What Does Owl Eyes Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

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An Analysis of Owl Eyes
While reading The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, I stumbled upon the character who was simply given the nickname Owl Eyes. Although Owl Eyes is only mentioned a handful of times, he was very quick to become my favorite character in the entire novel. Maybe this was because I was quick to become very curious about him, I wanted all of my questions about the mysterious Owl Eyes to be answered-- questions like why he never was presented with a formal name, why Fitzgerald had only included him in a couple minor scenes, and what does he symbolize? Although I can’t give any definite answers to these questions, I can give my thoughts and interpretations of Owl Eyes and his minor yet major role in this book, and maybe it will spark some sort of connection in your mind that will help us get closer to uncovering the answers we all want to know. We can start answering our simple questions first, which is really only one question we have an answer to-- what does Owl Eyes look like? In the book, he is described as “A stout, middle-aged man, with enormous owl-eyed spectacles, was sitting somewhat drunk on the edge of a great table, staring with unsteady concentration at
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We have to figure out what his personality is like, his history, etc. However, I don’t believe that any of that really matters. I think that all we really need to know about Owl Eyes is what Fitzgerald wanted this owl-eyed man to symbolize. This entire publication thrives on symbolism-- the repeated colors, the mysterious green light, Gatsby’s books, they are all symbols, Owl Eyes must symbolize something too. After reading The Great Gatsby, I was lead to believe that the author wanted Owl Eyes to symbolize wisdom, he was a character who understood the others. I think this because of the characteristics and actions that Fitzgerald told us about his minor