What Is Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald, 20th century American novelist, once said, “You don 't write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say.” In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald wrote to address the materialistic nature of the Roaring Twenties and the unattainability of the American Dream. The Great Gatsby, is, on the surface, about lavish events, parties, and objects. Jay Gatsby, a prime example of this theme, constantly throws extravagant parties and possesses expensive materials in a shallow attempt to win back his golden girl, Daisy. As the book progresses, Gatsby’s intentions for winning Daisy back become apparent and the symbolic nature of the book unfolds. F. Scott Fitzgerald captures the superficial goals of the

His love for Daisy is driven by an idea he has of her, not the reality of her. When Gatsby and Daisy rekindled their love, he realized that “his count of enchanted objects had diminished by one” (93). In this quote, Fitzgerald candidly addresses Daisy as an object to Gatsby. Before Gatsby and Daisy meet reconnect, the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock symbolizes her and his dreams for the future. The green light is Gatsby’s motivation to win Daisy over but once he has done that, the green light is no longer symbolic of hope or Daisy. It’s deeper meaning to Gatsby goes away. Through this, Fitzgerald is making a social commentary on the idea of “you only want something you can not have” and Gatsby is exhibiting this idea perfectly because once Gatsby achieves Daisy, she is no longer enchanted to him. A big conception Gatsby has of Daisy is that she is money. She represents all that he wants in life and he believes that by achieving Daisy, he will have achieved his ambitious life goals. Gatsby is aware that “her voice is full of money” (120) and this captivates him and keeps him coming back to her. The thought of Daisy being money makes Gatsby think that once he’s obtained Daisy, he’s attained it all. Fitzgerald uses Gatsby’s need for Daisy to epitomize the materialistic culture of the 1920s and society’s need for excess materials. Gatsby’s American Dream is to obtain wealth and status and because Daisy is “the golden girl” (120), Gatsby views her as access to the top 1% of America. Although it may seem like Gatsby loves Daisy and wants what is best for her, his motivation to get her is driven by his need to achieve his dreams. Fitzgerald enhances Daisy’s symbolism of the upper class by describing her in a whimsical manner. In the scene before Gatsby, Tom, Nick, Daisy, and Jordan drive up to the city, she is described as having