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Theme Of Imagery In The Great Gatsby

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Tracy Sabin once said, “Creating visual imagery is a state of mind. It involves the reproduction of what we see. But much more than that, it becomes an outlet to express feelings about what we experience.” Imagery is used in the story by using colors that symbolize traits of characters or scenery. Symbolism is used to find the true meanings of people in a story. Fitzgerald uses imagery of the two towns and symbolism of different colors to convey underlying messages about the qualities of the characters and the setting in The Great Gatsby. By encompassing symbols in the story, it reveals the true intentions or latent qualities of the characters.
One of the biggest examples of imagery in the story is the green light. This green light represents money, the American Dream, and Gatsby’s wish for Daisy. In the 20’s, the American Dream could be defined as getting rich. Nearly every American had dreams of getting rich because of how easy it was. Another goal was to get married. Before leaving for the war, Daisy is Jay’s love interest. While he is away at war, Daisy fulfills the American Dream by settling down and marrying a rich man. Gatsby doesn’t achieve the love aspect of the American Dream or Daisy, so the green light in Chapter 1 symbolizes that. Readers can visualize the green light when Nick sees Gatsby at his house, “But I didn't call to him, for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone—he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way,

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