How Does Fitzgerald Use Symbols In The Great Gatsby

Words: 580
Pages: 3
Open Document
Brandon Smith

3/28/2016

AP Literature

Moral Decay

Symbolism, the art of using symbols to represent ideas or qualities. Using symbolism you can give the reader feelings, sensations and meanings without directly saying what is happening. In the novel The Great Gatsby, symbolism is used to avoid criticism for the controversy surrounding the novel. Symbols such as colors and locations are used to display the aspects of the recklessness and corruption of the upper class in American society.

Although there are many symbols hinting at the wealth of the upper class, Gatsby’s gold tie and silver shirt symbolize his status within the wealthy community. Gatsby wears this outfit to display to Daisy how his wealth has grown. He feels that she will want to marry him now compared to years before because of his economical status. While how his fortune has made isn’t clear, it is obvious that illegal, organized crime was in someway involved. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald frequently refers to the 1919 World Series. Meyer Wolfsheim, Gatsby's connection to organized crime, was heavily influential in the World Series. Alcohol was a recurring symbol of Gatsby’s disregard for the law. People did not care about breaking the law since they felt above the law because of their wealth. …show more content…
While driving his car, Daisy ran over Myrtle, George Wilson’s wife. This is another representation of the carelessness of the upper class and how they don’t realize the repercussions of their actions. Myrtle’s death by gatsby’s car is what lead George Wilson to kill him. This means that Gatsby's rise to wealth lead to his death. If Gatsby didn’t have wealth he would not have his car or the opportunity to let Daisy drive. Wealth and high social status is what makes people’s behaviour deteriorate and lead to their demise. People from the upper class do not see how self destructive their careless actions can
Show More

Related Documents: How Does Fitzgerald Use Symbols In The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald and Great Gatsby Essay example

Thomas Mclamb Mr. Evans AP English 110 29 October 2014 The Great Gatsby Analysis Essay The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald presents in his story two distinct female characters that are represented as “modernize” women during the Jazz Age. Those two women are Daisy Buchanan and Jordan Baker. Each has their own unique personality and way of life. However, both show the type of woman that escapes from the traditional role and become more progressive. Daisy Buchanan represents the women in the 1920’s…

Words 825 - Pages 4

Gatsby Essay

Howard 1 Aly Howard Mr. Jackson English 11 per. 3 09 March 2015 Gatsby’s American Dream In the novel, The Great Gatsby , by F. Scott Fitzgerald, many archetypes, motifs, and symbols are used to portray the moral decay in society, not only in the 1920s, but also today. Characters, weather changes, and a green light are major factors in the story to illustrate the relationship between Gatsby's American Dream and today’s society depiction of their American Dream. The 1920s morals are a lot like 2015’s morals…

Words 785 - Pages 4

Gatsby Practice Essays

Exam preparation – text response to The Great Gatsby Notes from Barron's: Great Gatsby (1984) by Anthony S. Abbott, Davidson College Professor of English. 1. Is Gatsby a "hero?" Discuss. Everyone wants to admire someone. Do you admire Gatsby? Is he a hero to you? If so, why? If not, why not? This essay gives you a wonderful opportunity to take sides. From one point of view, Gatsby is a crook, a bootlegger, a vulgar materialist. From another point of view, he is a dreamer, faithful to his dream…

Words 2834 - Pages 12

Broken Dreams and Fallen Themes: the Corruption of the American Dream in the Great Gatsby Essay

Dreams and Fallen Themes In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald employs the use of characters, themes, and symbolism to convey the idea of the American Dream and its corruption through the aspects of wealth, family, and status. In regards to wealth and success, Fitzgerald makes clear the growing corruption of the American Dream by using Gatsby himself as a symbol for the corrupted dream throughout the text. In addition, when portraying the family the characters in Great Gatsby are used to expose the corruption…

Words 1460 - Pages 6

What Does Daisy Fay Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the color white in his novel The Great Gatsby 49 times. The author uses the color as a symbol to show innocence, purity and corruption in both the society and characters. Daisy Fay is a prime example of how this symbol is shown. She grows up wearing white, she has a white car, her house even has white in it. The mystery is that if Daisy grew up around all white, why by the end of the noel was she selfish and careless? This is how a major theme of wealth can breed carelessness…

Words 986 - Pages 4

Essay about Great Gatsby: How Does Fitzgerald Tell the Story in Chapter 7

How does Fitzgerald tell the story in Chapter 7? The Great Gatsby is a tragi-romance novel that was written by F.Scott Fitzgerald after being influenced by his wife, Zelda’s, frequent breakdowns. Fitzgerald writes the novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ to be narrated in the perspective of the character Nick Carraway who writes about his past summer in New York of 1922. However, he is an unreliable narrator to the novel as he tells the story of events where he wasn’t present-this links into a theme in the book:…

Words 681 - Pages 3

Social Class Boundaries In The Great Gatsby

November 8, 2016 Great Gatsby Annotations Big Ideas -Social class and boundaries: Fitzgerald symbolizes the division of social classes and the evident boundaries set by the societies by discussing the value of old vs new money in the society. It symbolizes this importance of social class using this division, East egg vs West egg not only as a geographical split but also a split of their society. -Sense of Belonging: Fitzgerald displays the theme of belonging using the protagonist, Jay Gatsby, since he…

Words 1025 - Pages 5

Essay On The Green Light In The Great Gatsby

been achieved. However, this does not change the effects that come from them. Steve Jobs once said, “You cannot connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards”. The importance of analyzing others actions is evident in recognizing F. Scott Fitzgerald’s purpose for the way he writes The Great Gatsby. Throughout his writing, Fitzgerald uses many literary devices to enhance the beauty of the novel. One of these devices is symbolism. Fitzgerald uses symbolism throughout the…

Words 1814 - Pages 8

Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald is a man who believes that God can be found in many places, which is prevalent in his book, The Great Gatsby. Throughout The Great Gatsby, one can find a plethora of religious references that are brought to light by the book’s characters Owl Eyes, Doctor Eckleburg, and Gatsby.This symbolism is found in the character’s actions and how the other characters react to them. One prevalent character that represents a divine deity is Owl Eyes. Within the book, there are several instances…

Words 1511 - Pages 7

Final One Gatsby Essay

themes shown by author F.Scott Fitzgerald. In the Great Gatsby, by Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby has failed to understand that youthful dreams are no longer possible and any attempts to recapture them will be futile. Throughout the novel Gatsby is in search of every opportunity to relive the past, in hopes of picking up where he left off. Gatsby’s dreams is related to that of the “American Dream” that is also just a dream and a thought planted in ones mind but is not real, it does not exist. He searches for…

Words 1666 - Pages 7