The Great Gatsby Symbolism Essay Example For Students

The Great Gatsby Symbolism Essay The Great Gatsby Symbolism Essay The Hidden Story in Green and White We will write a custom essay on The Great Gatsby Symbolism specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Color symbolism is really popular in novels written during the 1920s. One such example is Scott Fitzgeralds novel The Great Gatsby. There is much color symbolism in this novel, but there are two main colors that stand out more than the others. The colors green and white influence the story greatly. Green shows many thoughts, ideas, attitudes, and choices that Gatsby has throughout the story. White represents the stereotypical faade that every character is hiding behind. The color green, as it is used in the novel, symbolizes different choices the character, Gatsby, can make during his life. The green element in this novel is taken from the green light at the end of the dock near Daisys house. The color itself represents serenity, as in everything is perfect. This warns Gatsby that he should not pursue his dream for getting Daisy back, because his chance has passed and everything is as it should be. This is shown with Nicks insight, . ..His dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him (Pg.189) Another symbolization of the color green, which contradicts the first, is the meaning go. As in a traffic light signal, most people associate green with the word and action go. This can be interpreted as meaning Gatsby should go for his dream without hesitation. It implies that Gatsby and Daisy are meant to be together and nothing should stop Gatsby from his destined happiness and love with Daisy. It inspires hope for Gatsby that he is on the right path, heading towards the best years of his life. He believes that things will soon be as they once were, only better. Im going to fix everything just the way they were before, he said nodding determinedly. Shell see.(Pg. 117.) The last symbolization the color green has in this novel is an urge to strive ahead in life, to do better in life and succeed. Gatsby changes his entire persona for a better, more sociable, image and status. He is constantly striving to be a more successful figure in society. Ever since he was a boy he put himself on a schedule with hopes for becoming a highly respected, well-known person. He knew he had a big future in front of him. (Pg. 181), his dad says about him. Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always had some resolves like this(Pg. 182). White is the other color symbolism interlaced into this novel. Where green only influenced one character, white has a wider range of influence on the characters. This color symbolizes one thing, a faade, but it appears in every character. For example, Daisy is always seen wearing white, which gives her and innocent naive appearance. It is as though she uses that as an excuse for when she does something ridiculous or childish, making it seem like she does not know any better. In reality, she knows exactly what she does but just doesnt care. She uses this little princess image and her money to hide her biased, snobbish, and conceited view of herself and her lifestyle. They were careless people, Tom and Daisythey smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together(Pg. 187-188). Another character that hides behind the white symbolic fa;ade is Jordan Baker. She also wears white quite often. She acts as though she is superior to everyone around her. Her posture, her attitude, and even the things she says imply this arrogance. She was extended full length at her end of the divan, completely motionless and with her chin raised a little as if she were balancing something on it which was quite likely to fall. If she saw me she me out of the corner of her eyes she gave no hint of it-indeed I was almost surprised into murmuring an apology for having disturbed her by coming in. .uc817b6483baebd15dc3f2474bb6a2571 , .uc817b6483baebd15dc3f2474bb6a2571 .postImageUrl , .uc817b6483baebd15dc3f2474bb6a2571 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uc817b6483baebd15dc3f2474bb6a2571 , .uc817b6483baebd15dc3f2474bb6a2571:hover , .uc817b6483baebd15dc3f2474bb6a2571:visited , .uc817b6483baebd15dc3f2474bb6a2571:active { border:0!important; } .uc817b6483baebd15dc3f2474bb6a2571 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uc817b6483baebd15dc3f2474bb6a2571 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uc817b6483baebd15dc3f2474bb6a2571:active , .uc817b6483baebd15dc3f2474bb6a2571:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uc817b6483baebd15dc3f2474bb6a2571 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uc817b6483baebd15dc3f2474bb6a2571 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uc817b6483baebd15dc3f2474bb6a2571 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uc817b6483baebd15dc3f2474bb6a2571 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc817b6483baebd15dc3f2474bb6a2571:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uc817b6483baebd15dc3f2474bb6a2571 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uc817b6483baebd15dc3f2474bb6a2571 .uc817b6483baebd15dc3f2474bb6a2571-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uc817b6483baebd15dc3f2474bb6a2571:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Apparent Feminisms In The Play Trifles Essay (Pg.13). She portrays a bored and apathetic attitude about everything, which is part of her I am too good for you appearance. In reality, she just wants to be as respected and socially accepted as Gatsby. She is not willing to take responsibility for her actions and uses her image as a guard implying that she could not have possibly done anything immoral, much like Daisy. However, She was incurably dishonest. She wasnt able to endure being at a disadvantage, and given this unwillingness I . The Great Gatsby Symbolism Essay Example For Students The Great Gatsby Symbolism Essay Symbolism in The Great Gatsby In The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald presents a novel with intricate symbolism. Fitzgerald integrates symbolism into the heart of the novel so strongly that it is necessary to read the book several times to gain any level of understanding. The overtones and connotations that Fitzgerald gives to the dialogues, settings, and actions is a major reason why The Great Gatsby is one of the classics of the 20th century. We will write a custom essay on The Great Gatsby Symbolism specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Three themes dominate the text of The Great Gatsby. They are time / loss, appearance / mutability, and perspective. Most of the novels thematic structure falls neatly into one of these categories. In order to satisfactorily understand the novel, we must examine the roles of these three themes. The word time appears 450 times in the novel either by itself or in a compound word. Fitzgerald obviously wanted to emphasize the importance of time to the overall design of the book. Time is most important to Gatsbys character. Gatsbys relationship with time is a major aspect to the plot. He wants to erase five years from not only his own life but also Daisys. Gatsbys response to Nick, telling him that he can repeat the past, is symbolic of the tragic irony that is behind Gatsbys fate. Gatsby exclaims on page 116, Cant repeat the past? Why of course you can! Gatsby cannot accept Daisy until she erases the last three years of her life by telling Tom that she never loved him to his face. Gatsby fully believes what he says and thinks (or desperately hopes) that that is true about Daisy. At one part of the story he actually tells Nick how, as soon as Tom is out of the picture, he and Daisy were going to go to Memphis so they could get married at her white house just like it were five years before hand. In another scene, when Gatsby and Nick go to the Buchanans for lunch towards the end of the book, Gatsby sees Daisys and Toms child for the first time. Nick describes Gatsbys expression as one of genuine surprise and suggests that Gatsby probably never before believed in the girls existence. Gatsby is so caught up in his dream that he becomes vulnerable to the worlds brutal reality. Fitzgerald masterfully creates a time symbolism in the scene when Daisy and Gatsby meet for the first time in five years. As Nick enters the room where Daisy and Gatsby have just met, Gatsby is leaning nervously against the mantelpiece while resting his head upon the clock on the mantle. At an awkward pause in the conversation, the clock starts to tip as if to fall off the mantle. Gatsby dramatically catches the clock before it falls and all three characters are speechless, stricken with a strange awe of the precious clock. Nick, narrates, I think we all believed for a moment that it had smashed in pieces on the floor. The clock was symbolizing time and Gatsbys head resting on it was all the pressure that Gatsby was putting on time. Time could not support the demands that Gatsby was making. Gatsby gingerly catching the clock and his resultant apology symbolizes the sensitivity of his plan and how necessarily delicate his methods were. Gatsbys continuous trouble with time is again brilliantly illustrated in the scene when a couple stops by Gatsbys house with Tom Buchanan on a Sunday afternoon in the midst of a ride. The woman invites Gatsby to join them for dinner. While her invitation was sincere, she was a bit tipsy and her partner, Mr. Sloane, tried to persuade her out of it. Having accepted the invitation, Gatsby went for his coat. Mr. Sloane then dragged the other two with him and rode off saying to Nick, Tell him we couldnt wait, will you? Just then Gatsby walks out the door with his coat and hat, ready to go. .u0764650227c0dc6c8ed4c00c6c880aa8 , .u0764650227c0dc6c8ed4c00c6c880aa8 .postImageUrl , .u0764650227c0dc6c8ed4c00c6c880aa8 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u0764650227c0dc6c8ed4c00c6c880aa8 , .u0764650227c0dc6c8ed4c00c6c880aa8:hover , .u0764650227c0dc6c8ed4c00c6c880aa8:visited , .u0764650227c0dc6c8ed4c00c6c880aa8:active { border:0!important; } .u0764650227c0dc6c8ed4c00c6c880aa8 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u0764650227c0dc6c8ed4c00c6c880aa8 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u0764650227c0dc6c8ed4c00c6c880aa8:active , .u0764650227c0dc6c8ed4c00c6c880aa8:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u0764650227c0dc6c8ed4c00c6c880aa8 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u0764650227c0dc6c8ed4c00c6c880aa8 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u0764650227c0dc6c8ed4c00c6c880aa8 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u0764650227c0dc6c8ed4c00c6c880aa8 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u0764650227c0dc6c8ed4c00c6c880aa8:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u0764650227c0dc6c8ed4c00c6c880aa8 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u0764650227c0dc6c8ed4c00c6c880aa8 .u0764650227c0dc6c8ed4c00c6c880aa8-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u0764650227c0dc6c8ed4c00c6c880aa8:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Watergate Essay This scene has strong overtones that connect it to how Gatsby lost Daisy to Tom. Five years ago, Daisy and Jay Gatsby were in love. He loved to tell her all the things he was going to do in the future and she . The Great Gatsby Symbolism Essay Example For Students The Great Gatsby Symbolism Essay The Hidden Story in Green and White Color symbolism is really popular in novels written during the 1920s. One such example is Scott Fitzgeralds novel The Great Gatsby. There is much color symbolism in this novel, but there are two main colors that stand out more than the others. The colors green and white influence the story greatly. Green shows many thoughts, ideas, attitudes, and choices that Gatsby has throughout the story. White represents the stereotypical faade that every character is hiding behind. We will write a custom essay on The Great Gatsby Symbolism specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The color green, as it is used in the novel, symbolizes different choices the character, Gatsby, can make during his life. The green element in this novel is taken from the green light at the end of the dock near Daisys house. The color itself represents serenity, as in everything is perfect. This warns Gatsby that he should not pursue his dream for getting Daisy back, because his chance has passed and everything is as it should be. This is shown with Nicks insight, . ..His dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him (Pg.189) Another symbolization of the color green, which contradicts the first, is the meaning go. As in a traffic light signal, most people associate green with the word and action go. This can be interpreted as meaning Gatsby should go for his dream without hesitation. It implies that Gatsby and Daisy are meant to be together and nothing should stop Gatsby from his destined happiness and love with Daisy. It inspires hope for Gatsby that he is on the right path, heading towards the best years of his life. He believes that things will soon be as they once were, only better. Im going to fix everything just the way they were before, he said nodding determinedly. Shell see.(Pg. 117.) The last symbolization the color green has in this novel is an urge to strive ahead in life, to do better in life and succeed. Gatsby changes his entire persona for a better, more sociable, image and status. He is constantly striving to be a more successful figure in society. Ever since he was a boy he put himself on a schedule with hopes for becoming a highly respected, well-known person. He knew he had a big future in front of him. (Pg. 181), his dad says about him. Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always had some resolves like this(Pg. 182). White is the other color symbolism interlaced into this novel. Where green only influenced one character, white has a wider range of influence on the characters. This color symbolizes one thing, a faade, but it appears in every character. For example, Daisy is always seen wearing white, which gives her and innocent naive appearance. It is as though she uses that as an excuse for when she does something ridiculous or childish, making it seem like she does not know any better. In reality, she knows exactly what she does but just doesnt care. She uses this little princess image and her money to hide her biased, snobbish, and conceited view of herself and her lifestyle. They were careless people, Tom and Daisythey smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together(Pg. 187-188). Another character that hides behind the white symbolic faade is Jordan Baker. She also wears white quite often. She acts as though she is superior to everyone around her. Her posture, her attitude, and even the things she says imply this arrogance. She was extended full length at her end of the divan, completely motionless and with her chin raised a little as if she were balancing something on it which was quite likely to fall. If she saw me she me out of the corner of her eyes she gave no hint of it-indeed I was almost surprised into murmuring an apology for having disturbed her by coming in. .u03bd3d8584b61766c64fd618761c339c , .u03bd3d8584b61766c64fd618761c339c .postImageUrl , .u03bd3d8584b61766c64fd618761c339c .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u03bd3d8584b61766c64fd618761c339c , .u03bd3d8584b61766c64fd618761c339c:hover , .u03bd3d8584b61766c64fd618761c339c:visited , .u03bd3d8584b61766c64fd618761c339c:active { border:0!important; } .u03bd3d8584b61766c64fd618761c339c .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u03bd3d8584b61766c64fd618761c339c { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u03bd3d8584b61766c64fd618761c339c:active , .u03bd3d8584b61766c64fd618761c339c:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u03bd3d8584b61766c64fd618761c339c .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u03bd3d8584b61766c64fd618761c339c .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u03bd3d8584b61766c64fd618761c339c .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u03bd3d8584b61766c64fd618761c339c .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u03bd3d8584b61766c64fd618761c339c:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u03bd3d8584b61766c64fd618761c339c .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u03bd3d8584b61766c64fd618761c339c .u03bd3d8584b61766c64fd618761c339c-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u03bd3d8584b61766c64fd618761c339c:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Stem Cell Dilemma Essay (Pg.13). She portrays a bored and apathetic attitude about everything, which is part of her I am too good for you appearance. In reality, she just wants to .