Gatsbys Mask
Gatsby’s MaskDaniel Taylor
Color Symbolism in The Great Gatsby
Color symbolism was really popular in novels written during the 1920’s(Microsoft Encarta). One good example is Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby. There is a lot of color symbolism in this novel, but there are two main colors that stand out more than the others. The colors green and white influence the story greatly. Green shows many thoughts, ideas, attitudes, and choices that Gatsby makes throughout the story. White represents the stereotypical mask that every character is hiding behind.
The color green is used to symbolize the different choices Gatsby makes during his life. The green element in this novel is taken from the green light at the end of the dock near Daisy’s house. The color itself represents serenity, meaning everything is perfect and peaceful. This warns Gatsby that he should not pursue his dream for getting Daisy back, because his chance has passed and everything is as it should be. This is shown with Nick’s comment, “…His dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him… (Garrison notes Pg.189).”
Another symbolization of the color green, which contradicts the first, is the meaning “go.” Because it is a traffic light signal, most people associate green with the word “go.” This can be interpreted as meaning Gatsby should go for his dream without hesitation. It implies that Gatsby and Daisy are meant to be together and nothing should stop Gatsby from his desired happiness and love with Daisy. It gives Gatsby hope that he is on the right path, heading towards the best years of his life. He believes that things will soon be as they once were, only better. “”I’m going to fix everything just the way they were before,” he said nodding determinedly. “She’ll see.”(Garrison notes Pg. 117).”
The last symbolization the color green has in this novel is an urge to strive ahead in life, to go and do better in life and succeed. Gatsby changes his entire personality for a better image and status. He is constantly striving to be a more successful figure in society. Ever since he was a boy, he put himself on a schedule with hopes for becoming a highly respected, well-known person. “He knew he had a big future in front of him. (Garrison notes Pg. 181),” his dad says about him. “Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always had some resolves like this…(Garrison notes Pg. 182).”
White is the other color symbolism found in this novel. Where as green only influences one character, white has a wider range of influence on the characters. This color symbolizes one thing, a mask, but it appears in every character. For example, Daisy...
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