Color symbolism is exteremely important in this novel. I
strongly urge anyone to consult the University of Michigan's Online Dictionary of
Symbolism and look up the various colors Fitzgerald uses, namely yellow, green, white,
blue, gold, and silver. Remember that any given color may have multiple suggestive
meanings depending on culture and context. For example, white usually suggests innocence
and purity. White is clearly associated with Daisy, but she is hardly innocent. Instead,
white for Daisy suggests transparency. She is so shallow that we can see right through
her. In the case of the car, the yellow exterior suggests decay and corruption [note the
rims of T.J. Eckleberg's glasses are also yellow]. The green interior suggests money (of
course--it is a Rolls Royce!)as well as hope and innocence. In combining these two
colors, Fitzgerald is suggesting that hope and innocence (associated with the West in
TGG) are often corrupted by greed and loss of hope. The car, then, is sort of objective
correllative for Gatsby himself. Invariably, I get at least one student who questions
how much of these things an author "intends." Fair enough. I usually answer by saying
that writers have choices. He could have made it any color he wanted, but he chose these
for very specific reasons. If the color symbolism conveniently reflects the themes in
the novel--so be it.
Friday, September 5, 2014
In the Great Gatsby,what is the color of the inside of Gatsby's car?
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