COLOR SYMBOLS IN THE GREAT GATSBY
WHITE
•Represents:
•The face behind which characters hide.
• Façade to cover purity and innocence.
WHITE
•Examples
•Daisy and Jordan’s clothes
•Gatsby’s suit
•Buchanan’s mansion
YELLOW (GOLD)
•Represents:
•Wealth, corruption, dishonesty.
YELLOW (GOLD)
•Examples:
•The golden haired girls at Gatsby’s party
•Daisy’s accessories
•Jay’s car
•Hair color- Daisy, Pammy
GREEN
•Represents:
•Hope, rebirth, to “go”, youth, choice, serenity
GREEN
• Examples:•Daisy’s dock light•The interior of Jay’s car•Nick’s grass•Nick talks about the green light at the end of the book he says "It eluded us then, but that's no matter- tomorrow we will run faster, stretch our arms out farther...."
BLUE
•Represents
•Fantasy, lost time, escape.
BLUE
•Examples
• Jay’s lawn –escape from reality, blue gardens
•Tom’s car –unhappiness of marriage
•George’s eyes –dreams of escape.
GREY
•Represents:
•Industrialization, dreary, bleak, lifeless
•Examples:
•Valley of Ashes – Displacement of American Dream.
RED
•Represents:
•Death, abuse, violence, destruction
RED
•Examples:
•Tom Buchanan
•Tom’s carpets
•Myrtle’s nose
•Myrtle’s death
•Gatsby’s pool water
WATER MOTIF:
• Examples:
• Tea Party rain storm
• Swimming pool
• Gatsby’s funeral
•Water bodies separate characters.
• Daisy, Myrtle
• Bathtub
EYES MOTIF:
•Represents:
•Observant, watchful, non-judgmental
•Examples:
•Owl-eyes
•T.J. Eckleberg
•Nick
•Moon
CARS MOTIF:
•Represents:• Industrialization, status symbol, carelessness, recklessness
•Examples:•The broken wheel• Jay asking Nick to set up meeting• Jay’s car•Tom’s car•The drive to NYC
GREEN LIGHT:
• It clearly represents Gatsby's dreams and hopes,
•Subtle, associations such as money and the go-go attitude depicted of the 20s.
•The light also seems to symbolize the impossibility of Gatsby winning back Daisy, being far away in the distance and out of reach.