The Great Gatsby is a story with many aspects that are symbolic of deeper meanings. From the colors Fitzgerald associates with different objects to geographical locations, symbolism can be seen throughout The Great Gatsby. The most obvious of the symbolic colors in the story is the color green. It comes to the mind right away when Nick Carraway, the narrator, says that, “[Gatsby] stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and far as I was from himI could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarilyy glanced seaward-and distinguished nothing except a single green light … that might have been the end of a dock,” (26). In fact it was at the end of Daisys dock.
The woman he literally changed his whole life around for just so he could be with her again. To Gatsby, that little green light represented all his dreams of the future, the dream he changed his name for, the “oh so great” American dream; which allowed anyone with the brains and determination to rise up from any social condition to the upper rankings of society. The color green has many meanings, all of which could be correlated into the novel. Green is the color of serenity, which means everything is perfect. What should have been a warning to Gatsby, to not strive for Daisy anymore because his chance was years earlier and everything is as it should be, he just didn’t get. As Nick put it at the end of the story, “I thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn and his dream must have seemed so close that he could fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him..” (189). But Gatsby was so obsessed with his goals and the American dream that it consumed him.
Green is also the color of promise, hope, and renewal. As Gatsby reaches out to the light, he’s searching for an answer. He reaches toward it in the darkness, and is trying to us it as a guiding light to lead to the goal. Nick compares the green bulk of America rising from the ocean to the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. Jus like the rest of Americans who instilled their own dreams and hopes into America, Gatsby thinks of Daisy as an almost perfect woman. Gatsby just can’t eem to grasp the idea that Daisy has changed and has changed in a way where they could never be together If the American dream were to have a color, it would almost definitely be green. If the goal of the American dream were to be successful, through hard work and determination, then the benefactor would be money. And Gatsby’s pursuit of money and material success is directly associated with his dream of reuniting with Daisy. Another symbolic color in the novel is that of white.
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The character that is mainly associated with this color is Daily. When first introduced to the reader, she is wearing a white dress, and even through the rest of the novel she wears white. Unfortunately for Gatsby, Daisy is a seasonal creature and is associated with light and sunshine. [So therefore, Gatsby can’t] catch this light and fix it in one place or one time, [because, like the light], she is always changing (Hermanson). Daisy’s white dress also gives her something to hide behind, as does the color white for other characters. But Daisy’s dress gives her an appearance of being nave and innocent. So if she does something dim-witted or snobbish, she can act as if she didn’t know any better. Although in real life Daisy is aware of what she’s doing. The valley of ashes is not like other settings in The Great Gatsby. It doesn’t have the glamour or the houses or the sophistication of most areas. It is the home to the only poor characters in the novel, George and Myrtle Wilson. The valley of ashes is a picture of absolute desolation and poverty.
To live and work in this valley is to be constantly reminded of the things that are possible to others but beyond your reach. For Myrtle Wilson this is the worst place for her to be. All she wants out of life is to become part of the upper class, to be able to wear nice clothes all the time and not be looked down upon by the “sophisticated” people. “[The valley is a fitting place for a setting for such events] as Tom’s meeting with Myrtle and Myrtle’s murder by Daisy. Because the valley of ashes symbolizes the moral decay that Fitzgerald saw behind the faade of wealth and happiness,” (Hughes). In the midst of everyone around him involved in some secret relationship or the other, Nick is still trying his best to keep true to his values. “Nick clings to his declared preference for honesty and being a careful driver in a world of metaphorically careless drivers, ” (Hermanson).
The most frightening symbol of all though is that of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg’s giant blue eyes on the billboard overlooking the valley of ashes. The faded paint of the eyes can be seen as symbolizing the extent to which humanity has lost it’s connection to God. But Fitzgerald suggests in the novel that symbols only have meaning if characters give them a meaning. And only George associates the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg as God looking down and judging all of us, because we are all in purgatory when we see his eyes. “The blind eyes that watch over the world of the novel are those of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg on an old billboard in the valley of ashes. After Myrtles death, her husband George is looking at them when he says God sees everything, ” (Hermanson). The Great Gatsby is full of symbolism, and the symbols are easily spotted through colors and geographical locations. Just about every aspect of the story is symbolic of more profound meanings if you were to just read it one time through.
