Unrealism In The Great Gatsby Essay

Behind Gatsby’s mansion there is a barely visible green light that always shines. This green light is at the end of Daisy’s dock across the Sound. Almost every night, “[Gatsby] stretche[s] out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way...trembling… [there is] nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock” (25-26). Here Fitzgerald paints a picture of Gatsby shaking in his back yard trying to reach something that is obviously too far to grasp, Gatsby is yearning for the chance to be able to hold this light in his hand. This light is not just any green light; this is the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock, Gatsby’s long lost love that he

Therefore the green light gives him hope that someday he will be reunited with his love. In most societies today, green means go; Gatsby sees the light as a sign to go ahead and attain his dream. Consequently, Gatsby tries to pursue his love and thinks that he has convinced Daisy to leave her husband, but it is all an illusion; “‘If it wasn’t for the mist we could see you home across the bay...you always have a green light that burns all night at the end of your dock.’...it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever. Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it had seemed very near to her, almost touching her. It had seemed as close as a star to the moon. Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one” (93). In this moment, Gatsby realizes that his dream will never be obtained because the light is not visible anymore. There is a distance between Gatsby and Daisy, and the only connection to his vision of a perfect life is the green light, and, once it disappears, the hope for an ideal life fades. By saying “It had seemed as close as a star to the moon,” it is almost as if Gatsby is very close, but in reality he is still far away and the hope has vanished with the green light. After Gatsby dies, Nick reflects on Gatsby’s decisions that were based on the green light; “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future

1. The green light, situated at the end of the Buchanan’s dock, represents Gatsby’s hopes and dreams for the future. Gatsby associates the light with Daisy and in Chapter one, he reaches toward it

The most important symbol to show deeper meaning in The Great Gatsby is the green light on Daisy’s dock. The green light is presented as mysterious.

Fitzgerald uses the image of T.K Eckelburg’s eyes to symbolize a godlike figure who happens to see everything going on within their lives. George Wilson stated, "I spoke to her, I told her she might fool me but she couldn't fool God. I took her to the window--and I said 'God knows what you've been doing, everything you've been doing. You may fool me but you can't fool God!... God sees everything"

From early on in the novel, Jay Gatsby is portrayed as a mysterious, wealthy and extravagant man; he lives in an ostentatious mansion and showcases his successes at the lavish parties he hosts. However, it is evident that this perplexing character, despite all of his wealth and successes, continues to yearn for even more. At the beginning of The Great Gatsby, Nick observes of Gatsby, “...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. Involuntarily I glanced seaward- and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock” (Fitzgerald 26). It is later revealed that Daisy, who Gatsby loves and hopes to reunite with, lives at the house at the end of the dock with the green light. Ultimately, Daisy and the green light are motivations for Gatsby that recur throughout the novel. This single green light that Gatsby reached out to with quivering arms represents the American dream that drove the goals and hopes of Americans during this time.

While everyone has dreams, some being far greater and more ambitious than others, these dreams aren't always within the grasp of reality. The Great Gatsby was focused around a man whose own dreams were so close to being obtainable, it seemed almost impossible for him to not achieve them. The “American Dream” centralises around the idea that everyone has the opportunity to be successful through hard work, determination, and by having the right mindset. Triumphing over life's obstacles during the “Roaring 20’s”, Gatsby was able to achieve success in the heart of the country; New York. ​F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, is a novel about the American dream. ​Through the use of symbolism and characterization,

Everyone has heard about the green light at the end of Daisy's dock—a symbol of the crude future, the immeasurable promise of the dream that Gatsby desires despite its tragic end. Another familiar symbol is that of yellow and gold—representing money, the tactless greediness that taints the dream and eventually leads to its destruction. Such symbols and their purposes, at every stage in the novel, help provide substance to the main conflict.

The green color of the light represents wealth and the start of a new life. Connecting his love for Daisy with the American dream and a better future, he believes Daisy is a beckon that is going to pull him out of darkness into a perfect life. In the beginning of the story, this can be seen when the narrator recounts that “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. Involuntarily I glanced seaward--and distinguished nothing except a single green light,” (Fitzgerald, 26). This brings forth the idea that the light or goal is minute and unattainable. Although Gatsby never approaches the light, he continues to reach for it which represents Gatsby’s unattainable dream. As background information is revealed, it becomes evident that Gatsby’s desire for Daisy is one of status. His past reveals that Daisy was desired by many men and to attain her would make one most worthy. “It excited him, too, that many men had already loved Daisy – it increased her value in his eyes” (Fitzgerald,149). This increased value further exploits the classism of this time period through Gatsby, who takes the green light as a signal to keep going. The only judgement of character was one’s social class. However, he does not just desire Daisy but the previous month he had spent with her. This demonstrates Gatsby’s

F. Scott Fitzgerald is known for his use of symbols and imagery throughout The Great Gatsby to illustrate his many ideas and themes. The green light is a symbol that seems to pervade the novel, taking on many meanings. The image of the green light is presented in Chapter 1, as Gatsby extended his arms to the “single green light” at Daisy’s dock as if it were some sort of religious icon. Jordan also confirms this sense of idolization when she says that “Gatsby bought [his] house so that Daisy would be just across the bay,” suggesting his obsessive devotion to Daisy (77). As shown in Chapter 9, the green light can also be interpreted as a symbol of growth. Near the end of the novel, Fitzgerald illustrates Daisy’s dock transforming into the

Daisy Buchanan has a green light at the end of her of dock on the other side of the bay from Jay Gatsby’s house. The green light

A few symbolisms in novels are as memorable as the green light in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Shining at the end of Daisy’s dock, it is close enough to be seen, but too far away to be reached. Still, Gatsby, an eternal optimist, stares at it at night, as if it showed him that all his far-away dreams were about to come true. The green light in The Great Gatsby is symbolic of hope, a source of inspiration, and a representation of the American Dream to Gatsby and to the novel’s readers.

This light was a very important symbol in this novel. Across the bay from Gatsby’s house there is a bright green light. Gatsby lives on West Egg, and the light is seen on East Egg. This light happens to belong to Daisy, as it is at the end of her dock. Fitzgerald uses this green light to represent Gatsby’s dream. Gatsby’s dream is to be with Daisy. Towards the end of the novel, Gatsby realizes his chance of being with Daisy is gone. “Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever. Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it had seemed very near to her, almost touching her. It had seemed as close as a star to the moon. Now is was again a green light on a dock...” (Gatsby 98).

Gatsby threw big open door parties every weekend, hoping one day that Daisy would come over as he was too scared to invite her himself to his mansion. At the end of Daisy’s dock was a green light that Gatsby would gaze at wistfully from his own house. Jay Gatsby believes the green light represents the American dream that everyone longs for and a future he

“I told her she might fool me but she couldn’t fool God… he was looking at the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg”(Fitzgerald 167). Published in 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s symbolic piece of American literature has truly endured the test of time. Not only has it served as an influence on society for decades in the past, but it continues to stimulate the minds of readers for centuries to come. Nonetheless, the novel portrays its symbolic elements through an ornate yet simplistic style. Fitzgerald deftly uses the billboard, valley of ashes/river, and the green light shining on the end of a dock as symbols to advance his plot and enhance the quality of the novel.