...explains the novel by 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
...novel The Great Gatsby in 1922. This novel tells the story of Jay Gatsby in Nick Carraway point of view. Fitzgerald used the green light as a symbolism of dreams and hopes to show its significance in the novel. The green light is important in the novel, for it is used as the American Dream for Jay Gatsby. For example, the text states, “he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. 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. k. When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness.” In these quotes,...
Words: 666 - Pages: 3
...Symbolism, in a novel, creates great depth and puts meaning behind otherwise insignificant words or phrases. This depth can be seen in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby. The Great Gatsby follows a set of characters that reside in Long Island. The book is narrated by one of the characters, Nick Carraway, who has just moved to West Egg. Opposite to West Egg is East Egg, where his cousin Daisy and her husband, Tom Buchanan, reside. His cousin and her husband live luxurious lives and Nick finds himself surrounded by their privileged way of life. In West Egg, Nick lives next to Jay Gatsby, who is in love with Daisy Buchanan and hopes to reconnect. The Great Gatsby contains a considerable amount of symbolism that includes colors, temperature,...
Words: 307 - Pages: 2
...Colourful World of The Great Gatsby In the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald utilizes colour symbolism to enhance each character’s personality flaws and convey a symbolic meaning behind everything the characters do. Throughout the novel, the colours that highlight these flaws are Green, Yellow, White, and Silver. Each colour conveys important symbolic meanings, which ultimately highlight each character’s tainted personalities. Fitzgerald magnifies these clearly identifiable flaws in Gatsby, Daisy, and Myrtle through the use of colour symbolism throughout his novel. The first colour, which F. Scott Fitzgerald introduces to the reader, is the colour green. Green embodies the hope in which Gatsby clings on to and the limitless dream...
Words: 511 - Pages: 3
...In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses symbolism to indicate themes and influence the plot. The valley of ashes, the green light, and the billboard are the three major examples of Fitzgerald’s symbolism. The valley of ashes is a significant symbol used in The Great Gatsby. “About half way between West Egg and New York the motor-road hastily joins the railroad and runs beside it for a quarter of a mile, so as to shrink away from a certain desolate area of land. This is a valley of ashes - a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air…” (Fitzgerald 28). It symbolizes the forgotten poor underclass who enable the lifestyle of the wealthy few. The people who work and live in this valley are the factory employees. Their factory production is what’s driving the construction expansion that supplies the residents of West Egg with their wealth. “The valley of ashes is bounded on one side by a small foul river, and when the drawbridge is up to let barges through, the passengers on waiting trains can stare at the dismal scene for as long as half an hour. There is always a halt there of at least a minute…” (29)....
Words: 656 - Pages: 3
...In The Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men both authors portray the American Dream that no matter what happens it's going to fail at some point. In The Great Gatsby the author introduces the green light which symbolizes Gatsby’s hopes and dreams for a contented life with Daisy. The author also ironically shares Gatsby life as a kid, with Gatsby growing up poor and hopeless all he wanted to do was be able to make money and to be known for his own success. In Of Mice and Men the author introduce George, whose dream was to work on a farm hard enough that he could one day be able to have his own with Lennie. George’s buddy Lennie had the same dream in mind, he wanted to own a farm with George and raise lots animals specifically rabbits. The characters...
Words: 1673 - Pages: 7
...Annotated Bibliography Rev. of Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby'., by Brian Sutton. Gale Cengage Learning. The Explicator, 1997. Web. 23 Mar. 2010. <http://find.galegroup.com>. Brian Sutton asserts that F. Scott Fitzgerald's book, The Great Gatsby, has four interlinked images that traces Gatsby’s rise and fall as he attempts to recapture Daisy Buchanan's love. The first image is in the beginning of the book when Gatsby is seen by the narrator holding his arms wide open to a green light in the distance. Which we later learn is that the green light is on Daisy's porch. It symbolizes how Gatsby wants Daisy's love back again and that his arms are wide open for her. The second image occurs in the middle of the book when Gatsby experiences a moment of triumph, Gatsby and Daisy finally meet. During this meeting, Daisy is smoking a cigarette...which is another symbol of light! The third image is when Tom and Gatsby finally confront each other and while all this i is going on, Daisy throws her cigarette and the burning match to the carpet...which symbolizes that their(Gatsby and Daisy) love is over. The fourth image is at the end of the book when Gatsby is standing in the distance where he once looked at the light in Daisy's house, just hoping and praying that maybe she will return her love for him. Throughout this article, Sutton uses examples from the text to heighten the meaning of these...
Words: 655 - Pages: 3
...Conley Howard The Great Gatsby Literary Analysis Notebook Mrs. Marlar/English III Period 6 Howard 1 Literary Element- Symbolism Chapter 1, page 21 Original Quote: “But I didn’t call to him, for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone—he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward—and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far way, that might have been the end of a dock. When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unique darkness.”(Fitzgerald 21) Paraphrase with Analysis: Gatsby is being spotted by Nick, the narrator, while he is reaching out across his dock to the green light. (Fitzgerald 21) The green light symbolizes Daisy. Green is also an archetype and the negative associations are death and decay. Green can also foreshadow Gatsby death in the end since he never achieved the “green light” being Daisy who she chose Tom Buchanan in the end. Embedded Quotes in Paraphrase with Analysis: David F. Trask in his book, A Note on Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, states that “Gatsby believed in the green light, the future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms further ... And one fine morning Alas, all of us! The novel ends on a desperately somber note: So we beat on, boats...
Words: 1349 - Pages: 6
...greatest work, The Great Gatsby is not only a great story, but an insight into the flaws of real life during the "Roaring Twenties." His book has been considered by many a symbol for the "Jazz Age," a time of extraordinary wealth and promise, but Fitzgerald's novel is much more than that, presenting the truth behind the twenties and creating an atmosphere which has earned a permanent place in American literature. Fitzgerald's novel works on many different levels, giving us unforgettable characters and events on one, as well as referring to the problems of American wealth and spirituality on another. However, what is the main point of the book? And most importantly, what on earth is that mysterious green light? Those questions, as well as many others will be answered in this analysis, which will discuss the underlying meaning and symbolism behind The Great Gatsby. "I didn't call to him, for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone - he stretched out his arms towards the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. 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. When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness." (16) So ends the first chapter of The Great Gatsby and brings to our attention the first symbol in this book - that mysterious green light. In our first...
Words: 2134 - Pages: 9
...in The Great Gatsby is “What is the most essential symbol in the novel?” The most essential symbol in The Great Gatsby is the Valley of Ashes. Three examples of this are the Valley of Ashes represents the social decay of life during the Roaring Twenties, The Valley of Ashes represents the poor, and the Valley of Ashes represents drastic contrast from the rich and glamorous lifestyle in the Eggs. One example of the Valley of Ashes being the most essential symbol in The Great Gatsby is that the Valley of Ashes represents the social decay of life during the Roaring Twenties. Proof of this is that this is where Tom and Myrtle meet up for their affair. This is proven on page 28 when Nick and Tom are traveling to...
Words: 512 - Pages: 3
...you get what you want? In the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nick, the main character, lives next door to a rich yet shy figure named Gatsby. Gatsby throws parties all the time, but nobody seems to know who he is. As the story goes on, we find out that Gatsby is in love with Daisy, Nick’s cousin. Behind all of this, Fitzgerald uses light imagery to convey Gatsby’s love for Daisy to show the hope involved in this relationship. A green light across a lake doesn’t seem like anything, right? In the novel, Gatsby is caught by Nick staring across the lake at a green light with his hands in the air. Nick later realizes that the green light across the lake is Daisy’s house. Furthermore, Jordan, Nicks friend, reveals that Gatsby bought the house on that particular spot so Daisy can see it lit up. The green light in the novel represents hope, which later we find out, is part of Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship. “He stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and far as I was from him I could...
Words: 682 - Pages: 3
...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
...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
...something more significance in a story, and add an extra layer of meaning that wasn’t there before. In “The Great Gatsby” symbolism is used to give a deeper meaning to the story, and by analyzing it the reader can better understand the message it is portraying. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses symbolism throughout “The Great Gatsby” in a variety of unique ways to express his feelings about 1920’s America. Between West Egg and the city lies The Valley of Ashes, a place symbolised in “The Great Gatsby”, as grey, and dreary. By using...
Words: 1324 - Pages: 6
...personally set goals. While reading the book The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there are many examples that symbolize the American dream. Two main details from The Great Gatsby will focus on Gatsby's hopes and dreams, as well as, obsession with wealth. F. Scott Fitzgerald has a very illusory message pinned on the American dream. He feels that the American dream can drive a man to do extraordinary and unethical things. “Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies” (Friedrich Nietzsche). People will chase a better tomorrow that is always just a tad out of reach. In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby does many ludicrous and unethical things to achieve the American Dream. Gatsby throws extravagant parties every weekend in hopes that Daisy Buchanan will show up amongst the large crowed. "Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay" (Fitzgerald 147)....
Words: 600 - Pages: 3
