Color Symbolism In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Raised during the time of the Jazz Age, F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby describing those golden years. Depicting things such as the American Dream and those who were harmed by its effects. Fitzgerald’s use of color symbolism in The Great Gatsby enhances the story and themes seen in the novel. Fitzgerald uses white to represent purity and innocence. It is often associated with things such as marriage, or the baptism of a baby: “White is symbolic of innocence and purity” (Magher “Examples of Metaphor”). He conveniently puts corrupted characters such as Daisy, Jordan, and Gatsby, dressed in white. Daisy used to dress in white and owned a white car before she was married to make her seem more appealing to young soldiers: “Thus it may …show more content…

She wasn’t able to endure being at a disadvantage.”(Fitzgerald 63). Nick acknowledges that Jordan is a liar, cheater and a schemer, yet he still chooses to spend time with her. This is due to her pure appearance. Green was chosen by Fitzgerald to represent Hope. Not only good hope, but bad hope as well. Hope is to hold out the longing for something, he uses the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock to represent Gatsby’s desire: “Nick Carraway emphasizes this point by speculating that new immigrants must have seen America as they approached it in the same way as Gatsby sees that dock light” (Magher “Examples of Metaphors”). Comparing these two things was a very deliberate stylistic choice Fitzgerald made. Immigrants back in the 20’s, sought America for a better life. They longed for the perfect American life: the American Dream. The green light being synonymous with immigrants coming to America, shows the reader that Gatsby’s American Dream was Daisy. Since we know the light came from her house and considering his past with her, he longed for Daisy the same way immigrants longed for a superior life. The contrast between yellow and gold was no