Color Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

Color Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

Color symbolism refers to the use of colors as a symbol throughout culture. There is also color psychology, these refers to the effect of colors on the human behavior and feelings. Colors can symbolize many different things. Artists use colors in their paintings when they want you to see what they are trying to express. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is full of symbols and symbolic ideas. Fitzgerald portrays important messages in the novel by his symbolic use of colors, names, places, weather and characters. Colors are an important part in Fitzgerald’s description of the lives of Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway and the other characters. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the colors yellow and white to express an image to the reader of what is going on in the story. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the color yellow to symbolize moral decay, and death. He also uses white to symbolize innocence, and honorable.

The color white in The Great Gatsby symbolizes innocence and honorable. In the beginning of the story, the reader can see that F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the color white when he refers to Daisy and Jordan. “They were both in white” (p.8) Even the windows at Daisy's house are white "The windows were ajar and gleaming white" (p. 8).Daisy’s character is enhanced by Fitzgerald’s use of the color white to indicate Daisy’s freshness and innocence. Fitzgerald evokes two meanings of white: one is the traditional meaning of purity; the second is the empowerment of whiteness. Daisy, as she is initially presented, represents both privilege and purity, a kind of princess figure. However, the different shades of white indicate that Daisy may not be an embodiment of purity and that privilege may have a corrupting effect, at least when it is used to veil or whitewash misdeeds. This example corresponds precisely to the presentation of Daisy's character through color symbolism. Another character that hides behind the white symbol is Jordan Baker, who happens to wear white as Daisy does. She acts as though she is superior to everyone around her; posture, attitude, and even the things she says imply this arrogance: “She was extended full length at her end of the divan, completely motionless and with her chin raised a little as if she were balancing something on it which was quite likely to fall. If she saw me out of the corner of her eyes she gave no hint of it-indeed I was almost surprised into murmuring an apology for having disturbed her by coming in” (P.8). She portrays herself as a bored and pathetic attitude about everything and everyone. In reality, she just wants to be as respected and socially accepted like Gatsby. With the color white Fitzgerald symbolizes that Daisy is innocent in the outside, but in th inside she is not innocent at all. Daisy is not innocent in the inside because she left Gatsby many years ago for Tom, because he has money. And now that Gatsby has money she wants to have an affair with Gatsby. These is the same color symbol for Jordan because in the middle of the story, the reader finds out that Jordan cheated on a golf tournament. The best similarity for both characters is that they are like an egg, they are only with on the shell, but inside they are yellow with corruption and greed.

The color yellow symbolizes richness, sickness, but it also represents moral decay and death. First of all, the narrator of these story is Nick. Nick shows moral decay in his relationship with Jordan; she is seen as an untrustworthy girl. When Nick talks to Jordan he refers