Premium Essay

What Does The Gold Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

Submitted By
Words 1216
Pages 5
Miles

1/5/17

English 11

Gatsby Essay

Throughout The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates symbolism through color to paint pictures within the novel. In the backdrop of the roaring 20’s, a time of care-free extravagance and a new age of culture, lives one Jay Gatsby, “The Great Gatsby.” In reality, Gatsby is a poor man living a life of fantasy and corruption all for a “golden girl,” although no matter how rich he is, he is never able reach his dream, and dies tragically at the end of the summer. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses gold and silver to portray wealth as it corresponds with this obsession for prosperity and the pursuit of the American Dream, as well as his preoccupation with Daisy as a symbol of affluence and beauty. …show more content…
One rainy afternoon while waiting for Daisy and Gatsby to come over for tea (unbeknownst to Daisy), Nick says, “The flowers were unnecessary, for at two o'clock a greenhouse arrived from Gatsby's, with innumerable receptacles to contain it. An hour later the front door opened nervously, and Gatsby in a white flannel suit, silver shirt and gold-colored tie hurried in. He was pale and there were dark signs of sleeplessness beneath his eyes” (84). Jay is making great strides to impress Daisy. He is doing everything he can to show her how wealthy he is and how lavish he lives. The poetic devices here really show just how extravagant this array of flowers is by referring to it as a “greenhouse,” giving the image that the entire house is filled with flowers. Not only that, but all of these flowers are brought in by Jay’s excessive amount of butlers. Everything Gatsby says and does ostentatious. His house is said to be “colossal,” and he throws these over the top parties filled with strangers, with the hopes that Daisy would wander in one night. Jay’s clothing shows a lot about his wealth and aspirations. The gold tie and silver shirt are flashy and exemplify wealth. Similarly, the fact that wears all white conveys that money is no object and that he is above the social norm, …show more content…
Scott Fitzgerald and a character from one of his novels, and provides the reader with visions of opulence and beauty. Fitzgerald’s inscription says, “Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her; If you can bounce high, bounce for her too, Till she cry "Lover, gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover, I must have you!" (Epigraph). In the beginning of the epigraph, Fitzgerald is giving advice to the reader. “Then wear” indicates that he is suggesting that the reader wear the gold hat. This “gold hat” refers to wealth, but could also literally represent a crown. In relating to the novel, Fitzgerald is (most-likely) talking to Gatsby, if anyone in particular, and the “she” is probably Daisy. With that in mind, Fitzgerald is trying to tell Jay to wear this gold hat to try and impress Daisy, hoping it will cultivate her. Bouncing high corresponds to Gatsby’s obsession with becoming wealthy and rich, with which Fitzgerald is encouraging Gatsby to do in order to reclaim Daisy’s love. The last line of the poem shows just how Gatsby feels about Daisy, because she is something he must have! This poem even suggests that Daisy is more of an object or a prize to Jay. His life is incomplete without Daisy, especially because his lavish appearance and lifestyle are all in an attempt to get her

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Red Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

...The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby gives the readers a visual image of every character’s life by expressing their feelings; the colors are used very often as symbols that depict the person’s character and represents their behavior. The author utilized the colors white, green, red, blue, yellow, and gold. The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock is symbolic to the limitless promise of the dream Gatsby pursues. “Gatsby believed in the green light with such intensity that he did not realize his immature dream was unattainable from the start.”(Fitzgerald) Gatsby, was hoping that his American Dream would come true, it was his inspiration, his hope, and, ironically, his death and downfall. he was expecting to get married...

Words: 1674 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

What Did The Green Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

...Fitzgerald wrote “The Great Gatsby” symbolizing a few different topics. Many people who read the book gather different perspectives on what the it is symbolizing. When I read “The Great Gatsby” I gathered the impression that Fitzgerald was trying to symbolize the American Dream which was a very common dream during this time period. The American Dream meant that life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. Even though The Great Gatsby is a superlative fiction novel that symbolizes many different qualities of the life, the American Dream is symbolized the most through color representation, physical attributes, and the personalities of the...

Words: 939 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Color Red In The Great Gatsby

...F. Scott Fitzgerald flawlessly. The Great Gatsby is a complex story that can be read in various ways to reach a deeper meaning of understanding. The book has an abundance of descriptive colors that expand on and support the story. These colors can be interpreted differently from person to person based on experiences and situations. In the novel, author F. Scott Fitzgerald uses them well to capture the characteristics of the story. However, this begs the question of how a factor as minor as color can affect so many aspects of...

Words: 1409 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Color Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

...many different colors. All colors send a hidden message to a person. The message can be based on that person’s emotion or what they just simply think the color’s message is. “Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions”, this was said by Pablo Picasso. What he means by this is that colors can and will have a very big effect on your emotions and actions. Looking at certain colors can change your whole mood very quickly whether it’s great or awful. Some dark colors could cause you to be sad, angry, or gloomy. But when a person looks at bright, beautiful colors it can make them very happy, friendly and social. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby,...

Words: 1226 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Great Gatsby Comparison

...The Great Gatsby is a book written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The story follows Nick, the protagonist, as he moves to New York City and starts his new life there. Throughout the book, the reader meets an abundance of horrible characters like Daisy, a self-absorbed and careless beauty, Tom, a brutal and unmoral man, and Gatsby, an ignorant and mysterious fool who wasted his life chasing a hopeless dream. Baz Luhrmann and Woody Allen are just two people who have recreated The Great Gatsby or dedicated a homage to it. Their works have proven effective representations of the film. A director named Baz Luhrmann turned The Great Gatsby into a film. By casting the right actors to portray the characters, Luhrmann effectively recreated the book on screen....

Words: 890 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Readings in Fiction - Paper 1

...Readings in Fiction First Paper January 28, 2014 When analyzing the cultural history of the United States, it helps to first look at the novels written from a specific time period. The first three novels read in this class, McTeague, The Great Gatsby, and The Sun Also Rises, help to demonstrate how the people of this nation reacted to the fast paced changes that spanned from the late 1890s through the 1920s. Throughout this paper I will show how each of these novels reflected the evolution of American culture through the stories they told. At the turn of the century, American culture started to see a large shift of people attempting to expand their horizons. Before this time, if your father was a farmer you would most likely be a farmer. The same goes for many other professions. When someone did take a different path than their parents, it was still in similar work. For example, the son of a miner may become a black smith. The core work is different; however it still involves some sort of manual trade labor. When the 1900s came around sons would try to break away from their family’s tradition of work. Instead of becoming a car boy, sons would become printing apprentices. Or in the case of McTeague, the son of a miner would go on to become a dentist. This was the trend of the time, people trying to create their own destinies. The Novel McTeague tells a story of this search for a new destiny, but in a way that depicts this pursuit as futile. This is because McTeague is a naturalistic...

Words: 1947 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Setting in the Great Gatsby

...GREAT GATSBY CHAPTER ONE SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS Nick Carraway, the novel's narrator and protagonist, begins The Great Gatsby by recounting a bit of advice his father taught him: don't criticize others, because most people have not enjoyed the "advantages" that he has. Nick says that as a result of following this advice, he's become a tolerant and forgiving person who resists making quick judgments of others. Nick's "advantages" come from "old money." Nick casts himself as someone who doesn't judge based on class, which indicates that other people do judge based on class. However, he is contradictory here as he does judge the other characters, apart from Gatsby who is instead romanticized. There is a sense of irony surrounding Nick. For instance, Nick says that though he scorns everything Gatsby stood for, he withholds judgment entirely regarding him. Nick says Gatsby was a man of "gorgeous" personality and boundless hope. Nick views Gatsby as a victim, a man who fell prey to the "foul dust" that corrupted his dreams. Nick introduces Gatsby and connects him to both new money and the American Dream, and indicates that Gatsby was done in by the "foul dust" of the Roaring Twenties. In the summer of 1922, Nick, a Yale graduate, moves from his hometown in Minnesota, where his family has lived for three generations, to live and work in New York. He has recently returned from military service in World War I, an experience that left him feeling restless in the dull Midwest. As...

Words: 1428 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Examples Of Foreshadowing In The Great Gatsby

...In the novel The Great Gatsby the author F. Scott Fitzgerald uses a multitude of literary devices to create the beautifully written piece. Foreshadowing and symbolism are the most important techniques used by him to make the reader have a stronger interpretation of the novel and to allow it to have a greater meaning. One of the key elements that Fitzgerald uses symbolism and foreshadowing for is death. Death is a main occurrence in the novel and Fitzgerald often alludes to it to give his novel a second dimension and allow the reader to become interactive with the reading. Many important characters of objects in the novel are symbols of death and destruction and these use of these symbols help to foreshadow when a death may occur. Thus...

Words: 1230 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Valley In The Great Gatsby

...We often associate material gain with enjoyment and fulfillment, but we fail to understand the side most affected by the uninhibited pursuit of gratification. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the wealthy do just that; they climb the steps of social class by stepping over those who are poorer. In the novel, the lower-class face degradation caused by the wealthy’s often selfish desire for pleasure and satisfaction. Specifically, the Valley of Ashes symbolizes Fitzgerald’s criticism for that very inconsiderate pursuit of self-gain, which creates dire consequences for the poor. The negative language used to analyze the Valley illustrates Fitzgerald’s disapproval of the rich’s lack of consideration for others. When Nick describes the Valley,...

Words: 1223 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Wealth In The Great Gatsby

...In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, wealth is seen as the most important thing and without it one is not important. Wealth is shown in many extravagant ways and many in the novel are shown as either the new rich or old rich. Money is considered happiness to most in the novel but to some even all the money in the world is not enough to gain true happiness. Although Gatsby’s parties were seen as fun and extravagant, they were a facade, because all the money in the world couldn’t buy his happiness. Jay Gatsby’s parties are extremely fanciful and flashy and attract many people young and old. The parties are depicted as fabulous and extraordinary when Nick states: There was music from my neighbor’s house through the summer nights....

Words: 2354 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

The Great Gatsby Research Paper

...plays, despite its appalling ending. Authors have made it a point to sell tragedy in order to make money. However, my perspective on that opinion has been changed. I read The Great Gatsby during my sophomore year in high school as a part of an American literature class. By the end of the book, I realized that no matter what happens in life, it will still keep going and I should only have to look at the optimistic part of it. For some reason, I felt sympathy for Gatsby,...

Words: 2292 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Cyrus the Great

...critical theory today critical theory today A Us e r - F r i e n d l y G u i d e S E C O N D E D I T I O N L O I S T Y S O N New York London Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business Routledge Taylor & Francis Group 270 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10016 Routledge Taylor & Francis Group 2 Park Square Milton Park, Abingdon Oxon OX14 4RN © 2006 by Lois Tyson Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business Printed in the United States of America on acid‑free paper 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 International Standard Book Number‑10: 0‑415‑97410‑0 (Softcover) 0‑415‑97409‑7 (Hardcover) International Standard Book Number‑13: 978‑0‑415‑97410‑3 (Softcover) 978‑0‑415‑97409‑7 (Hardcover) No part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publishers. Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging‑in‑Publication Data Tyson, Lois, 1950‑ Critical theory today : a user‑friendly guide / Lois Tyson.‑‑ 2nd ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0‑415‑97409‑7 (hb) ‑‑ ISBN 0‑415‑97410‑0 (pb) 1. Criticism...

Words: 221284 - Pages: 886

Premium Essay

Liberty

...The Story of the Fourth of July The Declaration of Independence We celebrate American Independence Day on the Fourth of July every year. We think of July 4, 1776, as a day that represents the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States of America as an independent nation. But July 4, 1776 wasn't the day that the Continental Congress decided to declare independence (they did that on July 2, 1776). It wasn’t the day we started the American Revolution either (that had happened back in April 1775). And it wasn't the day Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence (that was in June 1776). Or the date on which the Declaration was delivered to Great Britain (that didn't happen until November 1776). Or the date it was signed (that was August 2, 1776). So what did happen on July 4, 1776? The Continental Congress approved the final wording of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. They'd been working on it for a couple of days after the draft was submitted on July 2nd and finally agreed on all of the edits and changes. July 4, 1776, became the date that was included on the Declaration of Independence, and the fancy handwritten copy that was signed in August (the copy now displayed at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.) It’s also the date that was printed on the Dunlap Broadsides, the original printed copies of the Declaration that were circulated throughout the new nation. So when people thought of the Declaration of Independence...

Words: 16917 - Pages: 68

Premium Essay

Interbrand-Best-Global-Brands-2013-Report

...Best Global Brands 2013 Table of Contents JEZ Leadership is evolving. It must now be shared. CEOs, CMOs, and consumers all have the power to drive brand value. Brands are where business strategy meets reality. GINNI The New Rules of Brand Leadership 2 From Information to Intelligence 82 Best Global Brands 2013 Sector Leadership 86 BISH 10 Creative Leadership 70 Methodology 120 China’s New Brand Leaders 74 Contributors 126 Corporate Citizenship 2.0 78 MARK CHIEKO The New Rules of Brand Leadership By Jez Frampton In our globalized, hyperconnected age, one question persists in boardrooms, corner offices, business schools, and conferences all over the world: What is leadership and how has it changed in the 21st century? Driven by rapid technological advancement, the digitization of nearly everything, and the ever more intricate interdependencies of the global market, the business landscape has transformed over the past two decades. Operating in a bewildering new environment in which little is certain, the pace is quicker and the dynamics more complex. Those who lead today’s brands can no longer rely on once immutable truths or principles of leadership honored in times past. It is a new world. And as purchasing increasingly shifts from a physical experience to a virtual one and transaction-based interactions between brands and consumers shift to relationship-based interactions, new skills and sensibilities are needed. Leadership...

Words: 44812 - Pages: 180

Premium Essay

Global Brand

...Best Global Brands 2013 Table of Contents JEZ Leadership is evolving. It must now be shared. CEOs, CMOs, and consumers all have the power to drive brand value. Brands are where business strategy meets reality. GINNI The New Rules of Brand Leadership 2 From Information to Intelligence 82 Sector Leadership Best Global Brands 2013 10 86 BISH Methodology Creative Leadership 70 120 Contributors China’s New Brand Leaders 74 126 Corporate Citizenship 2.0 78 MARK CHIEKO The New Rules of Brand Leadership By Jez Frampton In our globalized, hyperconnected age, one question persists in boardrooms, corner offices, business schools, and conferences all over the world: What is leadership and how has it changed in the 21st century? Driven by rapid technological advancement, the digitization of nearly everything, and the ever more intricate interdependencies of the global market, the business landscape has transformed over the past two decades. Operating in a bewildering new environment in which little is certain, the pace is quicker and the dynamics more complex. Those who lead today’s brands can no longer rely on once immutable truths or principles of leadership honored in times past. It is a new world. And as purchasing increasingly shifts from a physical experience to a virtual one and transaction-based interactions between brands and consumers shift to relationship-based interactions, new skills and sensibilities are needed. Leadership roles...

Words: 44781 - Pages: 180