The color green has significant symbolic meaning in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous 1925 novel The Great Gatsby. An analysis of the use of the color green throughout the book provides insight into the themes, characters, and deeper meaning behind the story.
Green’s Association with Spring and Renewal
Green is strongly associated with spring and renewal. This symbolism is reflected several times in the novel. For example, the narrator Nick Carraway first observes Gatsby reaching out across his lawn towards the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock, with his arms “trembling” toward the future. This green light represents Gatsby’s hopes and dreams for the future – his longing for a renewal of his relationship with Daisy. The green of spring and rebirth is intertwined with Gatsby’s ambitions.
Similarly, Jordan Baker tells the story of Gatsby and Daisy’s budding romance in October 1917, describing how they fell in love as the leaves were turning green. The green leaves evoke the freshness and life of the new love between Gatsby and Daisy in the autumn of 1917, contrasting with the later decay and death as their relationship falls apart.
The Green Light and Gatsby’s Hopes for the Future
As mentioned above, the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock is one of the central symbols of the novel. Gatsby gazes across the bay towards this light, seeing it as a guiding vision of his ultimate goal of rekindling his past love with Daisy. The green glow stands for this dream that Gatsby reaches towards but seems endlessly out of reach. When Nick imagines Gatsby’s final thoughts before his death, this green light plays a starring role, showing its significance in encapsulating Gatsby’s aspirations.
More broadly, the green light symbolizes hopes and dreams for the future – something grand and meaningful beyond the emptiness of the present. Gatsby has built up Daisy in his mind as the perfect incarnation of glamour and wealth. Reaching this green light would mean realizing a purpose greater than the hollowness of the seemingly carefree party lifestyle he leads.
Money and Wealth
Green is also associated with money and wealth in the book. Gatsby wears a green tie when he first meets Daisy again at Nick’s house, showing his newly earned riches after growing up poor. The Dallas newspaper in Gatsby’s boyhood scrapbook talks about greed and getting rich quick by striking oil. Gatsby’s parties feature green-colored cocktails. Green color links Gatsby to ideas of money, success, and the American Dream.
In contrast, the Wilsons are associated with grey and lifelessness, lacking money and prospects. The Valley of Ashes where they live is a desolate wasteland. The lack of green represents the barrenness and poverty of their lives. Green in Gatsby is tied to wealth and corruption, showing the lengths he has gone to in pursuit of riches.
Jealousy
Gatsby stares intensely at the green light on Daisy’s dock, gripped by a jealous longing for what he cannot have. Green is connected to envy and jealousy throughout the novel. It describes both Gatsby’s and Tom’s covetousness of their lovers. Tom Buchanan has an affair with Myrtle Wilson when he becomes envious of Daisy’s youth and wealth. The flashy green tie Gatsby wears shows his own jealousy and desire to prove himself by stealing Daisy away.
Key Examples of Green Symbolism
Here are several prominent cases where the color green takes on symbolic meaning in The Great Gatsby:
| Quote | Significance |
|---|---|
| Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. | The green light encapsulates Gatsby’s hopes, persona, and the broader American Dream. |
| Gatsby stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way… toward the single green light | Gatsby’s gesture hints at his longing for Daisy and the future. |
| They were sitting at either end of the couch looking at each other as if some question had been asked or was in the air… His gorgeous pink rag of a suit made a bright spot of color against the white steps. | Gatsby’s pink suit suggests his jealousies and insecurities about reuniting with Daisy. |
| The leaves were turning to gold. The street lights shone through them. | Jordan invokes autumn colors and change as she tells of Gatsby’s initial romance with Daisy. |
Conclusion
In summary, the color green in The Great Gatsby has multiple symbolic meanings and significance. It represents spring and renewal, pointing to Gatsby’s ambitions for the future and desire to revive his past love. The green light offers hope in contrast to the bleak emptiness of Gatsby’s existence. Green is connected to money and achievement, but also jealousies when taken too far. Through its varied uses, green takes center stage in establishing the novel’s central themes and character motivations.
By analyzing Fitzgerald’s careful and deliberate use of color symbolism, a reader can gain a deeper understanding of The Great Gatsby’s exploration of the American Dream, social status, and romantic idealism and disillusionment in the 1920s. Paying attention to the presentation of the color green throughout the work provides critical insight into the inner world of Jay Gatsby and the message at the heart of the narrative.
