is rich to show how he has acquired a fortune to sweep Daisy off of her feet. Fitzgerald uses a plethora of objects in The Great Gatsby to show wealth. Another main point of interest to Fitzgerald is the American dream, so he uses places and things to display what a typical 1920’s American dream would look like. Cars, parties, large houses, and pools are all typical things that explained what a typical American dreamed of having in the early 20th century. Fitzgerald does a fantastic job of portraying these things and then adding a descriptor to them to make them appear as more wealthy or regal to apply a thought of awe to the scenes. In The Great Gatsby wealth is shown as objects painted in expensive colors such as green and gold. Jay Gatsby is shown to be the ideal man and lives the American

Scott Fitzgerald based all of his thoughts and feelings into the plot and symbols of The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald related his own life to certain major plot points and characters which creates a sense of realism and presents the time exceptionally well. Fitzgerald also uses symbolism to show how certain objects pertain to certain character’s attitudes or personalities. By coloring certain things in specific colors, Fitzgerald ties them together in a specific group and manages to show a relativity to another theme. Fitzgerald relates the story to thoughts and feelings at the time as well in how he explains that Nick witnesses a car full of African Americans with a white chauffeur meaning that anything could happen in New York. This is significant to the time period because in the 1920s African Americans were still seen as lower class. Fitzgerald vividly uses specific places or things to relate them to the story, such as the green light at the end of the docks, or the billboard watching over The Valley of