What Does Red Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

In society, symbols are extremely prominent, yet they seem to operate as a product of pure laziness. For example, “red” is a symbol for hot or stop, but the words are rarely ever spelled for a person to read. However, this is not similar to symbolism in literature. Authors use symbolism to challenge the reader’s critical thinking skills, which is the polar opposite of society’s use. In both passages from The Scarlet Letter and The Great Gatsby, their respective authors use similar and contrasting symbolism, which enhance their overarching themes, as well as the reader’s critical thinking skills. The first symbol that is parallel between the two excerpts is “separation”. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes the relationship between Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale to express a “bond” that no longer exists (3). This bond breaks because Dimmesdale “completely … withdrew himself from their mutual world” (7). Essentially, as a result of Dimmesdale not admitting

In The Scarlet Letter, walking is a unique symbol. In the passage, the narrator states “... when the heavy footstep of the approaching Fate might be heard.” (5-6). Because “walking” is a symbol for a journey, this quote informs the reader that Hester’s fate is approaching her sluggishly, in the form of “heavy footsteps”. Unique to The Great Gatsby, is the symbol “eyes”s. Throughout the novel, eyes played a crucial role in enhancing the reader’s understanding of the text. In this particular excerpt, Nick states “it was all going by too fast now for his blurred eyes and he knew he lost that part of it…” (13-14). His eyes could not comprehend the reality that Daisy was not coming back into his life, and that he had lost a part of his own “self”, along with her. The different symbolism used by each author gives the reader a more in depth understanding of literary techniques used in long