The Use Of Colors In The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, The Great Gatsby, exposes the corruption and greed of the Roaring Twenties. Fitzgerald is able to captivate readers' attentions through his employment of color symbolism. Fitzgerald portrays important messages in the novel by his symbolic use of colors. Colors play an important role in Fitzgerald’s descriptions of the lives of Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway and many of the other characters in the novel. Fitzgerald uses the colors white, yellow, and green to express certain sentiments to the reader, commenting what is going on in the story. Fitzgerald uses the color white to symbolize purity and innocence, while yellow is used to symbolize moral decay, and death. Green is used to represent hope and

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

The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, has deeper information hidden by colors all over the book. Each color has its own significant meaning and connects to the story in some way. From nearly all the colors on the rainbow to the color grey, there is a connection between these buried meanings behind all of the colors. Green is the most important color throughout the book because of special meanings and roles it plays on all of the characters. The color green relates to wealth and success on almost all of the characters. Gatsby is the one who brings this color to life and connects with it to show how it takes part in this story.

The author of The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, reveals the issues of money, happiness, and the unattainable which separated the privileged and unprivileged. Fitzgerald hints to the reader numerous times of the issues of money and how it can ultimately affect a character's life. The main character of The Great Gatsby, demonstrate the struggle of the 20s and how somethings can be within arms reach but cannot be grasped. All throughout the novel, Jay Gatsby, struggles to keep, Daisy Buchanan, the woman he loves, happy enough. Due to the separation of money, Gatsby is identified as a man of “new money”, this makes it hard for Gatsby to achieve his dream of reuniting with Daisy. The color green is used to show Gatsby’s dream and how he struggles to obtain the unobtainable. He hints poverty and hopelessness through the color gray. The author presents the color white in order to expose the true nature of Daisy Buchanan and the privileges of living in the west egg. Fitzgerald uses colors to symbolize the inequality between social classes of the 1920s, ultimately proving that money does not guarantee happiness.

What does the color green make you think of? Do you think of beautiful forests home to unique animals and intricate ecosystems? Do you think of fresh ripe kiwi in the summer? Do you think of broccoli ,which takes the cake as the most hated vegetable by children under 8? A lot of times people see colors very basically and don’t think about the connotation or symbolism behind them Fitzgerald is the contrary. He uses colors throughout the novel as a way to express his ideas in a more interpretive way that cause the reader to really analyze the novel, The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald converges Gatsby's primary motivations with the use of the color green, a symbol that represents both wealth, money, the chase of the American dream and ,on the flip-side, a renewal and revival of his and Daisy’s relationship. Fitzgerald shows green in its many lights, from the physical representation of wealthy, to wealths grasp on an individual who idolizes it, to its freshness in relation to a new frontier to the American dream.

“The past is never where you think you left it” (Katherine Anne Porter). People intentionally not willing to leave their past due to the prehistoric memories because the good memory they had. Relevant to Porter’s evince in the novel of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby a guy who cannot leave his past, constantly wanting to change everything back to the past with his former lover Daisy but never succeeds due to people’ desire of meliorate their lives. During this process the novel also reveals that there’s no distinction of careless between people in the 1920’s and the corruption of American Dream. Fitzgerald uses color symbolism to reveal the unfaithful condition of living and the loss of purity also the descended moral

Gatsby’s world was filled with the yellow of corruption. He drove a yellow Rolls-Royce, the car that caused the death of Myrtle Wilson. At his lavish parties on West Egg Island, yellow cocktail music played as hordes of guests, including two girls in twin yellow dresses took part in illegal drinking and promiscuity. Jay Gatsby had mob ties in the city of Chicago, and when Nick returned to the Midwest, the sight of the murky yellow cars of Chicago rooted itself in his memory. Gatsby was a man who knew what he wanted and did not care to do whatever it took to acquire it. He would resort to terrible activities such as bootlegging and lies. He did anything to get the wealth that he thought would win over Daisy Buchanan. Fittingly, the last time Gatsby was seen alive, he "disappeared among the yellowing trees (167)."

Yellow represents money and greed but it peculiarly represents death as well. The color yellow can be seen at two of the deaths in the book. The yellow Rolls-Royce owned by Gatsby that killed Myrtle, it is discernible that yellow was involved with the death of Myrtle. Another way yellow is shown through death is when Gatsby walked past the yellowing trees that were on the way to his pool before he was killed by George Wilson. “Gatsby shouldered the mattress and headed for the pool. Once he stopped and shifted it a little and the chauffeur asked him if he needed any help, but he shook his head and in a moment disappeared among the yellowing trees.” (Fitzgerald p.169). This shows the color yellow playing a role in death once again. At the parties you can tell that yellow is apparent. The “yellow cocktail music” and the “girls in yellow dresses” are too ways that show that Gatsby tries to fit in with “old money.” Yellow or gold deals with the real money, gold of course, while green would be considered new money. It is also humorous that Daisy which is a yellow flower is also the most impure character in the book.

     F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby, uses symbolism throughout the novel to create the characters and events of the post World War I period. Colors are one way symbolism was used to develop the characters’ personalities and set up events. This is shown by colors like the green at the end of Daisy Buchannan’s dock, the color of Jay Gatsby’s car and how Myrtle and Jordan surrounded themselves by white. Other symbolisms used to set up events are the difference in the people of the West Egg and East Egg and the sign in the “valley of ashes”.

Everyone has the opportunity to live the American dream--to achieve success and find happiness by working hard--however, those who take their opportunities for granted will not live the life they hoped for. Specifically, colors can be used to represent the American dream in The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The color gray is used to symbolize the valley of ashes; the dark outcome of being in a low social class. Gatsby’s loss of hope is signified by the green light displayed on Daisy’s house. Yellow and gold symbolize the irony between real wealth and false money. All these colors represent the lost opportunities of success and happiness resulting in a tragedy. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses colors to reveal how the American Dream can be misconstrued leaving devastating results.

When an artist paints a picture, they use vibrant greens and reds and contrast with dull blues and purples. In literature, the same technique can be used. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s work, The Great Gatsby, he gives greater meaning to his characters and their experiences by using color imagery. The Great Gatsby, set in 1920s New York, shows the differences between the life of the prosperous and the impoverished. Fitzgerald uses the colors gold, yellow, green, and white to expand the meaning and purpose of different elements and to express the themes of wealth, society and class, memory, and compassion.

Tom’s car was blue in which Gatsby and Daisy drive together, when they go back into Gatsby’s yellow car, death surrounds them and Gatsby’s illusion of his deeply romantic dreams of unreality die with

Throughout the Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald symbolizes and connects many characters to a color that helps further develop them. The color white can symbolize purity or innocence within Daisy and societal classes. To begin, Daisy is very innocent seemingly as well as powerful which allows white to best represent her. In this novel, the reader learns about Daisy as a teenager at her prime time of youth. While learning about her passed, Nick states, “She dressed in white, and had a little white roadster” (Fitzgerald 74).

The color yellow can be connected with the symbolism of greed, desire for wealth, and “old money”. Corruption is also distinctly represented by yellow, but death is also a key to yellows dark symbolism. The color yellow can be seen around a tragic death. The first time this is seen is when Myrtle is killed. She is the mistress of Tom, and is also married to a man named George Wilson. Myrtle was killed by Gatsby’s yellow Rolls Royce, in front of her yellow brick house, and under the yellow spectacled eyes of Dr.

What is the significance of colour in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald? Introduction - For Fitzgerald colour represents a clear boundary and obvious contrast between the characters. Everyone has their own opinion and feelings towards a colour, however, there are many shared views on what they represent. So by linking certain characters or traits to a colour he is able to unconsciously help us form an opinion on the character we are dealing with.