Color Imagery In The Great Gatsby

In Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, a poor man named Gatsby, falls in love with a wealthy girl named Daisy. He works his whole life trying to get rich just to impress her. Since he is unable to move past his rejection, he continues to dedicate his life to trying to win her love again. Though Gatsby has everything Daisy is looking for, she is already married to Tom Buchanan. Fitzgerald uses several colors repeatedly throughout the novel to help the reader understand the American Dream. To him, the American Dream is not attainable, at least not to its fullest. As each character went forward, they were someone how pushed back. With the uses of each color, it also has different connotations, having either a double meaning or multiple interpretations.

“They look out of no face, but instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose” (26), represents energy and intellect. This quote is a description of a picture on a large billboard overlooking the valley of the ashes. The picture depicts a godly figure watching over everything in its surroundings. With the yellow on the sign, it also means caution. It later foreshadows corruption. Another example used is when Daisy is described as “..the golden girl..” (126). Yellow is the fake version of gold. Gold represents true wisdom and wealth. Since Daisy’s name is a type of flower, she is depicted full of energy and sunlight. Daisies typically need attention and care, and Fitzgerald perfectly depicts that. Although, this leads to corruption. Daisy’s dream is for true love and money. She chooses money over true love because Gatsby did not have anything before. Once she reunites with Gatsby again, she is still in love with him, though she can not have him because she is married to Tom. With that, it leads to Gatsby’s death. Later in the novel, Daisy, Jordan, Nick, Gatsby, and Tom all drive into the city on a very hot day. Daisy and Gatsby take Tom’s blue car, while Nick, Tom and Jordan take Gatsby’s yellow car. Due to the hot weather, everyone is heated and more ill-tempered. When everyone is settled, Daisy later cries out her love for Gatsby to Tom. Tom

Early in the novel, Nick catches Gatsby reaching out to a green light. “I glanced seaward-- and distinguished nothing except a green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of the dock” (26). This is a representation of Gatsby’s hopes and dreams. The green light is telling him to go for it. It influences him to continue fighting for Daisy. The green light also means envy. Everything Gatsby wants is across from him. Daisy lives in a mansion with her husband Tom, who are right across the water from Gatsby’s house. Gatsby is longing for Daisy’s love. Another way Fitzgerald uses green is to describe Gatsby’s future wealth; his hope for a new life or new beginning. “It was James Gatz who had been loafing along the beach that afternoon in a torn green jersey…” (104). Before Gatsby became wealthy he was poor. His parents were hardworking, but they were “unsuccessful farm people” (104). Once Gatsby turned seventeen, he decided to runaway, later meeting Dan Cody. Dan Cody was a wealthy man who hired Gatsby. At the time, Gatsby was known as James Gatz. As he became more wealthier, his name changed as well. It went from “James Gatz”, “Jay Gats”, and to just “Gatsby”. After Cody passes away, to keep Gatsby’s wealth, he starts working as a bootlegger. Later in the novel, we also find more envy and the motive to go for their hopes and dreams that go with the color