Symbolism in the Great Gatsby
This essay will analyze the use of symbolism in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.” It will explore how symbols such as the green light, the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, and the Valley of Ashes contribute to the novel’s themes of the American Dream, societal decay, and the illusion of love and wealth. The piece will discuss how Fitzgerald uses these symbols to critique the excesses of the Roaring Twenties. PapersOwl showcases more free essays that are examples of Happiness.
How it works
Symbolism – it’s a strange thing, seeing a deeper meaning in an inanimate object, or seeing a deeper meaning of something that happens in a story. It is an interesting, yet creative way to get a reader thinking, and engaged. Sometimes, symbolism can go unnoticed, but typically it really stands out, and leaves the reader thinking something like, “Wow, that eagle reappears every time he talks about freedom.” F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of The Great Gatsby, uses symbolism to show how random objects throughout the story symbolize the reconstruction of Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan’s relation.
- 1 Green Light Symbol in the Great Gatsby
- 2 What Does Gatsby’s House Symbolize?
- 3 What Do the Eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg Symbolize
- 4 What Does the Car Accident Symbolize
Green Light Symbol in the Great Gatsby
There is a green light placed at the end of Daisy’s dock, and that green light is used to symbolize Gatsby’s hopes and dreams for the future, to have Daisy back. Near the end of chapter one, Nick Carraway, the narrator, sees Gatsby at the end of his dock, reaching towards the green light that is at the end of Daisy’s dock, across the bay separating the East Egg and West Egg. This important part was described by F. Scott Fitzgerald as, “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” (24). This quote from the book introduces the green light and suggests it as an important figure in the story, and presents Gatsby, as this is the first time he is in the story in real time, and not just spoken about by other characters. Gatsby is reaching towards the light, and obviously he is not attempting to grab ahold of the light. The green light symbolizes Daisy and Gatsby’s dream for the future, and he is reaching towards his dream to come true and earn Daisy back from Tom Buchanan, to himself. He dreams of having her back into his life, after no contact between the two. When Nick is watching Gatsby, Gatsby vanishes into the darkness. “When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness” (Fitzgerald 24-25). Gatsby vanishing into the darkness is foreshadowing that Gatsby will soon leave, which reflects on Daisy vanishing away from Gatsby five years prior after he had gone to war, to be with Tom. Once, Gatsby’s dream comes true and he is finally happy, his dream will fall and vanish, along with himself soon after.
What Does Gatsby’s House Symbolize?
Jay Gatsby owns an extremely expensive mansion, and it may just look like it is where he lives, but looking closer, the house may be an important symbol that ties into the time where the book takes place, and also ties into the green light symbol. “‘It was a strange coincidence,’ I said. ‘But it wasn’t a coincidence at all.’ ‘Why not?’ ‘Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay’” (Fitzgerald 84-85). What has been revealed is that Gatsby had purchased his mansion not because he simply liked it, but because he wanted to be as close to Daisy as he can be, and that is right across the bay. This also suggests that all of the parties that Gatsby throws are happening in hopes of that one day Daisy will arrive to one of the parties, and Gatsby will get the chance to finally see her again. Another thing is, that Gatsby’s lives in his house alone, and being inside of a house that huge must be very lonely. Gatsby’s house being empty most of the time can also symbolize himself being empty and lonely, because he no longer has Daisy and the thought of never having her back makes him feel sad and empty. The fact that Gatsby’s house is empty most of the time can also symbolize the 1920’s boom, or The Roaring Twenties, because Gatsby deals with living in a mansion all by himself by throwing an open invite party every Saturday night, that hundreds of people attend to. “The lights grow brighter as the earth lurches away from the sun and now the orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music and the opera of voices pitches a key higher. Laughter is easier, minute by minute, spilled with prodigality, tipped out at a cheerful word” (Fitzgerald 44). This occurs at the start of chapter three, and it is the first party of Gatsby’s that Nick attends. The text evaluates on Gatsby being lonely, and that is the reason why he throws so many parties. He is not throwing parties to satisfy other people, because F. Scott Fitzgerald explains in the text that Gatsby doesn’t even know who most of the people are who come to his parties.
What Do the Eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg Symbolize
In the Valley of Ashes, there is a billboard with a pair of eyes painted on it. The pair of eyes are named the “Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg.” Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg on the billboard symbolize that when there are people living poor, rich people look down on them, and the poor people are aware of it. Nick first sees the Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg in chapter two, while driving through the Valley of Ashes. “But above the grey land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg. 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 26). The quote expresses the billboard as powerful, and just how aggressive the eyes on the billboard must seem to the people who live in The Valley of Ashes. Fitzgerald also uses imagery to describe how the billboard, or the eyes, overlook The Valley of Ashes.
After the death of his wife, George Wilson enters a state of shock and grief. Before it happened, he knew that something was up with Myrtle, and George refers to the billboard as “God.” “Wilson’s glazed eyes turned out to the ashheaps, where small grey clouds took on fantastic shape and scurried here and there in the faint dawn wind. ‘I spoke to her,’ he muttered, after a long silence. ‘I told her she might fool me but she couldn’t fool God. I took her to the window—’ With an effort he got up and walked to the rear window and leaned with his face pressed against it, ‘—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!’ ‘ Standing behind him Michaelis saw with a shock that he was looking at the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg which had just emerged pale and enormous from the dissolving night. ‘God sees everything,’ repeated Wilson” (Fitzgerald 170). This happens near the start of chapter eight, and George is saying how the Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg to him, symbolize God, and how he believes God sees everything, meaning God knew what Myrtle was doing with other men, if George himself did not know.
What Does the Car Accident Symbolize
One of the scariest things that can happen to somebody, is a car crash. But at the same time, one single car crash can symbolize an entire marriage crashing apart. From Jordan Baker, Nick learns about the first known situation where Tom is caught with another woman, while being married to Daisy. After their honeymoon, Tom was involved in a car accident and there was a maid from a hotel in the car with him. The news spread in newspapers, and Daisy knew about it. Daisy still kept the marriage, though. “A week after I left Santa Barbara Tom ran into a wagon on the Ventura road one night and ripped a front wheel off his car. The girl who was with him got into the papers too because her arm was broken—she was one of the chambermaids in the Santa Barbara Hotel” (Fitzgerald 83). These are the words of Jordan Baker, in chapter four of the book. Jordan narrates this to Nick, and it can suggest that Daisy is into Tom because of his wealth. For some reason even after caught cheating, Daisy decides to still be with Tom. The symbolism here is that the second the car suffered the damage, the marriage between Tom and Daisy suffered damage as well, as Daisy now knows that Tom is seeing other women. This is not the only car accident that symbolizes the fallout of a relationship. After Gatsby and Daisy meet again and fall in love, she goes to one of his parties.
After the party, Daisy is driving Gatsby’s Rolls Royce, with him next to her. While driving through The Valley of Ashes, Daisy strikes Myrtle Wilson, and kills her. Ironically, Myrtle is Tom’s mistress. Towards the end of chapter seven, F. Scott Fitzgerald describes Nick hearing about the accident in the newspaper as, “The ‘death car’ as the newspapers called it, didn’t stop; it came out of the gathering darkness, wavered tragically for a moment and then disappeared around the next bend. Michaelis wasn’t even sure of its color—he told the first policeman that it was light green” (147). Myrtle had jumped into the street, and Daisy hit her with Gatsby’s car. The car obviously had suffered damage, and that damage is also in Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship. After this happens, Gatsby starts to get a little annoyed that Daisy will not admit to Tom that she never loved him, and also supports the fact that Daisy loves Tom for his old money. F. Scott Fitzgerald has used a genius way of using cars in the story to represent the fall of Daisy and Tom’s relationship, as well as Daisy and Gatsby’s new relationship.
The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, contains many forms of symbolism to represent the events that happen in the book, and most importantly, to represent Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan’s relationship. The green light that Gatsby is reaching towards in the first chapter of the book is symbolizing him reaching towards his hopes and dreams, for Daisy. Jay Gatsby’s house, a gigantic mansion, always empty, is used for a symbol Gatsby being empty and lonely because he cannot find his happiness of having Daisy back, and it also can represent the Roaring Twenties, by having his parties. A billboard overlooking The Valley of Ashes can be symbolized as the rich overlooking and being better than the poor, and to some people, the Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg can be a symbol of God. Fitzgerald has used two car crashes in the book to symbolize two different relationships starting to become damaged, and how the person driving the car is causing the damage to the car and to the relationship. While reading The Great Gatsby, the many forms of symbolism are noticed, but if you dig even deeper, are there objects and things used to symbolize other themes of the story, too?
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The Great Gatsby Symbolism
Symbolism means an artistic and poetic expression or style using figurative images and indirect ideas to express mystical concepts, emotions, and states of mind. It also refers to symbols writers use to convey specific meanings, and they vary depending on the circumstances. Symbolism in The Great Gatsby carries different meanings to different readers based on their perceptions. Some of the significant symbols used in The Great Gatsby are discussed below.
Symbolism in The Great Gatsby
Gatsby’s Mansion
Gatsby’s grand and lavish mansion symbolizes his high lifestyle. It also shows the inner conflict of Gatsby and foreshadows his loneliness hidden behind his lavish estate. It also symbolizes his unbound love for Daisy. Gatsby uses his new money to buy the grand house, thinking it is similar to the house of the old money taken away from him. Though he progresses a lot in life, ironically his luxurious lifestyle does not bring satisfaction to him. It rather seems a falsifying dream. In fact, he struggles to reach at this position to win Daisy back.
The Green Light
The green light pops up many times in the novel and represents Gatsby’s dream and hope. It also represents everything that haunts him and takes him to the past. It also signifies the green stuff (money), his memories with Daisy and the gap between his past and his present. He deliberately chooses the house in a direction from where he can have the enchanting sight of green light. He loves to stand at the dock to stare at that green light which represents his innermost desire to revive his past. He is hopeful that one day he will win the lost moments. The artificial green light also stands for his artificial and unrealistic aims in life.
The Eyes of T. J. Eckleberg
Another symbol we see in the novel is the eyes of T. J Eckleberg. These are faded bespectacled eyes printed on the billboard over the ‘valley of ashes’. The eyes represent the commercialism which is the backbone of the American dream. It is clear from the fact of how Gatsby earns a lot of wealth to get Daisy back in life. These eyes also represent the hollowness and solidity in Gatsby’s eyes, for despite having all the glitters in life, his eyes reflect emptiness. To George Wilson, they are the eyes of God that watch over every segment of the society. To Nick, they represent the waste of past which sticks around, though, vanished.
The Valley of Ashes
The valley of ashes is a symbolic place in the novel that first appears in chapter two. Nick goes there to search for his mistress. It is a place between East and West Egg created by dumping the industrial waste. It represents how morality and social code of conduct are dropped out of the industrial society. It also depicts the miserable plight of people like George Wilson who live among the ashes without ambition. This is a highly effective symbol that represents the divide between the poor and the rich class in the society of that time and even the present.
East and West Eggs
East and West Eggs are two fictional villages Fitzgerald has created to represent the different ideas of the new rich and the old rich. East Egg represents the old rich. Tom and Daisy belong to East Egg. It represents the people, who are born rich and are considered classy, with an arrogant stance toward West Egg. West Egg stands for newly rich people like Gatsby. It is the world of those who make their own fortune and are not rich by birth. East symbolizes corruption, whereas West symbolizes goodness.
The name Daisy is also symbolic. A daisy is a flower with white petals and a yellow center. Universally of white color represents purity, chastity, and innocence whereas yellow stands for corruption. Similarly, Daisy appears to be innocent and pure, but her heart is filled with lust, carelessness, and corruption. She lets Gatsby believe that she will leave Tom for him, but later it is found that money is the most important thing for her.
Green Color
Just like the Green Light, Green color runs throughout the novel. It universally represents vitality, wealth and growth. In the novel, green stands for Gatsby’s hope and short life. It symbolizes the bulk of wealth which Gatsby earns to win Daisy back in life. It is the symbol of death too, as Michalis describes the car that kills Myrtle as a green light, though, it is a yellow car. The green light thus represents the false status of dream and hope that win nothing for Gatsby.
Other Colors
Colors are widely used in the novel having deeper meanings. For example, Gatsby’s car and T. J. Eckleberg’s glasses are yellow. It represents the corrupt and false standards of Gatsby and the society of that time. Blue color stands for illusions and falsifying dreams ; Gatsby’s garden is blue, Eckleberg’s eyes are blue, and chauffer’s uniform is also blue. While white color is a symbol of purity, in the novel it symbolizes immorality. Gatsby, Daisy, and Jordan wear white, but none of them is a morally ideal character . The valley of ashes is grey symbolizing hopelessness, or filthy side of the society.
Cars in the novel symbolize the display of vanity. The rich and complex description of Gatsby’s car is an epitome of ostentation and excess. It describes the dominance of commercialism how wealth is the center of attraction for the society. The car of the drunk man is also symbolic, as he runs his car off the road and breaks the wheel. It represents the careless attitude and ignorance of the rich society.
Clock / Time
The clock in the novel symbolizes the passage of time that has passed and the moments Gatsby wants back. He wins the high living standards to rewind the clock to the times, change what happened between him and Daisy. In chapter five “the defunct masterpiece clock” represents that Gatsby is still living in the past with Daisy, while Daisy has moved on. The end of the novel also signifies the value of time and the dilemma faced by humans; the more we try to escape from the past, the more we get close to it.
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The Great Gatsby: Decoding Symbolism in Fitzgerald's Classic
- Category: Literature
- Topic: Scott Fitzgerald , The Great Gatsby , The Great Gatsby Symbolism
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