A Concrete Look at Society Symbolism provides an imagery that helps facilitate a deeper understanding. Taking place in the 1920’s, The Great Gatsby, is set during a time when society both put up facades while also striving to achieve wealth and high social status. The classic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald cleverly uses multiple symbols throughout the novel to expose the issues with society at that time. The ultimate goal of this novel is to elaborate the class struggles and illustrate the goal to achieve of American dream. The Great Gatsby, The author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, uses the infamous green light, the metaphor of an egg, and pearls to show and support the overall theme of the American Dream. A simple analogy of an egg brings great significance …show more content…
Additionally the interior yellow can symbolize gold and lavish objects. Moreover an egg is used as the division of the town East egg and West egg. This precious metal is a social status and signifies wealth. The division of these competing areas separates the newly rich from the historically wealthy families. The narrator Nick, comments that he lives in West Egg, being the,” well the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them” (Gatsby 5). By saying this, nick expresses the idea of his egg (West Egg) being less fashionable and desirable than the other more prominent side (East Egg). Even though some might not live in the more fashionable part of town you still can achieve the American Dream. Nick and the west side represent those that have actually worked hard and earned their new status. This part of town houses Nick and Gatsby, which do show that if you put in hard work you, can achieve the American dream. …show more content…
The color green represents wealth, which was a reoccurring obsession with Gatsby. The body of water between them both represents the rift between Gatsby and Daisy’s different lives and backgrounds. Additionally, this is the first instance when Gatsby is reaching out to his hopes and dreams. Gatsby’s dream involves wealth and future marriage with Daisy. It is duly noted that at the end of the first chapter, Nick saw Gatsby and, “could have sworn he was trembling…Involuntarily I glanced seaward—and distinguished nothing except a single green light”(Gatsby 20-21). This personal action represents the longing for economic and material success, almost becoming and obsession. However the readers are able to understand that individuals constantly believe that there is always something better in the world. This green light is also symbolic as nicks observation at the end of the novel “tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther”(Gatsby 171), showing that this dream is all encompassing. Gatsby looking across the water to see the green light has drove himself to high status and astonishing success. The green light not only represents wealth but also the model of the American
The West Egg is the “new money”. It is where the people who are newly rich live. They are more flashy with their money since they haven't had money in their family background. Gatsby himself is self-made, which makes him unaccepted by the East Egg. Nick Carraway is the narrator of the
People in America love to have a great deal of money. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby always wants to have money, and he finally gets it. Gatsby has parties to try to get Daisy to come to his house. Gatsby tell Nick to tell Daisy to come to Nick’s house without her husband. Gatsby finallys shows his big house off to Daisy and thinks he will win her love back again just because he has money. Gatsby’s plan do not work out. Fitzgerald uses symbols in The Great Gatsby to show how things are going wrong in America.
In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses West Egg and East Egg as a symbol for class systems to reveal the differences between the two social classes. The difference between the two social classes are vast. East Egg refers to whom came into wealth. West Egg refers to whom carried down wealth from traditional upper-class families. During the 20th century, East Egg residents were more prestigious. “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages you had (Fitzgerald 1).” Many wealthy people were born into wealth. Some wealthy are born poor but had to earn their way up. “And I hope she’ll be a fool - that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool(Fitzgerald 30).” Women who were housewives in the 1920s didn’t get as much respect as Men did (BBC 7). “An Oxford man!” He was incredulous. “Like hell he is! He wears a pink suit (Fitzgerald 110).”
Getting to where one is and life depends on what class one is born in. For instance, if one is born in old money they are not only born in a generation a great deal of wealth but they are also born with a high degree of respect. Meaning they will grow up in a world where money is handed to them and it is used to solve the majority of their problems. On the other hand, people who are born in new money are not born rich or with respect. They grow up earning their income and respect. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, East Egg is considered to be old money. Tom Buchanan and Daisy Buchanan are living in East Egg. Meanwhile, West Egg is considered to be new money. Gatsby and Nick Carraway are living in West Egg. Nick is a character who lives in a smaller house, next to Gatsbys mansion “I lived at West Egg, the – well, the least fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizzare and not a little sinister contrast between them.” (1.10) Nick is explaining that both West egg and East Egg are high class areas in New York but West Egg is not as high class or fashionable as East Egg is. Nick enjoyed his time in his small house located in West Egg, as he helped Gatsby reunite with his true love. Daisy Buchanan is a young woman who lives in Eastlake with her fiancé Tom Buchanan. She is one who enjoys materialistic objects rather than the person themselves in a relationship. Gatsby is aware of this information so he illegally bootlegs alcohol during the Prohibition time period as The novel takes place in the 1900s. With the money he earns, he pie is a big mansion right across from
F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Gatsby with a great deal of symbolism and for good reason. Symbolism in writing adds more meaning and depth to a story and helps the reader think about underlying themes. It can show what is really going on under the surface of the plot. Several issues exemplified through The Great Gatsby were that wealth and power corrupt, people aren’t what they seem, you can’t go back to the past, actions have consequences, and that the idealistic American dream has been replaced by materialism and greed.
A symbol can be anything that represents something else in a story or something that has a deep effect on the story. Symbols can be an object, a character, an animal, a color, etc. Being a great writer, Fitzgerald has used symbols in a very effective manner. In Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby has been in love with Daisy for a quite long time. While he was at the war, she marries a rude yet a rich guy named Tom Buchanan. Desiring to win her back, Gatsby transmutes himself into a wealthy person. He conducts parties every weekend hoping to see her there. Finally, when she meets him, everything turns out badly. Fitzgerald, in this novel uses various symbols to make it more fascinating and these symbols mainly represents the life in America in the 1920’s and the American dream.
The most noticeable colours to come across are green and white. Green colour stands for peace along with Gatsby’s perseverance to marry his love, Daisy. This colour maintained perception of many changes, opinions, and beliefs which Gatsby faced throughout the novel. Green meant dedication and peace, too. Green light also was depicted by at the end of Daisy's dock. F. Scott Fitzgerald used this colour to describe the life of Gatsby as peaceful before he meets Daisy again. After their reunification, they were in Gatsby’s bedroom, looking at the bay. Gatsby looked and pointed out the green light and said “If it wasn’t for the mist we could see your home across the bay” (92). Then he continued “You always have a green light that burns all night at the end of your dock” (92). It was portrayed as a Gatsby’s long-life love to Daisy. He had been looking at the light as well. Later in the book, F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote "His dream must have seemed so close that
Merriam-Webster defines a symbol as something that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance. The settings of The Great Gatsby are symbolic of what type of people live there, and what goes on in every place. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby using symbolic settings to show contrasting views of living in America.
The novel ‘ The Great Gatsby’ written by F.Scott Fitzgerald is about a rich and mysterious man, Jay Gatsby and his obsession for the charming and married woman, Daisy Buchanan. The Great Gatsby is set in the Long Island and New York city, the author used these two settings to develop the characters of Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan.
The Green light that is seen in the Great Gatsby symbolizes Gatsby's hope for the future. The light shows that Gatsby will forever be a dreamer. The fact that throughout the entire novel the green light remains constant reinforces Gatsby’s dreamer ways. “ ...Involuntarily I glanced seaward- and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock.…” (Fitzgerald 21). The green light is introduced at the beginning of the novel. The light itself is seen by both Gatsby and Nick, when Nick sees Gatsby looking out at the ocean. The light is something that Gatsby focuses on throughout the novel as an anchor. It brings Gatsby hope for what the future will bring to him. “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eludes us then, but that’s no matter- to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther… And one fine morning---- So we beat on, boats against the current….” (Fitzgerald 180). The green light reminds Gatsby of Daisy, his one “true” love. Daisy is the unchanging obsession in his life. Gatsby always holds out hope that he will one day win her over. The light allows Gatsby, even as a grown man, to reminisce on his younger days and allows him to be a dreamer. Fitzgerald uses the green light as a way for Gatsby to consistently connect to that longing. The need to be the charming rich socialite that throws spectacular parties. The man who fits the bill of the American dream to a T. While Gatsby was always hoping for Daisy, and using the green light as a vessel to not forget his goal, Fitzgerald was reminding us, the readers, that Gatsby is in
The symbolism in The Great Gatsby brings forth a new perspective as to how we perceive the characters and their actions. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, symbolism plays a crucial role in understanding the motives of the characters, and helps the reader better sympathize with them. Although there are numerous important symbols in this story, the most prominent are the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock, the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg that looks over the Valley of Ashes, and the Valley of Ashes itself. These symbols and their meanings help better express the theme of the “American Dream” that is strived for, as well as show the ongoing war between love and wealth, and social and moral destruction.
Symbolism play a huge rule in The Great Gatsby. It helps add understanding to the novel. F.Scott Fitzgerald uses many symbols throughout the novel to highlight key ideas such as the green light, the valley of ashes, and the color gold. The Great Gatsby is a novel narrated by Nick Carraway that takes place in the 1920’s. Nick moves to New York and lives next to Gatsby. Gatsby lives an extravagant lifestyle. The Great Gatsby not only tells the story of how life was for the wealthy, but challenges the values of the American dream.
In The Great Gatsby, the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald is known for using symbolism. Fitzgerald uses symbolism by taking objects that hold a deeper meaning and relating them to the theme of the novel. One of the many themes recognized in this book is the American Dream. In the 1920's, America was slowing becoming commercialized. Many people are hopeful for the future and are trying to achieve the "perfect life", but what most people did not realize was that they were going through life too fast and failing to achieve the "perfect life".
In the rising action of the novel Nick finds Gatsby alone on his lawn with “his arm toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward--and distinguished nothing except a single green light” (Fitzgerald 21). The source of the green light is later revealed to be at the end of Tom and Daisy Buchanan’s dock. The green light symbolizes the American Dream and Daisy, both of which Gatsby is very close to achieving, though not quite close enough. “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us” (Fitzgerald 180). Throughout the novel Gatsby held on to the hope that he can have a
Throughout “The Great Gatsby”, a highly commended novel, by F, Scott Fitzgerald, symbols are used various times in order to impart revelations about greater themes. The bright and glowing green light at the end of Daisy's East Egg dock captivates Gatsby. Not only does it symbolize Gatsby's passion to be loved by Daisy, but furthermore it represents society's cravings for wealth which exemplifies the theme of the slow collapse of the american dream throughout the “The Great Gatsby.” The narrator Nick Carraway comes to realize Gatsby's significance with the green light as well as the society's hopes and dreams.