Blue symbolism on the cover is a taste of what is to come when the reader turns the pages. The first symbolic aspect of color in the book is in the cover. Like Gatsby, he had to attain wealth and fame to marry the woman he loved. Her parents took objection to their engagement as he lacked financial backing. He then joined the US armed forces and fell in love with another woman. The author was also in love with a socialite whom he couldn’t marry due to his “poor background”. He also had an Ivy League education, like the narrator of the story. In many ways, it’s also a tell-all account of Fitzgerald‘s life. In this way, Fitzgerald is giving readers an education about the age in the history of America. For instance, petting in cars is mentioned, and the author’s allusions to bootlegging as the reason for Gatsby’s riches. Simple features of the period occur in the book. This contrast in views is shown expressively in the book.
It was a period of laws of prohibition living with libertine ideals. Society in the 1929s and the norms it adhered to, or not, are critically touched upon in the novel. In the film, you notice the blue symbolism more than ever. A film was made too, and a newer version recently. It became part of the American school curriculum for high school students of literature. The author had experienced the party scene himself, and that’s how he got the idea for the story.ĭuring the period of the Second World War, the book’s interest saw a revival. This marks the distinctive quality of the book. He wanted to create a “different“ kind of novel, one in which wealth was manifested as negative. Fitzgerald desired to produce a work that was new, but still part of the human experience. His own editor called the novel, “vague”. This was Fitzgerald’s magnum opus, but it was met with a poor reception at first. Critics have regarded it as a cautionary sign for those who believe in the book as a meaning of the “American Dream”. Fitzgerald managed to create a novel which is a portrayal of the Roaring 20s in all its extravagant glory. The themes of social upheaval, materialism, resistance to change and opulence are explored. He has lofty ideals and unrealistic plans to reunite with Daisy, imagining that their love has stood the test of time. The story revolves around young Jay Gatsby, a millionaire, decadent and obsessed by his former lover, Daisy Buchanan. Blue symbolism is used as a statement in the novel significantly. The book, by several critics and readers alike, is thought of as one of the landmarks of English literary prowess.
At the time, Long Island is a metaphor for wealth and prosperity. The novel’s characters live in two fictional towns, West Egg and East Egg, on Long Island. It came out in 1925 in an era that was just getting used to prohibition and the age of jazz. Daisy's clothing always includes white, she has a white car and even regards to her childhood as "our white girlhood was passed there.A novel written by the American author, F.
White is often related to Daisy, such as when Nick first mentions when he sees Daisy at her home in East Egg that Daisy is wearing a white dress. The colour white is used throughout the novel, it is a colour often used in life to symbolize purity, and innocence. The green light is important within the novel because it is a symbol of hope in regards of Gatsby's hopes and dreams of increasing social standings and winning Daisy back. So this representation is possibly giving Gatsby that it is a good idea to go ahead with trying to gain status in society and rekindle his love with Daisy without hesitation. The colour green itself represents serenity, and is often used to represent that everything is calm and perfect, a sign that Gatsby should not strive to get Daisy back because his chance has been and gone.Ĭontradictory to the last representation of the green light, it could also symbolize the word or action "go" as many people recognize the colour green with the green light within a traffic light. Gatsby is also searching for success and acceptance within the higher class of the 1920's and money will help him in these aspirations. Money is also symbolized in the green light because it is the colour of the American dollar bill, something Gatsby values greatly and wants more of. The green light is used within the text used to symbolize Gatsby's hope for gaining money, success and acceptance, as well as hope that he will have a chance of getting back together with his long time love Daisy Buchanan. Fitzgerald and green and white are the most predominately used colours in this way. Explain the significance of the symbolism and how it can be linked to technique and meaning.Ĭolours are used in a symbolic way throughout the novel The Great Gatsby by F.