Skip to main content

SYMBOLS USED IN THE GREAT GATSBY

HOW ARE CARS A SYMBOL IN "THE GREAT GATSBY?"

Cars are a symbol in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel “The Great Gatsby” because they represent status, wealth and power. Jay, Tom and George associate cars with their place in society.

People choose to display their wealth in many different ways, and Jay Gatsby decides one way he can exhibit his wealth is with his car. He owns a 1928 Rolls Royce, which is a definite symbol of status. Jay Gatsby had no problem disclosing his wealth to the public, and the car he drove was just another way to express himself and his money to the masses. The symbol of the car as wealth is also important to Tom and George as they exchange words over a car that symbolizes their relationships with Myrtle. Tom offers to sell his car to George, but George does not realize that Tom never intends to sell the car. Tom eventually confesses to Nick that he believes George is “so dumb he doesn't know he’s alive.” The car in the story of The Great Gatsby represents Tom’s deceitfulness and immorality.

GREEN LIGHT SYMBOLISM IN "THE GREAT GATSBY"

The purpose of colour symbolism in "The Great Gatsby" is to convey the different emotions of F. Scott Fitzgerald's characters and to depict the societal mind-set of the time. 

"The Great Gatsby" is a novel set in a fictional Long Island community and makes use of colour symbolism. Fitzgerald used various colours to depict the emotions of his characters as well as to convey a sense of the societal mind-set of the upper-class society where the story takes place.

The green light at the end of Daisy's dock is the symbol of Gatsby's hopes and dreams. It represents everything that haunts and beckons Gatsby: the physical and emotional distance between him and Daisy, the gap between the past and the present, the promises of the future, and the powerful lure of that other green stuff he craves—money.

Situated at the end of Daisy’s East Egg dock and barely visible from Gatsby’s West Egg lawn, the green light represents Gatsby’s hopes and dreams for the future. Gatsby associates it with Daisy, and in Chapter 1 he reaches toward it in the darkness as a guiding light to lead him to his goal. Because Gatsby’s quest for Daisy is broadly associated with the American dream, the green light also symbolizes that more generalized ideal. In Chapter 9, Nick compares the green light to how America, rising out of the ocean, must have looked to early settlers of the new nation.






Comments

Popular posts from this blog

BBS First Year English Question Paper with Possible Answers (TU 2021)

The Etiquette of Freedom - Gary Snyder

  In his essay " The Etiquette of Freedom ," Gary Snyder explores the concept of freedom in relation to nature and culture. He argues that freedom is not simply the absence of constraints (restrictions), but rather the ability to live in harmony with the natural world. This requires a deep understanding of the environment and a willingness to respect its limits. Snyder begins by defining the terms " wild " and " culture ." He argues that " wild " does not mean " untamed " or " uncivilised ," but rather " self-organizing ." A wild system is one that is able to maintain its own equilibrium (balance) without the intervention of humans. Culture, on the other hand, is a human-made system that is designed to meet our needs. Snyder then goes on to discuss the relationship between freedom and culture. He argues that our culture has become increasingly alienated from nature and that this has led to a loss of freedom. We have...

PROFESSIONS FOR WOMEN - Virginia Woolf (1882-1941)

Summary : Virginia Adeline Woolf (1882-1941) was an English novelist and essayist, regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century. She was one of the leaders in the literary movement of modernism.  The speech of  Professions for Women  was given in 1931 to the Women’s Service League by Virginia Woolf. It was also included in  Death of a Moth  and  Other Essays  in 1942. Throughout the speech, Virginia Woolf brings forward a problem that is still relevant today:  gender inequality .   Woolf’s main point in this essay was to bring awareness to the phantoms (illusions) and obstacles women face in their jobs. Woolf argues that women must overcome special obstacles to become successful in their careers. She describes two hazards she thinks all women who aspire to professional life must overcome: their tendency to sacrifice their own interests to those of others and their reluctance (hesitancy) to challenge c...