What Does The Color Red Symbolize In The Great Gatsby
Jacqueline Le
McLoskey
IB English HL 1
14 November 2017
Symbolism in the Great Gatsby: In-class Essay
What is a symbol? A symbol is an object or figure that represents a broader concept, like how the color red symbolizes anger or love. In the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald writes about Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire, from the limited perspective of Nick Carraway. As Fitzgerald unveils Gatsby’s secret past and story, he uses various examples of this illicit metaphor. From the green light to the weather, to the characters themselves, there is no doubt that symbolism is used to illustrate a more complex idea.
To start off, a clear example of symbolism would be the green light. It appears at the end of Daisy Buchanan’s dock,
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Daisy, for instance, showcases the lack of morality in people. Initially, she promises Gatsby that she would wait for his release from the military. However, Daisy does not hesitate to go after Tom while Gatsby is away. When Gatsby and Daisy reunite, she strings him along and leads him to believe that she would choose Gatsby over Tom, yet she settles for Tom’s wealth instead. It is evident that she values gold above all else, which is a color commonly associated with greed and corruption. Ironically, Fitzgerald describes her as wearing white, the color of purity and innocence. Like an actual daisy of a golden center and white petals, Daisy has a morally corrupt, golden center with a “pure” and white facade.
In conclusion, symbolism is scattered all along the novel. Fitzgerald uses many color symbols, such as white representing purity and the green light representing Gatsby’s dreams. Weather is also used to emphasize the mood and atmosphere of the scenes or events, like how heat means things are heating up. Fitzgerald also makes good use of the characters to display symbolism, having Daisy symbolize human greed and moral corruption. Some honorable mentions would be the Valley of Ashes, Doctor T.J. Eckleburg’s eyes, and the geography of the West and East
How Does F Scott Fitzgerald Use Symbols In The Great Gatsby
113 Words | 1 PagesWhat is a symbol? In literature a symbol is an object, person, place or an idea that has a real meaning in itself and also a deeper and profound meaning . Many examples of symbols can be found in the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The story of the book takes place in the roaring 1920’s and within the story Fitzgerald uses a lot of symbols as objects and physical location. The physical locations such as valley of ashes, Gatsby’s mansion , Nick’s house , the green light located in the Buchanan residents’ dock are not only places or locations that the author mentions, they symbolize emotions, feelings and other significant information.
What Does The Valley Of Ashes Symbolize In The Great Gatsby
1128 Words | 5 PagesF. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby to represent the roaring twenties lifestyle and the ever changing American Dream during the 1920s. Symbolism plays a drastic role in bringing the essay into a more perspective view for readers by growing characters, creating suspension and motivating the reader to continue reading. The Great Gatsby contains large amounts of symbolism, making it one of America's most loved novels. Fitzgerald uses different concepts of symbolism by integrating weather, location, colors and signs into the book by playing out relatable situations, for example the tension during hot weather. The valley of ashes played a very significant role in the book The Great Gatsby by creating a definition of the classes.
White Symbolism In The Great Gatsby
854 Words | 4 PagesThe symbolism of the color white appear several times in the book. But, there was one scene that stood out. The author F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote about the color of white in the scene where Nick is visiting Tom and Daisy Buchanan. Fitzgerald described what happens when Nick was going on a trip with Gatsby in his car, “-only half, for as we twisted among the pillars of the elevated I heard the familiar “jug-jug-spat!” of a motor cycle, and a frantic policeman rode alongside. “All right, old sport,” called Gatsby.
What Does The Color Green Symbolize In The Great Gatsby
813 Words | 4 PagesThe Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, deploys color symbolism in order to further develop characters and the plot. Fitzgerald’s use of color symbolism within The Great Gatsby not only defines the characters but adds depth to them. The most recognized color within the novel is “the single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock” (26). In addition to the green light, there are many other colors within the novel that embody characters, objects, and ideas. The most significant and memorable colors, other than green, are white and yellow, both of which are intertwined in Fitzgerald’s fictional world of materialism and scandal.
How To Read Literature Like A Professor Literary Analysis
911 Words | 4 PagesThe green light is the most important symbol of the book because it has a meaning for many things. It also was interpreting the American Dream and money. Gatsby lived a poor life when he was younger and being in his situation now made him want to impress business and famous people, even Daisy. The first technique is used in chapter 10: Is That A Symbol? called allegories.
What Do Clothes Symbolize In The Great Gatsby
772 Words | 4 PagesWhether it be through colors, clothes, names, or even houses, authors use symbolism to express complex ideas while giving the reader a visual, sensory experience. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the symbolism of Daisy, Myrtle, Gatsby and Nick’s clothes
What Does The Yellow Symbolize In The Great Gatsby
1311 Words | 6 PagesIn the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, symbolism is very important all throughout it. Not only does he use objects to show symbolism, but he also uses color symbolism to prove the importance of the theme and development of the characteristics in the Great Gatsby. Color symbolism brings out the visual of the story, so readers can picture it in their mind as they are reading. Fitzgerald took the colors to an advanced level by using key colors to help further deepen the meaning of the book and its characters. Although there are many colors in the novel, Fitzgerald uses the colors green, white, and yellow to symbolize Gatsby’s emotions and riches.
The Great Gatsby Mansion Analysis
658 Words | 3 PagesMichael Valderrama Hodgins AM Studies Block A 12/5/16 Gatsby’s Mansion Symbolism is the use of symbols to supply things with a representative meaning or to represent something abstract by using an existing object. Gatsby’s mansion is a symbol of himself, his love for Daisy, and a representation of the 1920s. James Gatz, the small town boy from North Dakota, dreamed of obtaining his American Dream. He perceived the American Dream as a way to obtain wealth and status in order to win the hand of the love of his life Daisy.
What Does The Green Light Symbolize In The Great Gatsby
725 Words | 3 PagesA symbol in a novel is a concrete object that represents an idea or a set of ideas. Choose 3 symbols in the book and explain what they mean and how they function together to support a central theme. The Great Gatsby novel has various numbers of symbols that are descried and each symbolise very different things. Three symbols that this essay is going to further investigate are the green light, Gatsby’s gold and silver suit and the Valley of Ashes.
Color Symbolism In The Great Gatsby
1148 Words | 5 PagesGatsby’s life is filled with various colors which signify the messages Fitzgerald is trying to convey. Color symbolism plays an important role through the novel, The Great Gatsby. In the novel, the color green detonates Gatsby’s hopes and dreams, but in other characters it represents envy, jealously, and money. When Nick returns home from his cousins house, he spotted Gatsby outside on his dock: “—he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way…I glanced seaward—and distinguished nothing but a green light, that might have been at the end of a dock” (Fitzgerald 21).
Color Symbolism In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald
693 Words | 3 PagesDaisy shows this by being involved with Gatsby when he did not even have that much money to support even himself. The author is describing from Daisy’s clothes describes that Daisy uses to be pure and now it symbolizes that she is corrupted. When the relationship did not go well with Gatsby, Daisy then married Tom Buchanan. She married Tom to have a because of his wealth to have a better wealth. Daisy
How Is Imagery Used In The Great Gatsby
751 Words | 4 PagesF. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and "The Roaring '20s" by Kenn Allan both utilize imagery, symbolism, and foreshadowing to depict what living in 1920's America was like. All of these devices are used to set mood, tone, pace, and setting within their stories. The Roaring '20s is always less wordy than the Great Gatsby, but gets the point across just as well. Imagery is a literary device that is used in both the Great Gatsby and the Roaring '20s to portray mood and setting, as well as create an idea of what living in the '20s was like. In The Great Gatsby's case, the imagery creates an elaborate description of the scene, so the reader knows exactly what they are to be imagining.
What Does The Water Symbolize In The Great Gatsby
809 Words | 4 PagesThroughout many brilliant works of literature, a common item is placed amongst them: symbols. Symbols are often a key to further understanding a point the author is trying to convey to their readers. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, The Great Gatsby, he utilizes the literary tool of symbols to illustrate a larger picture for his themes and characters within the novel. For example, the color green plays a prominent role in The Great Gatsby throughout the duration of the novel. However, the color has can have various interpretations.
The Great Gatsby Weather Analysis
764 Words | 4 PagesWeather and heat are frequently used to represent the setting of internal emotions within the characters. Therefore, Fitzgerald uses weather to symbolize Gatsby’s inner emotions and heat to symbolize the climax of the story and the anger
Examples Of Moral Decay In The Great Gatsby
839 Words | 4 PagesAs the novel progresses, Nick becomes friends with a man named Gatsby, who is viewed as a mysterious figure to outsiders. Nick finds out his second cousin once removed, Daisy was once in love with Gatsby. Unfortunately for Gatsby, Daisy was more focused on money and the social power, so when he went to war, she did not wait for him, and instead married Tom Buchanan who had lots of “old” money. This shows the moral decay of society because Daisy left a man she loved (Gatsby) because she could not wait for him and he did not have the money. The name Daisy itself shows moral decay because in the novel the color yellow symbolizes moral decay.
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