Flower Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

Flowers are living organisms, as diverse as humans, ranging from beautiful and delicate to strong and sturdy. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the symbolism of flowers develop the characters and show the effect money had on their lives and social status in The Great Gatsby. Daisy and Myrtle are two characters with these symbolic floral names, one with a life of money, and one without. Daisy flower petals represent an external appearance of purity and innocence, in contrast to the yellow center that shows how corrupt Daisy was by her materialism and desire for wealth. Myrtle, the other flower, is stark in comparison to the delicate beauty and ephemerality of the daisy. Myrtles are hearty and solid, able to withstand environmental stress. Myrtle does not live in large mansion, but in the dismal Valley of Ashes, above her husband’s financially struggling garage. Although these two flowers may seem different, there is a very important similarity. Both the daisy and the myrtle have green leaves. The color green symbolizes life and money. The color of money was the color of life in the 1920s. People lived with money and lived in excess, shown by the extravagant parties thrown by Gatsby

Gatsby spent their years apart motivated to win over Daisy by gaining wealth. In his eyes, gaining wealth became equivalent to getting Daisy. He stated, “her voice is full of money” (Fitzgerald, 2004, p.120). His life revolved around money and Daisy, who had symbolically chosen Tom’s pearls and wealth over Gatsby’s letter of love. He threw parties in order to attract her with his wealth. If Gatsby was a plant, he would be a Magnolia tree because he has a lots of green leaves, or money. The support provided by green leaves is something a plant needs before flowers can grow and bloom. Gatsby’s “bloom” or “flower” was Daisy. However, she would not marry Gatsby until he had enough leaves, or a stable income and