Symbols In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, symbols are conveyed throughout the story to introduce hidden meanings and themes. In the novel two prominent symbols were the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg and the green light. These symbols evoke the feelings, desires, or social interactions between characters. T.J. Eckleburg’s eyes watched over the valley of ashes as a symbol of someone who is always watching or how God sees everything. In the novel, Tom has a mistress that lives in the center of the valley which shows that even if Daisy does not realize, someone always knows the real truth. In the novel it states “You ought to go away, It’s pretty certain they’ll trace your car. Go away now, old sport?” (Fitzgerald 148). This can explain that

The eyes create a difference in human nature and the American Dream. The second and most important symbol is the green light on Daisy’s dock. Gatsby, the main character, looks off his dock every night in hopes to reconnect with his missing piece, knowing that Daisy is across the water. “I thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his Wilhelm 2 dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it.” (Fitzgerald 180). In the story, Gatsby has tried to reconnect with Daisy so they could be what they once were, he is so close to getting her back that he can’t bear the thought of not having her even though she is a dock away. This represents the dreams and aspirations of Gatsby towards Daisy, it gives him hope and reassurance that one day he might be back with her. Daisy and Gatsby had fallen in love 5 years prior to Gatsby leaving to be in the war. Having the light at an arm's length away gives Gatsby a taste of what should have been his