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What Does The Water Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

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Effects of Symbolism in The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, is the story of the idiosyncratic millionaire Jay Gatsby, narrated by Nick Carraway, a Midwesterner who later moves East, specifically into the West Egg. Gatsby’s life is organized around one desire, Daisy, the woman he met and fell in love with while stationed at Camp Taylor in Louisville. This desire leads him from poverty to wealth, reuniting with his old love, and his eventual death. Comparable with the character Jay Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald was not born into the upper class. However, both end up becoming exceptionally rich, fall into the wildest and reckless life, and use their fortunes to win the love and approval of the women they once …show more content…

The colors green, gold, and yellow are frequently mentioned throughout. Green is arguably the most prominent color used as a symbol in The Great Gatsby. Gatsby is often seen standing in his lawn, staring at the green light emanating from the end of Daisy's dock. Nick notes that at one point, Gatsby ''stretched out his arms toward the dark water'' to reach the light that he cannot obtain (Fitzgerald 21). In this context, the green symbolizes Gatsby's desire to attain Daisy’s love once more. His amassing of wealth and status has all been an attempt to convince Daisy to return to him, yet she is still out of his reach, similar to the green …show more content…

J. Eckleburg’s eyes, which can be found as a pair of fading bespectacled eyes painted on an old advertising billboard over the valley of ashes, is represented as judgement from God in the context of sinful events taking place while Nick is around, while high-class characters, such as Daisy and Tom, do not seem to care or acknowledge the judgment, shame, and guilt that Nick feels from the eyes on the billboard. Dr. T.J. Eckleburg’s eyes symbolize God to some of the lower-class characters in the novel. Nick feels judged by the eyes when Tom takes him to meet Myrtle in the valley of ashes, “We walked back a hundred yards along the road under the doctor Eckleburg's persistent stare," (Fitzgerald). Nick feels judged by the eyes because he knows George does not know about Myrtle’s affair with Tom. The eyes watch Myrtle’s murder towards the end of the novel, and George stating, “She might fool me but she couldn’t fool god”, after Myrtle is killed by Daisy, is ironic because he had no idea that Daisy killed Myrtle, however, Dr. T.J. Eckleburg did. The connection between the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg and God exists in the context of George Wilson’s grief-stricken mind. To other characters, the eyes represent the meaninglessness of the world, that is shown by Tom and Daisy’s careless actions after Myrtle’s death (Campbell,

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690 Words | 3 Pages

T.J. Eckleburg symbolizes an objective, moral observer. The billboard is in a central location and observes various significant events throughout the story, such as Tom meeting with Myrtle Wilson. “I followed him over a low whitewashed railroad fence and we walked back a hundred yards along the road under Doctor Eckleburg’s persistent stare.” (Fitzgerald 28). The eyes are disturbing and make the characters uncomfortable and consider their actions as the story progresses.

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1258 Words | 6 Pages

Based n this quote the “eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg” are most likely a sign or billboard of a pair of blue eyes like the ones on the cover of the book. “…some wild wag of an oculist set them there to fatten his practice in the borough of Queens, and then sank down himself into eternal blindness, or forgot them and moved away” (24). The author is telling the reader that

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Taryn Perkins Ms. Williams AP Language & Composition 30 October 2015 80129@student.myscps.us In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, the motifs of eyes and spectacles to the theme of god is watching and judging is played with throughout the book.. The first time significant eyes came up in the story was in chapter two when the face of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg was described as “…blue and gigantic — their retinas are one yard high.

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Eckleburg’s billboard over the Valley of Ashes. While looking at the eyes of T. J. Eckleburg, Mr. Wilson says to Michaelis, “‘God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!’” (Fitzgerald 159). Despite all of the dishonesty and greed taking place in the vicinity of the characters, God is ultimately present in whatever endeavors you decide to pursue, whether they are beneficial or harmful intentions behind them.

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1062 Words | 5 Pages

Eckleberg's eyes watch over an industrial dumping ground from a washed out billboard across from Wilson's garage. They are described by Nick as being, “blue and gigantic-their retinas are one yard high. . . But his eyes, dimmed by many paintless days under sun and rain, brood over the solemn dumping ground”(Fitzgerald 23, 24). From the beginning of the book, the eyes are personified as a disapproving observer. This personification, is what allows the billboard to take on a heightened meaning.

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636 Words | 3 Pages

J. Eckleburg's eyes are presented on a billboard. It's purpose is to watch over the town just like God watches over it. The oculists sign sees everything that is suppose to go unseen. These set of eyes have seen the man who fixed the World Series, Daisy crashing into Myrtle with a car and Tom meeting up with his mistress. Therefore the characters that proposed these actions lost part of their spiritual values.

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393 Words | 2 Pages

Overall, in the story, “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s key symbolism of the colors green, white, silver, gold, and blue illustrate a fundamental element. The color green symbolizes desire, hope, and dreams of future happiness that shines through the darkness. The green color comes for Daisy and Tom’s dock which can be seen across the water to Gatsby’s house. The green light represent to Gatsby’s his desire, hope, and dream of being with Daisy. The desire, the longing of Gatsby wanting to be with Daisy.

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813 Words | 4 Pages

The colors white, yellow, blue, and green shape the novel’s characters and plot, resulting in a vivid story of love and blind pursuance. As mentioned earlier, the color green is one of the most recognized colors symbolically. The color green symbolizes future, or the American dream, and is most associated with Gatsby himself. This is what Gatsby is pursuing throughout the novel until he tragically perishes, his dream never becoming a reality.

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Madison Lok Sarah Muszynski English 301 27 February 2023 “Fate’s Complexity”: Ambition and the American Dream in The Great Gatsby In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby, a bootlegger who achieves great material wealth, lives in West Egg, across the water from East Egg, two parts of the same town representing new and old money, respectively. On the one hand, Gatsby fulfills the American dream by acquiring a mansion and other physical objects that flaunt his wealth. However, Gatsby simultaneously fails to live the promised idyllic life due to his longing for Daisy, his love interest.

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The first and most prominent set of eyes are those of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, huge and depicted on a billboard in the valley of ashes. The author writes, “ They look out of no face but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose” (26). These eyes serve as the pinnacle eyes of God, a feature within every piece of notable American literature throughout history. The eyes lack a face, accentuating the ethereal nature of the idea of God, and the size makes him larger than life. His foreboding grandness contradicts the dry purgatory of the valley of ashes, bringing up the imagery of the world being a fallen one.

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465 Words | 2 Pages

"But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground" (Fitzgerald 28). Though the book never gives an exact answer on why there are eyes in the sky it can symbolize that everything is being watched. "Daisy's face was smeared with tears and when I came in she jumped up and began wiping at it with her handkerchief before a mirror" (Fitzgerald 94). Under the left eye on the cover is a tear streaming down the face of Daisy. The tear represents the hardship she went through and how unhappy she was in many situations. "

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410 Words | 2 Pages

It feels like he had won her over and it shows by showing his own house. Nick Carraway describes the Valley of Ashes when the eyes are an advertisement. “The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic - their irises are one yard high (Fitzgerald 26).” The eyes don’t blink they are just there seeing you. The billboard represents the emptiness of The American Dream.

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1058 Words | 5 Pages

Daisy’s unrepentant reaction to Myrtle’s death was reflected by the darkness and sorrow in the eyes of T.J. Eckleberg, representing God’s disappointment in their society, fulfilled by false appearances and

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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.

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830 Words | 4 Pages

The eyes “watch” over the valley of ashes. “The eyes of doctor T.J Eckleburg… solemn dumping ground” (Fitzgerald 23). The eyes themselves represent a “Big Brother” (Mass surveillance in modern culture). They watch over the valley of ashes, acting as God to a certain point, to a certain character. George Wilson views the eyes as guidance.

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