Color Symbolism In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

We may not realize it every day, but our world is surrounded by color from the time we wake up in the morning until the time we go to bed at night. Authors routinely use color symbolism to clarify their messages. Color symbolism gives us an insight into what Fitzgerald was trying to get across to his readers. In the novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, color symbolism plays an important role throughout the novel. The beauty of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s writing is more strikingly exhibited in the way he handles the color symbolism in The Great Gatsby. (Schneider) Three important colors that play an important role throughout the novel are green, red, white and gold. One color that plays an important role in this novel is green. In The Great Gatsby, the color green is associated with Gatsby and Daisy. The color green stands for Gatsby’s undying pursuit of Daisy, despite their long separation. The symbol of green is

In The Great Gatsby, the color red is symbolizes the romance among the characters. The first appearance of red occurs when Nick tells us he “bought a dozen volumes on banking and credit and investment securities, and they stood on my shelf red and gold like new money from the mint, promising to unfold the shining secrets that Midas and Morgan and Maecenas knew." (Fitzgerald 1) It is possible that Fitzgerald’s choice of red in this context is arbitrary, and suggests strongly that the red should be interpreted as a symbol not image. (Schneider) The color red is also used romantically when Gatsby describes himself as a collector of jewels and then Nick ironically remarks: “I saw him opening a chest of rubies to ease, with their crimson-lighted depths; the gnawing’s of his broken heart.” (Fitzgerald 6) Red is symbolized as romantic in that because of the way he opens the rubies and is dazzled by them when he realizes how broken hearted he really is.