Grey Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

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Hello my name is Daniel and my analytical iop will be on the symbolism of colors in the great Gatsby. I will focus my analysis on want I think are the most important colors which are green, grey, white and yellow. The color green is the most important color in the great Gatsby because this is the color that Gatsby’s life is based around. To Gatsby the green light represents Daisy who is his dream. To attain her would complete his life and his American dream. The first time the green light is mentioned is when Gatsby and nick meet. Here Fitzgerald writes, “…he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward – and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far …show more content…

So any one described as grey is going to be barren, lifeless or dull. In the novel the person described as grey is Wilson as seen in this quote “When any one spoke to him he invariably laughed in an agreeable, colorless way. He was his wife’s man and not his own.” P.146 Wilson's face is described as "ashen” and a "white ashen dust" covers his suit. And his eyes are described as "pale" and "glazed." This describes him as a lifeless man. Wilson can even be described by the metaphor that “he is like a rubber band: very flexible, until he snaps”. So It is not very surprising when he is the one who shows up at Gatsby’s house and kills him. Also the color grey is associated with the Valley of Ashes, which symbolizes the poverty and hopelessness of the lower class: “a line of grey cars crawls along an invisible track,” and “ash-grey men swarm up with leaden spades.” This also shows how big the difference is between the rich people of west egg and east egg and the poor people who live in the valley of

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