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The Great Gatsby Color Imagery Analysis

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The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a classic novel about the pursuit of the American Dream of the 1920s. In this Jazz Age novel, Nick Carraway tells the story of Jay Gatsby and the pursuit of the girl of his dreams. Throughout the piece, Fitzgerald employs the use of color imagery to allow the reader to connect more deeply with the characters. Color imagery provides insight into the social status, personality, and others perceptions of the characters. Color imagery reveals insights into the social status of the characters. Tom and Daisy Buchanan are from the East Egg near New York City. Their house and possessions are often described using the colors gold. The colors gold and yellow are used to symbolize wealth, specifically old money, and status. “The front was broken by a line of French windows, glowing now with reflected gold, and …show more content…

At the surface, Jay Gatsby appears to be an extremely happy man as he is very wealthy, lives in a very big mansion, and hosts many parties. However, through the use of colors, the reader can grasp that Gatsby is really lonely and is searching for something more. The color blue, specifically in Gatsby’s garden, represents loneliness and illusion. “The shadow of a tree fell abruptly across the dew and ghostly birds began to sing among the blue leaves… [Gatsby] sat down gloomily” (Fitzgerald 152). This quote shows that Gatsby’s garden represents himself and his loneliness. Across the lake from Gatsby’s house is a green light, which stands at the dock of Daisy’s house. Green represents life, hope, and the pursuit of a dream. Gatsby spends numerous nights looking out across the waters at the green light. “[Gatsby] stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way…Involuntarily I glanced seaward – and distinguished nothing except a single green light” (Fitzgerald 20-21). This gives insight to Gatsby’s hope, desire, and pursuit of Daisy, his

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Color is an essential part of everyday life and the world around us. Colors convey meaning when words cannot. In The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald uses color as a literary device to progress the story, create setting, mood, and develop and develop characters. Fitzgerald’s use of color shows the differences in class by describing the character, their surroundings, and their possessions with color.

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The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, deploys color symbolism in order to further develop characters and the plot. Fitzgerald’s use of color symbolism within The Great Gatsby not only defines the characters but adds depth to them. The most recognized color within the novel is “the single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock” (26). In addition to the green light, there are many other colors within the novel that embody characters, objects, and ideas. The most significant and memorable colors, other than green, are white and yellow, both of which are intertwined in Fitzgerald’s fictional world of materialism and scandal.

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In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the character of Jay Gatsby is an individual of hope who pursues his ideal of bringing back together his past with Daisy Buchanan through the wealth, of his mansion’s gleaming parties located right across the bay. However, from the view of Nick Carraway, there is no way to bring the past back, as he saw Gatsby as a hopeful person to do so. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald uses many aspects of symbols which have significance towards the concepts of moral corruption and the pursuit of his dream. To begin, Fitzgerald has usage of colors throughout The Great Gatsby which depict the significance of the chase of the ideal, and moral corruption.

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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. When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness.” (1.152) "If it wasn 't for the mist we could see your home across the bay," said Gatsby. "You always have a green light that burns all night at the end of your dock." Daisy put her arm through his abruptly, but he seemed absorbed in what he had just said.

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