ipl-logo

The Great Gatsby Eyes Analysis

669 Words3 Pages

What do your eyes see? Our eyes can tell many stories. The Great Gatsby, by Fitzgerald, depicts the American dream in the 1920s. A man’s, Gatsby’s, pursuit of his dream leads to his death, representing the death of the American dream. Throughout the novel many symbols, such as eyes, tell their own story. We meet the Owl Eyed Man who turns out to be the opposite of what he appears to be: A wise man. We then meet Mr. Wilson who watches his own American dream die. In The Great Gatsby, eyes and glasses symbolize wisdom and knowledge. We first encounter the owl eyed man in Gatsby’s library (chapter 3). Nick and Jordan were searching for Gatsby, during a party, and stumble upon a library containing a drunken man described as “owl eyed.” The man, as he places a book back on the shelf, mutters about how the whole library would collapse if one brick were removed. Because he is described as owl eyed, we can infer that he is clairvoyant, knowledgeable, and wise. The brick and the library are a metaphor for Gatsby’s dream; he is describing how fragile his dream really is and if something doesn’t line …show more content…

These hidden stories help us to understand the author’s message and can even change how we view the book and the characters in it. The owl eyed man seemed to be a useless drunk, but when we looked closer, he actually had a very important role as a wise man. Also, Wilson seemed like a regular guy who became sickly and disturbed towards the end of the book, but through the use of eyes we can see the American dream sickened him along with Gatsby. Next time you read The Great Gatsby or any book, just think what do your eyes see and what they do not see. Symbolism tells its own story and readers can enjoy these hidden meanings. The Great Gatsby is filled with eyes and I think you’ll find the symbolism of eyes and glasses in many books you never thought to look

Show More
Related

What Does The Valley Of Ashes Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

1128 Words | 5 Pages

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby to represent the roaring twenties lifestyle and the ever changing American Dream during the 1920s. Symbolism plays a drastic role in bringing the essay into a more perspective view for readers by growing characters, creating suspension and motivating the reader to continue reading. The Great Gatsby contains large amounts of symbolism, making it one of America's most loved novels. Fitzgerald uses different concepts of symbolism by integrating weather, location, colors and signs into the book by playing out relatable situations, for example the tension during hot weather. The valley of ashes played a very significant role in the book The Great Gatsby by creating a definition of the classes.

Read More

Similarities Between Their Eyes Were Watching God And The Great Gatsby

1155 Words | 5 Pages

The novels, Their Eyes were Watching God and The Great Gatsby, there were many characters that were affected by their desires. From each, there were characters that ruminate over their ambitions, like Gatsby and Jody. Each one of them though also had somebody they were affecting such as, Daisy and Janie. In The Great Gatsby, the narrator, Nick, told us about Gatsby’s life through his eyes. Their Eyes were Watching God also had many ambitions intertwined within.

Read More

What Does The Color Blue Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

1081 Words | 5 Pages

Vastly used in books, symbolism is no stranger in The Great Gatsby. The critically acclaimed book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a story about Jay Gatsby’s attempt to grasp and hold onto his American Dream. Narrated by Nick Carraway, the story tells about Jay Gatsby 's and Daisy Buchanan’s ephemeral affair. While the events occur, Nick discovers the facade that Gatsby is hiding behind. The parties, the house, the wealth are all part of the artifice Gatsby built-in order to get to Daisy.

Read More

What Does The Gold Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

598 Words | 3 Pages

F. Scott Fitzgerald is an author who is acclaimed for using a great deal of symbolism in his literature to illustrate and help readers understand the meanings of his work. Fitzgerald used many symbols in his novel The Great Gatsby which gave the story a whole new meaning in the sense that it has many underlying interpretations of the symbols. The story follows Jay Gatsby, a man who has one desire in life: to be reunited with his “golden girl” Daisy Buchanan, the love that he had lost five years earlier. Gatsby’s journey takes him from aridity to prosperity, into the arms of his treasured Daisy, and eventually his death. Fitzgerald’s use of the similarity in the colors gold and yellow in The Great Gatsby emphasize how wealth, social class, and the people in them are not as different as they may seem.

Read More

What Does The White Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

1166 Words | 5 Pages

The Significance of Symbols in the Great Gatsby In holding with the ideal of the American Dream, almost every child grows up with his or her parents wanting him or her to be better than they are and they long for their child to achieve and have more. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby wants better for himself. In this novel Gatsby longs to rekindle his relationship with Daisy Buchanan. Colors are used in the novel to represent some form of the American dream and show how corruption leads to destruction.

Read More

The Great Gatsby Lies Analysis

509 Words | 3 Pages

Most people would agree that at times lying is amoral though one cannot deny that lies are common, especially among the entitled and bored. This essay will include three of many examples in The Great Gatsby of lies. They are why owl eyes seemed so baffled when he discovered genuine books in Gatsby’s library, why Gatsby puts on a well-executed contrived smile, and if Tom has actually lied to anyone. The first example of lying in the book is fairly simple, but outlines the kind of deceit that the author wants to outline. A man named owl eyes exclaims to Nick that he can’t believe Gatsby's books are the real thing.

Read More

The American Dream In The Great Gatsby And I Hear America Singing

785 Words | 4 Pages

In "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, we see the

Read More

What Does The Green Light Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

725 Words | 3 Pages

A symbol in a novel is a concrete object that represents an idea or a set of ideas. Choose 3 symbols in the book and explain what they mean and how they function together to support a central theme. The Great Gatsby novel has various numbers of symbols that are descried and each symbolise very different things. Three symbols that this essay is going to further investigate are the green light, Gatsby’s gold and silver suit and the Valley of Ashes.

Read More

The American Dream In The Great Gatsby Essay

702 Words | 3 Pages

Fitzgerald describes Gatsby’s American dream through Nick’s eyes . For example, “ Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it had seemed very near to her, almost touching her. It had seemed as close as a star to the moon. Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enhanced objects had diminished by one.”

Read More

Examples Of Hollowness Of The Upper Class In The Great Gatsby

995 Words | 4 Pages

What thoroughness! What realism! Knew when to stop, too –” this quote is from the first party that Nick attended at Gatsby’s house, and there are a lot of rumors about Gatsby which he has created for himself. A very important character in this part is the Owl Eyes who helps “expose” Gatsby’s fake appearance emphasizing the hollowness of the wealthy and once again suggesting that the creation of a perfect appearance is the best that can be hoped for. He notices that all of the books in Gatsby’s library are real, however they are all uncut.

Read More

Corruption Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby Analysis

1756 Words | 8 Pages

The Corruption of The American Dream in The Great Gatsby In the novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald illustrates society in the 1920’s and the desire for the people with in it to achieve the American Dream, which embodies the hope that one can achieve power, love and a higher economic/social status through one’s commitment and effort. The novel develops the story of a man named Jay Gatsby and his dream of marrying what he describes as his “golden girl”, also known as, Daisy Buchanan, his former lover. Fitzgerald explores the corruption of the American dream through the Characters; Myrtle, Gatsby and Daisy.

Read More

What Does The Water Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

809 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More

The Great Gatsby War Analysis

747 Words | 3 Pages

In the story by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby symbolism is shown all throughout the story with Gatsby as he was in the war shows how he goes insane at times with other people. Another symbol used in the book is how the author uses “east and west eggs” to show two different villages where gatsby and daisy live. The most important symbol of the story was the green light at the end of daisy’s dock not only can symbolize the money that gatsby gained for Daisy but also shows Gatsby’s dream to change what happened, it gives Gatsby something to hope for. All in all Symbolism is shown all throughout the story with all the main characters but Gatsby stood out the most in the story; even being insane.

Read More

Blindness In The Great Gatsby

1038 Words | 5 Pages

The theme of seeing and not seeing permeates the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald created a multitude of flood characters each blind to their own weaknesses. From Myrtle’s blindness the fact that she will never be able to be wealthy. Gatsby's vision is obstructed by his love for Daisy. Daisy's blind to a happy life and from her husband's affairs and terrible behaviors. Almost all the characters are blind in one way or another.

Read More

The Failure Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

911 Words | 4 Pages

Gatsby’s Failure of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby Dreams are seen as a positive way to keep people going forward through their lives. However, dreams can blind people and not let them to see the truth. The novel The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald criticizes the idea of The American Dream of not being able to be achieved. Gatsby is one of the characters in the novel that tries to achieve The American Dream. The pursuit of the American Dream brings negative results to Gatsby because he becomes greedy, unrealistic, and dishonest, which shows that chasing dreams can destroy one’s life.

Read More

More about The Great Gatsby Eyes Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document