Color In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

In literature, authors use a variety of literary devices in their work such as imagery, characterization and symbolism. In the Great Gatsby, the author Scott Fitzgerald utilizes color as a form of symbolism to convey different messages throughout the novel. The main character, Jay Gatsby, is portrayed to be a reserved and wealthy man with a mysterious past. After he is introduced shortly after the beginning of the novel, Gatsby is immediately associated with the color yellow. Yellow appears on several occasions throughout the novel, as is its counterpart, the color gold which is connected to those close to Gatsby. Both of these colors serve similar purposes, but are both different in what they are used to portray and reveal Fitzgerald’s beliefs

The color yellow is typically associated with happiness or lightheartedness in mood. However, yellow can be seen to be a way to conceal darker topics and events in the novel. Gatsby’s car is a “nice yellow [car]” that is used as a way to show off his wealth and attract attention (ch 7 pg 122). But as seen earlier in the chapter, the car is involved in the death of Myrtle Wilson and its flashy appearance is ultimately the reason why Gatsby is killed. Had his car not been so bright and noticeable, it may have been able to pass as any other generic car and no one would have directly associated its color with Gatsby. Gatsby took the blame for Daisy, accidentally telling Nick that he was not in fact the one who had killed Myrtle, and in turn she escaped with Tom and her daughter. She did not attend his funeral or even call him before his death even though she had romantic feelings for him. Another instance when the color yellow is significant also happens to be related to Gatsby, making him one of the prime characters in relation to that color. In one of the first experiences the reader has with Gatsby’s parties the music is described as “yellow cocktail music” and some of the attendees are dressed in “twin yellow dresses” (Ch 3, pg 40-42). To the eye, it is clear that Gatsby’s parties are meant to serve as entertainment for the wealth and upper class,

Gatsby spends most of his life trying to develop his character and his image to be a suitable match for Daisy. Despite how close he comes to reaching his dream, he will always be lesser than Daisy because of his background and by the way society views him. He only realizes this--rather, it is brought to his attention--shortly before his death. When Gatsby expresses his love for Daisy in front of Tom, Tom tries to undermine him by calling him “Mr. Nobody from Nowhere” (Ch 7). Even though Gatsby had built himself up in society, he will always be looked down upon by those who were born rich. Yellow is never going to be as good as gold, and while Gatsby aspires to be of “gold status”, it is impossible. Rather than having a family name to back him up, Gatsby is associated with the color yellow because he is new money. In fact, he was born into a family of poor and unsuccessful farmers before he left home. In this way, he will never be able to be with Daisy because it is socially unacceptable as a result of some sort preservation of social purity. Furthermore, even though Daisy claims to love him, she also betrays him by admitting she loved Tom at one point because he had left her for five years. Gatsby had shaped his entire life to focus on reuniting with Daisy and when it finally came