Theme Of Flowers In The Great Gatsby

Flower petals dance in the streets as a man carries a bouquet home that will become an elegant surprise for his lover, the sweet perfume of pollen filling the lungs of those passing by. As he turns the corner, a child kneels over a garden of violets, his soiled-hands pouring a crystal stream upon their lavish and delicate colorings. A few blocks down, the man passes a well-accentuated home with a vibrant flower wreath of calla lilies, chrysanthemums, and roses upon its door. He turns, enters this home, and places the bouquet upon the dining room table. Its glorious colors and designs are certain to bring joy upon first glance. Flowers are everywhere; their fragile green buds sprout from the Earth’s floor, their pungent aromas pierce the air of every celebration, and their pastel petals land gracefully upon the monotone graves of the dead in a desperate outpouring of love.

Scott Fitzgerald’s highly acclaimed novel, The Great Gatsby. In this work, the narrator, Nick Carraway, entangles himself in the hopeless love story between his married cousin, Daisy Buchanan, and his mysterious neighbor, Jay Gatsby. Their relationship is continuously rocky, as Gatsby seeks a nonexistent, perfected image of Daisy. The love between the duo is further complicated with the addition of Daisy’s husband, Tom, and his mistress, Myrtle. As significant romantic events transpire in the novel, flowers appear within the text. These systematic inclusions of flowers in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, serve to illuminate the materialistic values or desires of each character through complex symbolism. Flowers appear in the character’s names, possessions, and