Key Symbols In The Great Gatsby

Individuals perpetuate false personas to such an extent that they are convinced into a state of false consciousness of reaching the American dream, ultimately, this facade leads them to their downfall, exposing repressed reality from idealistic lies. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald utilizes symbols to describe the hollow nature of each character’s deceitful persona, which comes to show the ultimate theme of downfall through the individual’s perception of the American dream. The use of gold as a mask for the colour yellow represents authentic wealth versus fake wealth, further developed though Jay Gatsby’s pursuance of the American dream. The colour white known for is purity and simplicity is denoted by Daisy Buchanan, a character who represses the reality in which she lives, insinuated by her change in surroundings. Furthermore, the character of Myrtle Wilson, showcases her greed for wealth and her need of a rich-husband as an American dream, symbolized by the surrounding colour of grey, a representation of her veneer-rich persona.

The book The Great Gatsby is written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, it’s a narrative told from the perspective of Nick Carraway. He tells the story of the tragic life of Jay Gatsby and talks about the society of the wealthy people with high social status. He talks about the conflict between the two huge power Tom and Gatsby, due to their similarity in their money and social status, while they compete for dominance and masculinity by fighting over Daisy. Through Nick’s narration and his close relationship with Gatsby, the readers realize that the motive behind everything that Gatsby does is to win back Daisy’s heart to repeat the past, the first time when he fell in love with Daisy.

One of the first symbols Fitzgerald use is The Valley of Ashes “This is a valley of ashe’s a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take farms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally with transcendent effort of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air” (Fitzgerald 23). The Valley of Ashes is described in such great detail because it shows how beauty can be destroyed by greed. “Fitzgerald’s valley of ashes has been frequently compared to Eliot’s “Waste Land,” but the difference are more instructive than the similarities. Eliot’s waste and land is not, in terms of its imagery and mythology specifically Christian”(Elmore 433). The Valley of Ashes is a dead land that has a board over it that looks as if it is the eyes of God that sees all things.

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.

Afterwards, Wilson states, “God knows… everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!” Wilson then looks up at the enormous eyes of Dr T. J. Eckleburg, painted on a billboard in the ‘Valley of Ashes’, an example of the technique of symbolism. These eyes represent the vision of God- all seeing and continually judging the corrupt lifestyle of Americans. Equivalently, the broken-down town and underprivileged community within the ‘valley of ashes’, are symbolic of the manner in which upper-class society has morally broken down. Through this technique, Fitzgerald has created a representation of his own distinct values against the social decline of morals within his own context and is persuading responders of all eras to accept this view.

One such example of symbolism is the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg on the billboard in the valley of ashes. Fitzgerald states, “The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic- their retinas are one yard high. They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose” (Fitzgerald 23). The eyes give the reader the impression of omnipotence. While the spectacles seem to clarify any hazy details the wearer may have missed without them. Later in the story, these eyes symbolize God watching and the characters action when Mr. Wilson is talking to Michaelis. George Wilson tells Michaelis:

He explains that the billboard illustrates “the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg… blue and gigantic... his eyes… brood on over the solemn dumping ground” (Fitzgerald 27-28). This billboard symbolizes God looking down on society for their wrongful ways. “God” looks down on the affair between Tom Buchanan, Daisy’s husband, and Myrtle Wilson, George Wilson’s wife. Nick witnesses their abusive relationship and chooses not to speak up about their actions.

F. Scott Fitzgerald used a lot of symbolism in the Great Gatsby. Names, colors, seasons and even the weather have something to do with symbolism. THis topic will be about explaining and evaluating symbolism in the book.

Many different symbols can be found in The Great Gatsby, but the symbol I chose to examine is the green light. Located at the end of East Eggs dock a green light can be seen from the shores of West egg. This green light, to Gatsby, symbolizes his hopes and desires to one day reconnect with his love Daisy. The first interaction seen with this green light and Gatsby is at the very end of chapter 1, “—he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling” (20). It can be inferred that the trembling may be him crying. The trembling and outstretched arms show how much he longs for Daisy, his dream is to be with her. Later in the book we find how deeply his obsession

A Gloomy Look on the American Dream: Symbolism in The Great Gatsby Opportunity is the deciding factor to whether the American dream is attainable for many individuals. This world is not always fair, and opportunities are not spread equally, so how could the American dream possibly be achievable for everyone? Gatsby, the main character in the novel, The Great Gatsby, is on a quest for the American Dream. The “American Dream” in the 1920's, was to start from the bottom and work up to wealth. Gatsby had left the wealthy, pure Daisy many years ago and is attempting to win her back, to bring him closer to wealth.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s the Great Gatsby is one of the few books that has been passed down from generation to generation and is still praised as a literary masterpiece. Fitzgerald has been considered a master of symbolism, and anyone who has read the book should be able to clearly see that. Page by page, sentence by sentence, Fitzgerald uses symbolism to paint a picture of the underlying problems the characters face in the time of which they live including topics such as capitalism, prohibition, love versus money, and personal identity. Throughout the chapters there is a recurrent mention of an oculist’s sign in the Valley of Ashes and an owl eyed man at Gatsby’s mansion. Fitzgerald’s use of symbolism through the oculist and owl eyed man provide deeper meaning to the story and contribute to the novel’s many themes.

Poor Man’s Desire: The Great Gatsby If lions are the “king” of there herd then where is the difference of the high class. Although, lions aren’t born kings and they have to earn it by fighting other lions. In order, to become “king” of the herd.

Another major symbol in this novel is the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg. These are a pair of spectacles painted on an old billboard in the Valley of Ashes. The significant aspect is that this symbol only has meaning when other characters instill it with meaning. The eyes represent a higher power looking over the

T.J. Eckleburg. The eyes of T.J. Eckleburg are a pair of fading, bespectacled eyes painted on an old advertising billboard over the Valley of Ashes (Study). The eyes that are looking over the valley represent many things at once: to Nick they seem to symbolize the haunting waste of the past, which lingers on though it is irretrievably vanished, much like Dr. Eckleburg’s medical practice (LitCharts). The eyes can be linked to Gatsby, whose own eyes, once described as “vacant,” often stare out, blankly (LitCharts). This massive billboard symbolizes the tension between spirituality and materiality in the modern world

The Great Gatsby is filled with symbols and symbolism, which try to convey Fitzgerald's ideas to the reader. The symbols are uniquely involved in the plot of the story, which makes their implications more real. There are three major symbols that serve very important significance in the symbolism of the novel. They are "the valley of the ashes," the reality that represents the corruption in the world, the green light of Daisy's lap that Gatsby sees across the bay and lastly, the symbolism of the East Egg and West Egg or more important the east and the west of the country.