ipl-logo

What Does The White Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

1166 Words5 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. The color white represents purity, nobleness, goodness, innocence, and wholeness. White usually has positive attributes associated with it, and white is the color of perfection. The Great Gatsby states that “Daisy and Jordan were both in white, and their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the house” (Fitzgerald 8). Fitzgerald uses this statement to show Daisy and Jordan’s purity. They are so light that they can be compared to white birds or balloons. “White traditionally symbolizes purity, and there is no doubt that Fitzgerald wants to underscore the ironic disparity between ostensible purity of …show more content…

An example of blue and yellow used symbolically in The Great Gatsby is the eyes of T.J Eckleburg “the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic- their retinas are one yard high. They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over non-existent nose” (Fitzgerald 23). These eyes are open and watching or overlooking everything with yellow spectacles, which symbolize destruction. “The romantic blue is obviously associated with the promise, the dream, that Gatsby has mistaken for reality” (Schneider 250). These eyes are like a promise or dream -- maybe the American dream and how it leads to destruction. Yellow is also another symbol for the American

Show More
Related

Imagery Of Color In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

618 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel “The Great Gatsby”, F. Scott Fitzgerald, uses the imagery of color throughout the book. Social classes, emotional states,and racial slurs, all reflect back on the many different colors that are used throughout the book. The colors are used repeatedly as symbols, and shades to develop the mood and tone In different scenes of the novel. The color white is a symbol of being clean and fresh, on the contrary it could also be very tainted like the color black. Green is the ruling color in the book which represent confidence and hope.

Read More

The Great Gatsby Green Symbol Analysis

298 Words | 2 Pages

In Fitzgerald’s book The Great Gatsby, green is used symbolically. Green could be used as wealth, new life, hope, jealousy, and love. Throughout the story green is symbolized, for example in chapter 1 it says “involuntarily I glanced seaward and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock”. In this example the green light is a symbol for Gatsby’s hopes and dreams.

Read More

What Does The Color Green Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

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.

Read More

What Does The Yellow Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

1311 Words | 6 Pages

In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, symbolism is very important all throughout it. Not only does he use objects to show symbolism, but he also uses color symbolism to prove the importance of the theme and development of the characteristics in the Great Gatsby. Color symbolism brings out the visual of the story, so readers can picture it in their mind as they are reading. Fitzgerald took the colors to an advanced level by using key colors to help further deepen the meaning of the book and its characters. Although there are many colors in the novel, Fitzgerald uses the colors green, white, and yellow to symbolize Gatsby’s emotions and riches.

Read More

The Color Gray In The Great Gatsby

497 Words | 2 Pages

In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald exhausts numerous colors throughout the novel to demonstrate different aspects of the changing times. He associates colors like yellow, white, blue and gray with certain characters as well as specific topics in the novel. The color gray is associated with the character Jordan Baker as well as with the topics of moral and sexual ambiguity. Fitzgerald also demonstrates the use of color psychology in The Great Gatsby, thus causing the audience to acknowledge perceptions of those colors.

Read More

Allusions In The Great Gatsby

1352 Words | 6 Pages

The American Dream suggests that every American citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work. One of the major ways that Fitzgerald portrays this is by alluding to outside events or works of literature specifically from that time period. Another major relationship that develops in The Great Gatsby is between Tom and Daisy. F. Scott Fitzgerald alludes to things such as the World’s Fair and “The Love Nest” to display the eventual dismantling of Tom and Daisy’s relationship. Both of these separate plots consolidate under the idea of Gatsby trying to become the epitome of the American Dream, as seen through his strive for a “perfect life.”

Read More

White Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

854 Words | 4 Pages

The color of white symbolizes corruption as in the example of Gatsby showing the policeman a white card to not get in trouble. The color of yellow symbolizing wealth as represented with Gatsby’s luxurious car which shows how wealthy he is. And, the color green symbolizes the future as it symbolizes the future and dream because of Gatsby’s wanted dream/future he wanted with Daisy as the green light is at her house. So in conclusion, the symbolism of color in the book is a major part of the novel and there are many other colors in the novel that have symbolism like gray, silver or gold, but these colors stood out the most in The Great

Read More

The Great Gatsby Color Analysis

1850 Words | 8 Pages

Item 2: Color Chart: In the book “The Great Gatsby,” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, colors have been used to represent the character’s unapparent and underlying thoughts, feelings, status and class. Through the motif of colors, Fitzgerald depicts the feelings of the character as he refers to a specific color while describing each one of them. The colors make a deep impact on the readers as they contain a profound meaning throughout the novel. There are around five main colors in the novel appearing frequently: white, yellow, green, blue and grey, which help the novel look more gaudy and idealistic.

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

Why Is Color Important In The Great Gatsby

1133 Words | 5 Pages

Everyone has a favorite shirt, they adore the way the color complements their skin tone or 1their hair or eyes. Maybe the shirt is even their favorite color, or a mix of colors. Since people have been wearing clothes, painting pictures, or decorating their homes and objects; colors have been involved. The blending of dyes and the mixing of pigments creates beautiful patterns and expresses people’s personalities and emotions. The use of color plays a big part in the story The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, from the bright colors of the wealthy and beautiful to the drab colors of the poor and destroyed.

Read More

Theme Of Grey In The Great Gatsby

1268 Words | 6 Pages

In everyday life and works of literature, color can symbolizes a wide variety of emotions from moods to political views. When someone is feeling upset one often says “I’m feeling blue” or when someone is mad their face turns red giving that color the association with anger. Political status even uses color to represent each party, one is usually either a blue Democrat or red Republican. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby color plays a significant role throughout the story symbolizing emotions and social rankings. Colors such as green representing hope and money, grey portraying hopelessness, discontent, and low social class, and yellow exemplifies destruction and desire.

Read More

Color Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

1148 Words | 5 Pages

Gatsby’s life is filled with various colors which signify the messages Fitzgerald is trying to convey. Color symbolism plays an important role through the novel, The Great Gatsby. In the novel, the color green detonates Gatsby’s hopes and dreams, but in other characters it represents envy, jealously, and money. When Nick returns home from his cousins house, he spotted Gatsby outside on his dock: “—he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way…I glanced seaward—and distinguished nothing but a green light, that might have been at the end of a dock” (Fitzgerald 21).

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 Color Grey In The Great Gatsby

1081 Words | 5 Pages

The color grey often symbolizes dull and lifeless characteristics or a state of depression. During the 1920s people in the working class were described as “grey” as they chased their goals they could never achieve. The Great Gatsby is a story of people who try to gain and reach success in a world where social classes vary significantly. In his novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the color grey in both characters and settings to portray the disillusionment of the American Dream through his characters' corrupt ambitions and amoral behavior.

Read More

How Does Jay Gatsby Fulfill The American Dream

723 Words | 3 Pages

The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald shows how Jay Gatsby tries to fulfill the ideals of the American Dream. When Gatsby was young, he set goals and worked hard to improve. He pursued the typical American dream of gaining wealth, finding a companion, and being admired by others. Gatsby thought it was best to try and change everything about himself. He wears a thick mask of lies throughout the story, hiding his past, changing his name, suppressing his emotions, and even adapting his word choice.

Read More

More about What Does The White Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

Related Topics

Open Document