Examples Of Figurative Language In The Great Gatsby

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Fitzgerald used various different examples of figurative language throughout the novel. For example, Fitzgerald writes, “The windows were ajar and gleaming white against the fresh grass outside that seemed to grow a little way into the house. A breeze blew through the room, blew curtains in at one end and out the other like pale flags, twisting them up toward the frosting wedding cake of the ceiling, and then rippled over the wine-colored rug, making a shadow on it as wind does on the sea,” (Fitzgerald 8). Fitzgerald uses imagery to have the readers experience the event that is happening as if the readers were looking at it through their own eyes. Another type of figurative language that is used to enhance the novel is symbolism, when Nick says, “...he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. …show more content…

The green light was symbolic of Daisy, Gatsby was reaching out towards her dock as if he could touch her. Another example of symbolism is, “looking at the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, which had just emerged, pale and enormous, from the dissolving night. ‘God sees everything,’ repeated Wilson” (Fitzgerald 159-160). The billboard of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg is symbolic of God because the eyes saw everything that happened throughout the novel in the Valley of Ashes, such as the car accident which killed Myrtle. These examples of figurative language brought the novel to life and by using such powerful lines, it helped make The Great Gatsby “The Great American