The Great Gatsby Color Imagery Analysis

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

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