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Symbolism in the Great Gatsby

 

             Scott Fitzgerald, "The Great Gatsby" is a novel describing what Jay Gatsby goes through in a vain attempt to regain his long lost love, Daisy. Fitzgerald uses colors throughout the novel to emphasize meaning of a story, explain certain actions of a character, and to portray the personalities of his characters. Fitzgerald uses green and white repetitively throughout the story to symbolize the meaning of the novel. .
             First, Fitzgerald uses a green light at the end of Daisy's dock, which becomes the key image in the story. The initial appearance of the green light occurs when Gatsby is standing in front of his mansion and stretching out his arms to "a single green light, minute and far away that might have been the end of a dock." (22) Fitzgerald symbolizes the green light as the key to reaching Daisy. While on the beach, Gatsby is stretching out his arms to the light as if he will acquire it somehow. This green light represents money and prosperity, which Gatsby has obtained over the years to finally reunite with Daisy.
             Fitzgerald uses white to represent innocence and purity. Daisy's color is white; she wears white dresses and recalls her "white girlhood" (21).Fitzgerald describes Daisy as dressed totally in white. The house and its furnishings are also tuned in light shades. Although this fact might by interpreted as beauty, cleanliness, wealth, and innocence, Fitzgerald uses it to portray the laziness of the upper class. This use of color helps characterize her as the unattainable "enchanted princess" (21) who becomes Gatsby's dream. .
             In "The Great Gatsby", colors are employed throughout the pages to convey impressionistic, but important images to the reader. White changes from an honest and sinless color to represent the corruption of the wealthy. However, the most important color in this book, green, portrays Gatsby's aspiration to attain Daisy. With the use of these two colors, Fitzgerald provides adequate symbolism to portray the personalities of his characters.


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