Symbolism in the Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is a classic American novel, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1927 about corruption, murder and mostly of the life in the 1920’s. In this well-crafted tale, Fitzgerald presents a fast moving, exciting story, and to any typical reader it can be enjoyed. However, if the reader takes the time to analyze his words and truly understand the symbolism used, it can transform this account into a completely different experience. In The Great Gatsby, it is apparent that Fitzgerald uses these symbols to provide representations of what life was like during that time. He uses all varieties of symbols in the text to help the reader see the true lives and personalities of the characters. Symbolism often allows the reader to better understand the theme and mood that the author is trying to portray. Fitzgerald uses this to show details that cannot be revealed by words alone. Through symbolism, he allows the reader to refer to other aspects of their lives or to life in general. Throughout this novel, the types of symbolism vary from object to object, but some of the most notable examples of symbolism include the color green, the overall setting, and the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg.

One of the more obvious examples of symbolism, and the subject of this discussion, is the color green, more specifically, the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock in East Egg. This is evident from the beginning of the novel, when there is a small, flickering green light across the Manhasset Bay, separating East Egg, from West Egg. In this novel, the green light is a symbol of Gatsby’s want for Daisy. However, this view is too simplistic. Going “two steps”, the green light and green in general symbolizes all of Gatsby’s longings and wants. For example, the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock represents one of many things that Gatsby has longed for his entire life. This includes wealth/possessions (to win Daisy over), personal distinction, acceptance, and, of course, Daisy. At the time of the story, Gatsby has all of the above except Daisy. This leaves a huge gap that Gatsby can’t and won’t deal with. After all, he did spend all his life trying to possess many things in order to win Daisy over, and he is not about to let that time go to waste.

Although the green light is the biggest focal point of the symbolism of green, there are other, possibly just as important references to green that also apply to what green signifies. An example of one of these references is at the end of Chapter 9, where Nick refers to America and the New World as a fresh, green beast (189). This statement says that the fresh, new world of America symbolizes the new beginning and future that all the passengers of the Dutch ships had longed for and wanted all their lives. This relates to Gatsby and his want for Daisy by him longing for her his whole life, just as the Dutch sailors also longed for the new world their whole lives.

Another object in which green may add to the significance of things being longed for and wanted is Gatsby’s luxurious Rolls-Royce sedan. The interior of this superfluous car is green, which may not directly connect to things being wanted, but the car itself shows that Gatsby will go to any length to have Daisy as his lover. The car in itself is just a way to show everyone that sees the car to view just how wealthy he is, and