Discuss Fitzgerald’s use of symbols within The Great Gatsby. Essays

Discuss Fitzgeralds use of symbols within The Great Gatsby. ending-to-end his novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald usessymbolism.Symbols are objects, characters, figures or colours used to seeabstract ideas or concepts.The first symbol we see appears at the end of Chapter one. It is a potassium light, situated at the end of Daisy Buchanans easterly Egg dock andis only just visible from Gatsbys rarified West Egg back garden. InChapter one Nick (the narrator) describes his hush-hush neighbourstretching out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, thisis Gatsby reaching desperately out to the car park light, whichrepresents his hopes and dreams for the future (which incidentally,involved Daisy). He associates it with Daisy and sees the green lightas a guiding light to his goal.Perhaps the green light represents Daisy, the unattainable. Alike tothe green light, she is so close, yet so far from Gatsby and justwithin his grasp. Although he is reaching out to her, he ca nnot inreality reach her because on that point is a divide, in the case of the greenlight it is water, but in the case of Daisy it is status (and herhusband, Tom).The green light also represents the generalised nonsuch of the AmericanDream, because Gatsbys quest for Daisy is generally connected withthis.Fitzgeralds prime(prenominal) of using green as the colour of the light isvery meaningful and symbolic in itself. Green is the colour of moneyand therefore wealth, this is something which Gatsby has foreverstrived for (similarly he is reaching out and striving for thelight) in fiat to capture Daisys heart, as she rejected him in thepast due to his lack of wealth and status. Also, green is the colourthat ... ...umping of industrial ashes. - It represents the moral and hearty decay that results from the uninhibited pursuit of wealth, as the plenteous indulge themselves with realize for nothing but their own pleasure.- It also symbolises the plight of the poor, like Wilson , who die among the vexing ashes and lose their vitality as a result.- Fitz uses the valley of the ashes as a dramatic contrast to the lives of the rich east and west nut case dwellers, to really emphasise and show how large the difference between them is, condescension them being so nearby.- He also uses it to highlight how superficial the rich are. They are the beautiful people and this is reflected in where they live, however the valley of the ashes is dirty and unattractive. - The valley is actually used as a cut through road for the rich, however real people live there.