Gatsby+Symbols

1. Colors Here are the references to color from chapter one. Can you add any from your own reading?

‘red and white’ mansion of Buchanans p6, plus ‘bright vines’ and windows ‘glowing with reflected gold’ p8 ‘gleaming white’ windows ‘wine coloured rug’ both women in white dresses p8 "they stood on my shelf in red and gold liked new money from the mint" (pg.8) "east egg glittered along the water" pg 10 ‘rosy colored porch’ p16 "there house was even more elaborate then i expected, a cheerful red and white georgian colonial mansion overlooking the bay" pg 11 "two shining arrogant eyes....he seemed to fill those glistening boots" pg 11 "hallway into a bright rosy-coloured space" pg 12 "her face was sad and lovely with bright things in it, bright eyes and a bright passionate mouth" pg 13-14 'all the cars have left the left wheel painted black as a mourning wreath' pg14 ‘last sunshine fell with romantic affection upon her glowing face’ p14 "her grey sun strained eyes" pg 15 ‘deep gloom’ p16 ‘crimson room bloomed with light’ p17 ‘our white girlhood’ p19 ‘red gas pumps’ and ‘silver pepper of stars’ p20 Fitgeralds use of candles pg 16 "the lamp light bright on his boots and dull on the autumn leaf yellow of her hair glinted along the paper as she turned a page..." pg 22 || White 1) White usually symbolises Innocence and honesty and purity, however Fitzgerald uses these colors ironically because all these words don't actually apply to the characters, who are worldly and morally corrupt. So in this case white actually signifies loss of innocence and moral decay. 2) honorable 'nobility perfection . When Nick Carraway visited the Buchanan he met two young women, of course Daisy and Jordan "They were both in white" (p. 13). Even the windows at Daisy's house are white "The windows were ajar and gleaming white" (p. 13). "Our white girlhood was passed together there. Our beautiful white" (Daisy and Jordan, p. 24).
 * ‘white palaces’ of East egg p5

__**Silver**__ represents jewellery and richness, status In The Great Gatsby the moon or moonlight or the stars are often silver: "the silver pepper of the stars" (p. 25);

Gold: rich, prosperous, Fitzgerald uses it to convey differences between east and west egg. he only uses gold when describing Gatsby and Buchannan's houses. They seem to be constantly surrounded by a warm golden glow, which accentuates their priveleged class status.

__**Green**__ stands for a variety of meanings, but Fitzgerald used it mainly for "not faded", like in "a green old age", or for hope. "I glanced seaward – and distinguished nothing except a single green light" (p. 25). The green light represents Gatsby's idealised love for Daisy. It is also, of course, the color of money - what Gatsby lacked when he asked her to be with him. He now has plenty of money but his integrity is gone, so he still loses her - or is it because of his lack of class?

associated with live, joy, __love,__ shame, and __rage.__ CONTRADICTIONS! The inside of Buchanan's home is in red. "We walked through a high hallway into a bright rosy-colord space" (p. 13); "Inside, the crimson room bloomed with light" (p. 22). uses to descirbe tension inside the buchannan's house.
 * __Red__**

Try to analyze their use. Look for: · Connections · Patterns · Symbolic meaning (be careful, as Fitzgerald inverts traditional symbolic associations)

Finally, try and answer these questions: · What do the different colors tell us about different characters? · How do the colors develop the themes of the book? · What does Gatsby’s green light symbolize?

Gatsby's green light symbolizes hope, Gatsby's love for daisy and the American dream that Gatsby wants to achieve. In the past, Gatsby was rejected by Daisy because he didnt have enough money. However by the events of the novel gatsby has gained a vast anount of wealth however it is through illegal means.

__Pink__. Gatsby's pink suit is indicative of how different he is to his peers, and his inability to integrate into high class society. Pink is often associated with love and romance, which Gatsby possesses almost in excess. __Green__. Daisy's green light. The light is the intangible form of Daisy that Gatsby desires but cannot reach. It symbolizes his hope for finding Daisy, and what he attained, in very impressive quantities, in order to get her. Green is - in America, and absolutely no where else in the world - representative of money! __Red/Gold/White__. It is used throughout the text to represent wealth. Nick uses it to describe his books about finance and banking, and Daisy and Tom's house as white and red. Gold is very apparently used in reference to money! Red is usually viewed as a visual aspect very much associated with blood and violence. Maybe this is the bad part of having a lot of money! __Yellow__. At first, jaundice, which is a disease which turns one yellow, was another word for jealousy. Yellow is a color very often associated with envy and dishonesty, despite outward appearances of optimism at first. The car that killed Myrtle was yellow, and later Gatsby died for it as well. Jordan is often associated with the color yellow, and sallowness. Both their deaths arose from a deep-seated jealousy subconsciously present in both Daisy and Tom. __The Other White__. This is due to the genius of Ms Kemsley! She said, that "the author used an inversion of white to mean impurity (because Daisy and Jordan are usually clothed in it) to allude to the American dream, and how it was not as wholly good and worth pursuing as it appeared. White is used in irony! The house of Daisy and Tom is white, but their marriage is not at all white or pure. They're both having affairs, see." Yay Ms Kemsley. (Thanks Bex)
 * 2A**