Literary Devices In The Great Gatsby

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A common question from high school students is “why should we spend our time reading old books and plays from a ‘stupid list’ when there are ‘more important’ things to learn.” The answer to this question usually ends in a statement along the lines of “the books on the list show why literature is important”.While this might be true, it does not really answer the question. Literature is important for many reasons, including its ability to impart real world experience without the reader actually experiencing it, develop critical thinking skills all while entertaining the reader; but to be included on a reading list, a novel must meet specific criteria to prove its worthiness. While there is a wide range of criteria used to judge whether a novel …show more content…
Literary devices help encourage the reader to think about how and why a novel was written. For example, an author can include symbolism to convey a deeper message or to represent abstract ideas and concepts to the readers. The Great Gatsby is the epitome of exceptional use of literary devices. The author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, employs several elaborate literary devices in the novel; the most prevalent being symbolism. The significance of the many symbolic elements in The Great Gatsby plays a role in revealing the underlying themes of the American Dream, the ongoing clash between love and wealth and social and moral …show more content…
Whenever The Great Gatsby is mentioned, typically a thought of the green light comes to mind. Fitzgerald works to gather every bit of the reader’s attention with this mysterious green light that Gatsby is fixated with. F. Scott Fitzgerald chooses the light be green, instead of the regular white, for a particular reason. The color green is intended to symbolize money and greed for the characters in the book, especially Daisy. In a conversation between Gatsby and Nick, they were talking about Daisy and Gatsby said, "Her voice is full of money" (Fitzgerald 120). While on the surface this clearly shows that Daisy only cares about money and what it can do for her, the statement actually has a much deeper meaning. Fitzgerald ties the color green to two meanings in the novel: money and Daisy. When Daisy states this, she is not only referring to the actual meaning, but also to place the idea that Daisy and money are inevitably linked in Gatsby's mind. Daisy has always been rich and the reader learns Gatsby has always yearned to be wealthy. Gatsby’s entire treasure and playboy lifestyle exist to impress Daisy. By including this example of symbolism, Fitzgerald encourages the reader to think critically and come to conclusions that makes the novel so much more than just words on a piece of paper. In order to understand the symbolism, the reader must make
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