Very often, colors are used to describe a mood or a feeling. The bright colors of the rainbow are always cheerful, while the dark gray of storm clouds seem to hint gloominess or danger that lies ahead. However, every once and a while, colors are used to describe people or society. The colors that are used in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby are used in this way. The colors of green, white, and yellow / gold help characterize the main characters in the novel as well as society.
The first color that is introduced to is green. In the beginning, Nick describes a moment when he sees Gatsby stretching his arms out towards .”.. a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock.” (Fitzgerald 26) Later on in the novel, we learn that Gatsby associates this light with Daisy. Gatsby’s time and effort is spent on winning Daisy’s heart.
This is his “American Dream.” Here, the green light symbolizes Gatsby’s hope for a reunion with Daisy. Gatsby has an ideal picture of Daisy in his mind that is nothing close to reality. He thinks that whatever he does, he will succeed in winning over Daisy. At one point in the novel, Gatsby and Daisy are in Gatsby’s house looking out the window. The mist comes in and the green light vanishes from their view. “Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever…
The Essay on The Great Gatsby: Daisy And Myrtle
After first glancing at The Great Gatsby, it didn't seem as if any similarities between the wealthy, dainty Daisy Buchanan, the object of Gatsby's worship, and Myrtle Wilson, the bawdy, mechanic's wife who was having an affair with Daisy's husband. In fact, it was felt that there was no comparison at all, because I felt that other than sharing an abhorable man, there was nothing else to look at. ...
Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one.” (Fitzgerald 98) Nick makes this observation. Gatsby now has the real thing, so the green light is no longer needed, so it fades away. However, the reader realizes that nothing can replace the ideal of Daisy that Gatsby has created in his mind. When the green light comes back into view, it’s telling the reader that yet another dream is out of his reach. No matter how much wealth he acquires, he will never achieve his dream.
“It eluded us then, but that’s no matter-tomorrow we will run faster, stretch our arms out farther… .” (Fitzgerald 189) Nick mentions this at the end of the book as to say that the green light represents that everyone has something they long for that is far off in the distance. Another color that is used as a symbol is white. White is often associated with Daisy. When she was young, she dressed in white and had a white roadster. She also referred to her girlhood as being a “white-girlhood.” (Fitzgerald 20) Now she has a white house that has airy-white rooms.
Daisy’s name itself is ironic. Daisies themselves are white just like Daisy herself. “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy — they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together… .” (Fitzgerald 187) The white gives Daisy an innocent and naive appearance. It helps characterize her as the unattainable “enchanted princess.” She uses this as an excuse for her foolishness and hides behind it. Jordan also uses the white symbolism to hide herself.
She uses the mask as a shield and implies that she cannot have done anything wrong. This also ties in with the symbolism of the color gold / yellow . Gold / yellow appears in the novel when dealing with the affluent. It mostly symbolizes old and realistic wealth, such as that of Tom and Daisy. .”.. she was always an ‘enchanted object’…
The Essay on Wealth Tom People Money Daisy
"The Great Gatsby" Whenever you fell like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had all the advantages that you " ve had. " These words by Nick Carraway's dad should be taken into consideration when looking at one of the themes of the first chapter: the destroying effects of wealth. This theme will focus on Daisy and Tom Bucchanon. Some examples of this theme ...
and then as the Golden Girl… .” (Lelan S. Person, Jr. 166) The way Daisy is described in the previous statement supports the meaning behind the gold / yellow . Just like old money, Daisy is an unattainable object.
Also, since she thinks that everything can be perfect with money, she is seen as the Golden Girl. The gold / yellow also stands for the decay of morals caused by wealth that then leads to death. “Daisy could have crashed into another car but, at the last minute, loses heart and runs Myrtle down.” (Samuels 80) This is a perfect example of moral decay. It is not moral to run over someone especially if it is done on purpose. The fact that Daisy could ” ve hit another car instead of hitting Tom’s mistress just goes to show that wealth can cause people to deteriorate.
It is also seen in Tom and Daisy. They live in East Egg, the one full of old rich people. They are so caught up in possessing wealth that their morals are actually decaying inside of them. No one really notices this because Tom and Daisy have innocence that says they can’t have done anything wrong.
The moral decay can also be seen in Gatsby. He buys a yellow car and with this he gives up many thing just to acquire this old wealth that Daisy is so attracted to. Yet, in the end, Gatsby doesn’t get what he wants and he is left dead. When you think about the combination of the white and gold / yellow symbolism you might see a physical apparition of an egg. Tom and Daisy are decaying inside (the yellow corresponds to the yolk), yet they are innocent looking on the outside (the white corresponds to the shell).
The colors are symbolized very thoroughly in this novel.
It is easily seen how they characterize the main character. The green symbolism is seen through Gatsby as new aspiring wealth, while the white and gold / yellow symbolism is seen through Tom, Daisy and Jordan as old wealth. It helps us separate and understand the difference between the realists and idealists. Works Cited 1) Fitzgerald, F. Scott.
The Great Gatsby. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1925 2) Person, Lelan S. Jr. “‘Herstory’ and Daisy Buchanan,” in American Literature, Vol. L, No.
The Essay on The Moral Decay
... a woman; a clear amount of moral decay is present in Tom, but the lack of consequences are ... money, Gatsby’s means of attaining wealth, though illegal are more justified than Tom’s. Tom acquires money from inheritance, ... in fact Gatsby that had been driving the yellow car. Fitzgerald is clearly able to show ... of parties in an attempt to attract Daisy, whereas Tom flaunts his money to impress the masses. ...
2, May 1978, pp. 250-57; excerpted and reprinted in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism, Vol. 6, ed. Sharon K. Hall (Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1982), pp. 166.
2) Samuels, Charles Thomas. Essay in Novels for Students, Vol. II, ed. Diane Tel gen (Detroit: Gale Research, 1997), pp. 80.
