The color yellow plays an important symbolic role in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. In this novel, yellow represents moral decay, corruption, and deception. The connections between yellow and these ideas are woven throughout the story in relation to various characters and events.
Yellow and Moral Decay
One of the most notable uses of the color yellow in The Great Gatsby is to symbolize moral decay. This is first seen early in the novel when Nick Carraway describes his neighbor, Gatsby, reaching out towards a green light across the bay. Behind Gatsby’s outstretched hand, Nick notices a giant yellow billboard advertising an oculist. The juxtaposition of Gatsby’s hopeful gesture with the crass commercialism of the billboard introduces the association of yellow with vulgarity and moral decay.
As the story continues, yellow is repeatedly linked with moral corruption. The climactic Plaza Hotel scene is full of yellow decor and attendees dressed in yellow. This setting underscores the morally problematic nature of Tom and Daisy’s relationship with Gatsby, including their lies, infidelity and callous treatment of others. After Myrtle’s death, Nick notices a grotesque yellow brick building looming over the Valley of Ashes, again tying yellow to ethical degradation.
The Buchanans’ daughter wears a dress patterned with yellow daisies, hinting at the parental failings that have shaped her life. Gatsby’s yellow Rolls Royce, in which he takes Nick into the city, symbolizes the gaudy materialism Gatsby uses to mask his humble roots and morally ambiguous business dealings. Overall, whenever yellow appears, it is a reminder of the lack of ethics among the wealthy elite the novel describes.
Yellow and Corruption
In addition to moral decay, yellow is also associated with corruption in The Great Gatsby. This is mostly in relation to money and wealth, which tend to have a corrupting influence in the novel. Gatsby’s quest for fabulous wealth, driven by his love for Daisy, leads him to engage in criminal activities like bootlegging and insider trading. His lavish yellow parties signify his newly acquired wealth, much of it likely gained through corruption.
Daisy and Tom both come from very wealthy backgrounds, and their money has had a corrupting effect on them as well. Daisy is depicted as flighty, careless and irresponsible, running over Myrtle without stopping. Tom has an affair with Myrtle and treats her horribly because his money and privilege have corrupted him. Their wealth has allowed them to act unethically without consequences.
Even Nick is not immune to the corrupting influence of money. When he first sees Gatsby’s extravagant yellow Rolls Royce, he is impressed by its luxury. As a bond salesman making money through shady investments, Nick is complicit in the web of corruption that money creates between the characters. Overall, yellow symbolizes how wealth leads to moral compromise and corruption.
Yellow and Deception
Finally, yellow is tied to deception throughout The Great Gatsby. Gatsby himself is shrouded in mystery for much of the novel, hosting decadent parties but revealing little about himself. His history is full of lies and misrepresentations in an effort to construct a new wealthy identity for himself and win Daisy over. His yellow Rolls Royce, yellow suits, and flashy yellow parties are all part of his deceptive facade of wealth.
Daisy also wears the external trappings of privilege to hide her cynical, mean-spirited nature. She is first introduced wearing a white dress and holding yellow flowers, representing the way she disguises her true character beneath a veneer of innocence. Jordan is similarly flashy and dishonest, cheating in golf tournaments and helping to facilitate the deception between Gatsby and Daisy.
Even places take on a sham yellow facade in the story, like the faded yellow stucco of Dan Cody’s house masking the hollowness of his wealth. Over and over, yellow symbolizes how appearances are deceiving as characters pretend to be something they are not. It adds an overarching feeling of phoniness to the novel’s depiction of Jazz Age wealth and society.
Examples of Yellow in The Great Gatsby
Here are some key examples of how the color yellow symbolizes moral decay, corruption, and deception in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby:
| Yellow Symbol | Relationship to Theme |
|---|---|
| Gatsby’s yellow Rolls Royce | Gatsby’s newly acquired wealth through criminal activities |
| Yellow flowers on Daisy’s dress | Daisy disguising her cynical nature with an innocent facade |
| Yellow stucco on Dan Cody’s house | The hollow emptiness beneath Cody’s wealth |
| Yellow decor at the Plaza Hotel | Underscores the unethical love triangle between Gatsby, Daisy and Tom |
| Yellow daisies on Pammy’s dress | Parental failings and lack of ethics passed on to the next generation |
Conclusion
In summary, the color yellow plays a major symbolic role in The Great Gatsby, representing moral decay, corruption, and deception. It is repeatedly associated with unethical characters and actions as Fitzgerald criticizes the emptiness and phoniness at the heart of wealthy American society during the Jazz Age. Through its connection to yellow symbols and details, the novel cautions against the corrupting influence of money and privilege, and the way they can lead even well-intentioned people like Gatsby astray. The prevalent use of yellow ultimately adds an ominous tone warning of the consequences of straying from morals in pursuit of wealth and status.
