What Is Fitzgerald's Use Of Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

Francis Scott Fitzgerald, a highly renowned author of the 1920s, collects a series of observations made by protagonist Nick Carraway in his authentic novel “The Great Gatsby”. FItzgerald’s sophisticated writing recounts the story of Nick Carraway’s experience as an outsider of a highly sophisticated social class, where a series of affairs and assassinations end up in a tragic and broken love story. By writing about the events that characterized the society of the “roaring 20s”, the author lionizes the decline of a righteous moral sense and spirituality, the deterioration of a person’s decency, as well as the trivialization of the American Dream, through the use of symbolism.
Fitzgerald opens his novel by analyzing how the human nature presents

The author introduces Mr. Wolfsheim by acknowledging his observation on the individual’s arrogant and uneducated way of being while explaining Gatsby what had happened with his illegal gambling business. Furthermore, Mr. Wolfsheim shows his true identity when he mentions that his cuff buttons where indeed not pieces of ivory, but the “finest specimens of human molars” (Fitzgerald, 73). Because Wolfsheim was a person with many “contacts” and had been involved in an illegal gambling occupation, the cuff buttons represent a warning to both Nick and the rest of society, which is to make sure that they obey him, or he will take the necessary measurements to be satisfied. Surely, the teeth make a statement, which is that Wolfsheim will achieve anything that he wants without worrying about the consequences or the pain that his actions can cause to another human being. Fitzgerald uses the teeth as a symbol of danger in order to represent both the threats, ignorance and ruthlessness that persist in the society. Similarly, because of the “old money” wealth that she had been raised in, Daisy seems to have a very similar, yet less threatening, attitude. The author appeals to her sense of superiority and richness to symbolize her cold-blooded and cruel behavior towards Gatsby, whom loved her very deeply. Gatsby considered her a person that was extraordinary, but he did not

In the novel, Nick believes that the Owl-Eyed Man’s presence is very repetitive. He lionizes the Owl-Eyed Man for his continuous companionship throughout the book in order to symbolize a god. He had watched everyone around him struggle, but he did not take the appropriate actions to solve any problems, and he did not give any advice. His ubiquity is very limited to the audience, but the reader is aware of his whereabouts. In addition, he was the only person who went to Gatsby’s funeral, which again demonstrates his behavior of a god-like person who was watching over others. However, with Gatsby’s death came the decline of his one true dream, which was to live a happy life with Daisy. The green light on Daisy’s dock represented Gatsby’s hope for several years, but as the case may be, this green light represents the decline of the pursuit of the American Dream. Despite the fact that green is a symbol of hope, this wish has been destroyed by Daisy’s sense of superiority, which ends up representing the end of a hopeful, and yet hopeless, American Dream. After Gatsby’s death, Tom, Daisy and Nick’s departure, the green light is only a memory in Nick’s mind. The light now has no concrete meaning and it is just a symbol. Therefore, Fitzgerald uses the green light, unreachable but