Mr. Fitzpatrick
IB Advanced English
Color Symbolism
"Daisy and Jordan lay upon an enormous couch, like silver idols weighing down their own white dresses" (p.115) Many novels often use colors symbolism similar to the quote to represent characters’ personalities and characteristics. In the Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses the colors green, gold/yellow, grey, and blue to exemplify the characteristics of a person or place The most used color of the whole novel is green. Green symbolizes money. In the story money is the center of the characters’ lives. Gatsby thinks that having a lot of money will win over Daisy. Which he later finds out is not the case. Green in the novel is used to describe new money, the money Gatsby has. Symbols of Gatsby’s money include “his large green lawn and the green ivy growing up his house”. Another possible meaning of green is envy. Gatsby is an envious character. The love of his life, Daisy, married another man for money. He spends every second trying to win her back. Leading one to believe Gatsby is “green with envy” Gold is used to describe old money and contrasts with green, new money. When Gatsby …show more content…
Tom and Daisy relationship is hopeless. Their marriage is based around money and not around love. Gatsby’s garden are label a lot as blue. “In his blue gardens men and girls came” (p.41) “ghostly birds began to sing among the blue leaves” (p.144). Although, the gardens had many people passing through them they were blue, expressing Gatsby’s own sadness and loneliness about Daisy. At the graveyard the lawn is described as blue at the Carraway of Gatsby grave. As is the lawn of Gatsby’s home. Blue can also represent hope for the future. “The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic"(p.23). The blue eye contrast with the grey atmosphere of The Valley of Ashes, Wilson sees the eyes as God watching over them. Bringing a sense of hope to the grey land