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How Does Fitzgerald Use Symbols In The Great Gatsby

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Ancient folklore and storytelling have existed for centuries. People throughout history love to hear and tell thrilling and dramatic tales that they can relate to. Literature has come a long way but elements of storytelling still exist today. Symbolism is a technique explored by modern-day authors and is used as a tool to establish dimension. Any great book uses symbols to portray larger concepts that are important to understanding deeper meanings. The masterfully crafted novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (published in 1925), prompts the reader to question their own morality. Great authors, such as Fitzgerald, use complex symbology to convey powerful messages that promote groundbreaking ideals. Inanimate and natural symbols …show more content…

Involuntarily I glanced seaward— and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock” (Fitzgerald 33).
The light is green as the color symbolizes envy. Jay is reaching for something he will never have. He is in love with the idea of Daisy and has been consumed with the notion that she would complete him. He isn't reaching for the light, but rather, he is reaching for the unobtainable, and in this case that happens to be Daisy. Daisy is characterized as being a delicate flower, someone who is shallow and superficial. Therefore, Gatsby views her as a source of “light” in a dark and emotionally heavy world. The famous painting, Creation of Adam (Article A), by Michelangelo, located in the Sistine Chapel, depicts two men with extended arms reaching for each other. The powerful, yet simplistic image of the two hands portrays the relationships that Fitzgerald sculpted in The Great Gatsby. God, in the image, is stretching to try and grasp ahold of Adam. Adam is also reaching toward God, however his body language leads us to believe that he is hesitant and establishes an almost one sited relationship. God is willing to love and accept Adam, nevertheless, Adam questions if that is what he truly

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Moreover, Fitzgerald continues the farming analogy by bringing in vivid descriptions of the valley “where the ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens.” The ideas defined are burn in to the reader’s conscious with the explicit disgust evoking analogy. The ashes are found just like the large fields of wheat that were formally found all around. The site is surely a recognizable one for most, but instead the astonishing view of the wheat waving around is replaced with the windy dusty fields. The burrows are mounted with the plague causing agents familiar to those acquainted with the

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Symbolism allows the author to create a story that would otherwise be bland and monotone. Without this dark romantic element, books, short stories, and poems would not have as much meaning nor appealing detail. Symbolism in "The Raven," "The Devil and Tom Walker," and "The Minister's Black Veil," creates layers of meaning and interesting characters. Symbolism has been used for centuries to spice up the literary world. Sometimes it is used in obvious ways, but other time it has to be thoroughly studied to be imperturbably understood.

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Green is used to stand for new life. As seen in the research “green represents new life, youth and hope, but also inexperience and naivety” (parkinson). So this shows that the book means new life and hope. As seen in the book “green light that burns all night at the end of your dock” (fitzgerald 92). This shows that he sees the green light at the end of daisy's dock and he looked at it every night for maybe one she will come to him.

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The Great Gatsby written by Scott F. Fitzgerald uses symbols and symbolism to connect different parts of the book to get across a greater meaning to the reader. The use of symbols is to represent and idea or a set of ideas through an object, event, or person. The use of symbols can be found everywhere such as in schools and businesses. But, in the book Scott F. Fitzgerald uses the symbol of the eyes of Dr. T.J Eckleburg to express his ideas. The use of symbolism is widely used in schools and is a big part of the high school experience.

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F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of the greatest American authors during the Jazz Age. In 1925, he wrote a novel depicting the betrayal of values that occurred during the 1920s, titled T​he Great Gatsby. F​itzgerald uses a variety of symbolism, “...the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense,” (“Symbolism”). He employs it throughout the story in order to portray the demoralization that occurred in America during the roaring twenties . The various symbols used by the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, guides the reader into understanding the betrayal that occurs between first loves and other characters who were once good friends.

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For example, Nick narrates, “gradually I became aware of the old island here that flowered once for Dutch sailors’ eyes- a fresh, green breast of the new world. ”(189) Symbolism is demonstrated in the color green, representing ambition and greed. Here, the color expresses the hope and aspiration that it took for the Dutch to fulfill their American Dream. Earlier in the text, green is also incorporated through the light at the edge of Daisy’s dock on the opposite side of the sound from Gatsby’s house.

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In a book about a tragic love story, one would not expect to find a deeper meaning behind the dangers of jealousy or peril of lust. However, in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there is a deeper meaning beyond jealousy and love. In The Great Gatsby, the author uses an empathetic storyline as a symbol to unwittingly give a complex depiction of the nuisance that people create that not only destroy our world but our society and gives warning to what will occur if we continue the path of destruction. With this intention, the brilliant opinionated writer, expressed his opinion through symbols such as the characters he uses, the setting the story takes place in, and the objects he uses in the book.

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First off, Fitzgerald uses the color green to symbolize Gatsby’s money and love

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The first color symbol that plays an essential role in the novel is green. In this novel, green symbolizes money and greed. The color green is probably the most recognizable use of color as a symbol in the novel. A character in the novel, named Daisy Buchanan, is wealthy and in the higher social class.

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While unconditional love empowered Christ to embrace death for the greater good, conditional love was Gatsby’s noose that led him to a violent death that he might not have been ready for. Unconditional love is freedom to accept any outcome but conditional love is

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This color is connected only with the character of Jay Gatsby who, as Nick described, “stretched out his arms towards the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward - and distinguishing nothing except a single green light, minute and faraway, that might have been the end of a dock” (Fitzgerald 20). The green light, the contemporary signal which peremptorily summons the traveler on his way, serves well as the symbol for man in hurried pursuit of a beckoning

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Throughout many brilliant works of literature, a common item is placed amongst them: symbols. Symbols are often a key to further understanding a point the author is trying to convey to their readers. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, The Great Gatsby, he utilizes the literary tool of symbols to illustrate a larger picture for his themes and characters within the novel. For example, the color green plays a prominent role in The Great Gatsby throughout the duration of the novel. However, the color has can have various interpretations.

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Symbolism in general is the building blocks to all sources of literature and can shape a piece of writing in many ways. Symbols in general can portray what something or someone represents, giving a deeper and metaphorical meaning to a symbol. Symbolism is often used within poetry, literature, music, or even art. This is how an author conveys a different meaning to the audience. For example artists may use the color “red” not only because of the color theory, but to convey love, passion, and maybe even health.

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Symbolism is one of the most important properties a story can have. It's often used to develop a character or a theme throughout the story that is being told. Symbolism in literature is best described by as the use of symbols and objects to signify ideas and qualities by giving them a symbolic meanings that are very different from their literal sense. The short stories "Where are you going, Where have you been?" and "The Yellow Wallpaper" have very obvious examples of symbolism.

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This shows the deep desire to have a better life. In comparing the use of green in “The Great Gatsby” and the description of how green appears to most humans it’s obvious to see how Fitzgerald uses this color for envy and

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