The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is filled with symbols and motifs to represent various themes and ideas. Some of the most significant symbols in the novel include the green light, the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, the Valley of Ashes, East Egg, West Egg, and the colors blue, yellow, and gray. These symbols help reinforce the key themes in the story related to the American dream, social class, wealth and materialism, lost innocence, and more.
The Green Light
The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock is a significant symbol in the novel. It represents Gatsby’s hopes and dreams for the future. Gatsby associates the green light with Daisy, and it comes to represent his dream of one day reuniting with Daisy and recapturing the past. The green light is located across the bay from Gatsby’s mansion, almost close enough to reach but still barely out of grasp. This visual representation brings attention to the theme of aspiration and the American dream always being just out of reach.
Some key points about the green light symbol:
- First mentioned in Chapter 1 when Gatsby reaches towards it while looking out over the water
- He stares at it each night with an obsession, as if it holds the key to his happiness
- It represents Gatsby’s hopes, dreams, and aspirations of getting back together with Daisy in the future
- The light is located on Daisy’s dock and seems attainable but is always just slightly out of reach
- Reinforces the idea of striving endlessly to achieve an elusive American dream
- Serves as a guiding light leading Gatsby’s thoughts and actions
- Stands as a symbolic goal for Gatsby to reach towards with optimism
The green light is one of the most iconic symbols from 20th century American literature. It captures the wistful longing at the heart of the American dream – aspiring towards hopes and dreams that remain frustratingly just out of reach no matter how hard one tries to attain them.
The Eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg
The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg are a pair of fading, bespectacled eyes painted on an old advertising billboard in the Valley of Ashes. They may serve as the eyes of God staring down upon the moral decay of 1920s society. The inhuman, unblinking eyes reflect the meaninglessness and lack of spiritual values in the modern world.
Key details about the billboard eyes:
- Located on a billboard overlooking the Valley of Ashes, described as desolate “waste land”
- Once advertised an oculist named Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, but the rest of the ad has faded away
- Depicted as a faded pair of blue eyes with yellow spectacles over them
- The eyes are described as “brooding” and “omnipresent” as they watch over the valley
- May represent the eyes of God observing and judging American society
- Or may suggest the meaninglessness of the universe and a lack of God or spiritual presence
- Symbolize a loss of meaningful spiritual values in the 1920s
- Serve as a reminder of the consequences of unethical behavior and moral decay
The ominous, judgmental eyes resonate through the novel. They may indicate that someone is always watching the immoral acts the characters carry out, or they could suggest just the opposite – that no god or authority truly oversees society.
The Valley of Ashes
The Valley of Ashes is a gloomy industrial area located between West Egg and New York City filled with pollution, poverty, and despair. It represents the moral and social decay resulting from America’s obsession with wealth and status in the 1920s. The Valley of Ashes symbolizes the consequences of valuing money and status over humanity.
Key characteristics of the Valley of Ashes:
- Situated halfway between West Egg and New York City
- Filled with industrial ash heaps from coal and trains
- The ground is described as powdery dust that makes everything coated in ash gray
- Inhabitants appear dirty and melancholy, with cheerless expressions
- Represents how pursuit of wealth creates poverty and pollution
- Serves as a grim reminder of the lower classes overlooked in the 1920s
- Shows the consequences of valuing money over humanity
- Described as a “desolate area of land” like a wasteland or dumping ground
- Provides a stark contrast to the lavish mansions of the Eggs
The Valley of Ashes is one of the bleakest, most despondent settings in literature, reflecting the devastating results of American society’s moral corruption and misplaced values.
East Egg versus West Egg
East Egg and West Egg represent old money versus new money in The Great Gatsby. The two areas depict the division between established aristocratic families and the newly rich seeking to join the upper class.
Here are some key differences between East Egg and West Egg:
| East Egg | West Egg |
|---|---|
| Home to old money families | Home to nouveau riche |
| Mansion of the Buchanans | Mansion of Jay Gatsby |
| Long established wealth and privilege | Recently acquired wealth |
| Conservative and traditional | Garish and excessive parties |
| Judge others based on bloodlines | Try to fit into elite social class |
This divide between the Eggs represents the tensions between genteel aristocracy and the newly prosperous seeking acceptance into high society. While those with new money were able to gain affluence after the war, old money families still saw themselves as superior.
Blue, Yellow, and Gray Color Symbolism
The colors blue, yellow, and gray in The Great Gatsby have symbolic meanings related to the American dream, social class, wealth, and optimism vs. pessimism.
Here is what each color may represent:
- Blue: Often associated with Gatsby and his extravagant parties, represents Gatsby’s illusion of happiness and his sense of hope and optimism
- Yellow: Symbolizes money, wealth, and gaudiness – associated with gold and with the richer characters like the Buchanans
- Gray: Represents bleakness, poverty, depression, and gloom – evident in the Valley of Ashes and its inhabitants
The shifting color symbolism over the course of the novel reinforces the ideas related to the rise and fall of dreams, social classes, and moods. The contrast and juxtaposition of the different colors helps emphasize major themes.
Conclusion
The Great Gatsby is filled with symbolic representations of 1920s American society. Fitzgerald uses symbols like the green light, the Valley of Ashes, East and West Egg, and color symbolism to explore themes of wealth, social class, the American dream, disillusionment, justice, morality, and innocence lost. The vivid symbols interwoven throughout the text add layers of meaning and reinforce the novel’s central ideas related to aspiration, corruption, and social critique. The Great Gatsby’s masterful use of sophisticated, multi-layered symbolism is part of what makes it the consummate masterpiece of twentieth century American fiction.
