The Green Color In The Great Gatsby

The 1920’s time period was seemingly great. People who were affluent thrived, whereas others who were poor were not mentioned or noticed. Only the surface was perfect, not the inside. The rich society was filled with problems. The early 20th century was filled with parties, credit spendings and fake luxuries. Eventually, everything came out and turned into a great depression. The filth and corruption inside always appears and reveals itself, often seen through people’s actions. The interesting thing is that the main character's life in The Great Gatsby had also taken the tendencies of the time period, he truly was the person of his time. At first, all that was known about the character was his wealth, the intersting rumors, and his glorious

This is the most noticeable example of green in the book because it is mentioned by the author in the very first chapter and continuously extends throughout the entire book. At first this color reminds the reader of money, because today people have green dollar bills, but it is a misconception. An object that more clearly relates to the interpretation of the that color in the book is a stop light. The green color means go, representing Gatsby reaching out for his dream. The first time Nick sees Gatsby out of his dock, he recalls the memory as, “...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 at the end of a dock. When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness” (Fitzgerald 20). Gatsby trembles with hope and excitement because his dream seems so close, and he was even able to picture himself achieving it. The color green is very fitting in this situation. Many artists paint nature scenes, excluding the details and only focusing on the greens as the color creates a peaceful mood and state of mind. Gatsby is, in a way, peaceful inside because he is close to his lover. He is sure that it is only a matter of time before he will

This color always stands out. For example, many artists use it to draw attention to something in their paintings. Fitzgerald uses the same practice mentioned, using the color white to draw attention to very important features of the characters. One time when the white color stood out and played an important role in portraying a character's image, was the first time Gatsby met Daisy after five years, “An hour later the front door opened nervously and Gatsby in a white flannel suit, silver shirt and gold colored tie hurried in” (Fitzgerald 89). In this scene, Gatsby is shown as a child. He is so excited to meet Daisy, overflowed with joy that he can’t control his actions and thus doesn’t act like an adult. The white color adds to the innocence and purity of Gatsby’s mood. Most of the time, white is associated with Daisy and other women. As Nick was recalling the first time he went over to Daisy’s house, he stated: “Sometimes she and Miss Baker talked at once, unobtrusively and with a bantering inconsequence that was never quite chatter, that was as cool as their white dresses and their impersonal eyes in the absence of all desire” (14). Daisy commonly wears white dresses to show her “innocence and nobleness,” but she was only trying to create an image that she liked. In reality, she was probably one of the worst, heartless and careless people so it is obvious that she merely pretends to