Blue is one of the most commonly used colors in literature, and it has a wide range of symbolic meanings. Blue can represent sadness, wisdom, faith, calmness, and truth. Looking at how blue is used as a literary symbol can provide deeper insight into the messages authors are trying to convey through their writing.
Sadness and Depression
One of the most common symbolic meanings of the color blue is sadness and depression. Phrases like “feeling blue” are used to describe feelings of melancholy and unhappiness. This association likely stems from the seemingly “cold” nature of the color blue. Darker shades of blue especially evoke a sense of gloom and despair.
Many classic literary works use blue to represent sadness and depression. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the narrator Nick Carraway describes the “blue lawn” of Gatsby’s mansion during one of Gatsby’s decadent parties. The blue lawn represents a hint of sadness and superficiality beneath the lively façade of the party. The blue lawn foreshadows the tragic ending of Gatsby’s story.
William Shakespeare also uses blue to symbolize melancholy in his play Henry IV Part 2. One character observes that “There is a thing, Harry, which thou hast often heard of and it is known to many in our land by the name of pitch. This pitch, as ancient writers do report, doth defile, so doth the company thou keepest.” Here, the word “pitch” refers to tar or coal, both dark blue/black in color. The pitch represents the melancholy influence of Prince Harry’s disreputable friends.
Wisdom and Intelligence
While blue can signify sadness, it can also represent wisdom, intelligence, and contemplation. Light shades of blue, like azure, are particularly associated with wisdom. This connection may originate from blue skies and blue oceans symbolizing expansiveness and depth.
In Greek mythology, the god Zeus was often depicted with blue hair or a blue beard to represent his wisdom and authority as king of the gods. The phrase “bluestocking” emerged in 18th century England as a label for highly educated women, again linking the color blue to intelligence and erudition.
Blue’s association with wisdom shows up across many literary works. In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring, the wizard Gandalf the Grey becomes Gandalf the White after his rebirth. White symbolizes purity, while blue (his previous color as Gandalf the Grey) represented wisdom.
Faithfulness and Tranquility
Blue can also symbolize faith, calmness, and stillness. This arises from connections between blue and sky and water imagery. Blue skies represent peaceful, untroubled environments, while blue oceans suggest tranquil, meditative spaces.
The color blue is commonly associated with Christianity and the Virgin Mary. In medieval art, the Virgin Mary was traditionally depicted wearing blue robes. Literary works may use blue to reference Mary and Christian faith. For example, in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, the main character Celie associates the color blue with her faith in God. The blue in the novel takes on spiritual meaning.
Calm blue seas and oceans are also used in literature to represent tranquility. In Edgar Allan Poe’s story The Fall of the House of Usher, the narrator first arrives at the house of Usher to find “bleak walls” and “vacant eye-like windows” reflected in the “dark tarn,” or mountain lake. The still blue water represents an oasis of calm surrounding the chaotic house of Usher. However, this tranquility is superficial and foreshadows ominous events to come.
Truth and Purity
Blue can additionally symbolize truth and purity. This meaning connects to blue’s association with expansive blue skies that seem to extend into infinity. Blue also links to cool water, washing away impurities.
In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, blue symbolizes truth and the rejection of false morals. Protagonist John Proctor refuses to make a false confession, declaring “God damns our kind…we will burn, we will burn together!” Here, burning represents Proctor’s refusal to turn away from the truth. He chooses integrity rather than betraying his moral principles.
White often represents purity, while blue symbolizes true purity attained through hardship and wisdom. In O. Henry’s short story The Gift of the Magi, a poor couple each sacrifice their most valuable possession to buy the other a Christmas gift. The wife cuts off her long brown hair to buy her husband a chain for his heirloom watch. He sells his watch to buy her decorative combs for her hair. Their sacrifices prove their pure, unselfish love for one another. The gifts transform from brown and gold into “pure blue.” The blue symbolizes how their love has been refined, tested, and purified through sacrifice.
Unhappiness and Betrayal
While blue can have many positive connotations, it also has some more negative meanings. Pale or sickly shades of blue represent fear, unhappiness, and betrayal. Blue eyes in particular are often seen as cold, penetrating, and even malevolent.
In Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart, the narrator calls an old man’s pale blue eye “a vulture eye…which haunted me day and night.” The icy blue eye disturbs and unnerves the narrator, eventually driving him to murder. The blue eye symbolizes the coldness and evil haunting the narrator’s mind.
Shakespeare also uses blue eyes to represent deception and dishonesty. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the character Helena addresses her friend Hermia’s eyes, saying “Those eyes of yours, from mine have drawn salt tears./Sham’d their aspects with store of childish drops.” Hermia’s blue eyes appear innocent but have betrayed Helena by stealing her boyfriend. The deceitful blue eyes represent Hermia’s betrayal of their friendship.
Longing and Distance
Blue can also signify longing and vast distance. This symbolism links to blue representing the distant sky and ocean waters. Authors use blue objects to reference characters’ yearning and desires.
In Henrik Ibsen’s play Hedda Gabler, the main character is trapped in a loveless marriage yet longs for independence and excitement. Her hunger for freedom is represented by her fixation on a blue bookcase in her living room. The distant blue object reflects her internal state of dissatisfaction and ennui.
Another famous blue symbol comes from Edgar Allen Poe’s poem Annabel Lee. The speaker mourns the loss of the beautiful Annabel Lee, referring to her as his “darling…in her sepulcher there by the sea.” The endless blue sea represents the distance death has put between the speaker and his true love, as well as his persistent longing for her.
Impressionism and Abstract Use of Blue
Some literary works, particularly from the modernist era, use blue in a more abstract, impressionistic manner. Rather than one fixed meaning, blue conjures a set of feelings or ideas.
In his seminal poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, T.S. Eliot paints abstract cityscapes with blue imagery. He describes “The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes/The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes/Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening.” The smoky, intangible blue atmosphere of the evening evokes melancholy boredom and decay.
James Joyce also uses blue to craft subjective states of mind in his massive modernist novel Ulysses. The character Stephen Dedalus observes a woman “moving through the glimmering rain. Grey sweet light swan through her dress…flitting by to a mellow blue dusk and musical light.” The woman materializes as if in a blue-tinted dream, surrounded by abstractions of color and sound that Joyce is painting.
Conclusion
In summary, blue is a multidimensional literary symbol used to represent a wide gamut of meanings. While blue commonly signifies sadness, wisdom, calm, and truth, it can also stand for deception, longing, fear, and distance. Blue’s fluid symbolic meanings reveals how authors use color to silently communicate complex themes and emotions in their writing. Paying attention to blue symbolism provides readers a rich underlying framework for analyzing literature.