COLOR SYMBOLS IN THE GREAT GATSBY

WHITE

•Represents:

•The face behind which characters hide.

• Façade to cover purity and innocence.

WHITE

•Examples

•Daisy and Jordan’s clothes

•Gatsby’s suit

•Buchanan’s mansion

YELLOW (GOLD)

•Represents:

•Wealth, corruption, dishonesty.

YELLOW (GOLD)

•Examples:

•The golden haired girls at Gatsby’s party

•Daisy’s accessories

•Jay’s car

•Hair color- Daisy, Pammy

GREEN

•Represents:

•Hope, rebirth, to “go”, youth, choice, serenity

GREEN

• Examples:•Daisy’s dock light•The interior of Jay’s car•Nick’s grass•Nick talks about the green light at the end of the book he says "It eluded us then, but that's no matter- tomorrow we will run faster, stretch our arms out farther...."

BLUE

•Represents

•Fantasy, lost time, escape.

BLUE

•Examples

• Jay’s lawn –escape from reality, blue gardens

•Tom’s car –unhappiness of marriage

•George’s eyes –dreams of escape.

GREY

•Represents:

•Industrialization, dreary, bleak, lifeless

•Examples:

•Valley of Ashes – Displacement of American Dream.

RED

•Represents:

•Death, abuse, violence, destruction

RED

•Examples:

•Tom Buchanan

•Tom’s carpets

•Myrtle’s nose

•Myrtle’s death

•Gatsby’s pool water

WATER MOTIF:

• Examples:

• Tea Party rain storm

• Swimming pool

• Gatsby’s funeral

•Water bodies separate characters.

• Daisy, Myrtle

• Bathtub

EYES MOTIF:

•Represents:

•Observant, watchful, non-judgmental

•Examples:

•Owl-eyes

•T.J. Eckleberg

•Nick

•Moon

CARS MOTIF:

•Represents:• Industrialization, status symbol, carelessness, recklessness

•Examples:•The broken wheel• Jay asking Nick to set up meeting• Jay’s car•Tom’s car•The drive to NYC

GREEN LIGHT:

• It clearly represents Gatsby's dreams and hopes,

•Subtle, associations such as money and the go-go attitude depicted of the 20s.

•The light also seems to symbolize the impossibility of Gatsby winning back Daisy, being far away in the distance and out of reach.