F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald spread an abundance of colors throughout The Great Gatsby, not only to modify and bring life to the story, but also to provide more of an insight on what the meaning of these things might actually be. There is not a solemn color that is used as a point of symbolism throughout the story, but rather each color is used in its own way to represent an important aspect of the life in the roaring twenties or the quest for the American dream. The repetitive use of these colors as modifiers, Is in a way used to separate certain characters and objects in the book, much like they were separated by the west and east egg. The symbolism of these colors is also used to foreshadow future events in some instances, and possibly conjecture information about upcoming events in The Great Gatsby. Each color described in The Great Gatsby is not there for show, but to augment the background story and provide for a more in depth look at all of the events that occur.

Money, wealth, and social status, are all prominent attributes of many of the characters in The Great Gatsby, and there are many instances where the color gold is used as a vestige to evoke the presence of money and wealth. However, the color gold doesn’t refer to wealth as a whole, but instead is used to separate new and old money, and the east and west egg. Many characters in the book, which are known to have come from old money, are often accompanied by the color gold. “Jordan’s slender golden arm,” (pg .43) is just one instance of where gold is used to illustrate a character that comes from old money. Although green is often characterized with money, the color gold is used to illustrate old money such that it has more class and power than new money does. This co...

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... that burns deep within Gatsby also causes him to become jealous of others. Gatsby always sees what he wants but can’t have because it was taken by another man fully accompanied by the power of green, and this constant surrounding of the color green and Jay Gatsby symbolizes how he is now envious and is determined to get Daisy back with his accumulation of money. However, the color green’s most vital role is that of the hope of Gatsby to be together with who he really wants to be with. “I glanced seaward—and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far way, that might have been the end of a dock (pg. 21).” As Nick sees Gatsby on the dock looking forward into darkness, except for that one little green light, that green light is the hope that Gatsby can faintly see and is reaching for ever so strongly yet he cannot find a way to reach that hope.